He was the man behind the sunglasses, white ponytail, and Choupette. The fashion community mourns today over the loss of its leader, the unparalleled Karl Lagerfeld. It was announced early Tuesday morning that the creative director of Chanel and Fendi had passed at the age of 85 in the city his beloved Paris. The German mogul, who signed on with Chanel in 1983, is largely responsible for revamping the once unpopular brand. To commemorate King Karl, here’s a look back on some of his most memorable quotes.
“What I do Coco would have hated. The label has an image and it’s up to me to update it. I do what she never did. I had to find my mark. I had to go from what Chanel was to what it should be, could be, what it had been to something else.”
“I am very much down to Earth. Just not this earth.”
“Sweatpants are a sign of defeat. You lost control of your life so you bought some sweatpants.”
“I think tattoos are horrible. It’s like living in a Pucci dress full-time. If you’re young and tight, maybe it’s OK, but…”
“Normally, I don’t recommend me for wedding dresses – they all get a divorce.”
“Vanity is the healthiest thing in life.”
“Chic is a kind of mayonnaise, either it tastes, or it doesn’t.”
“You know, personally, I don’t even think I’m that famous. Now, Choupette really is famous. She has become the most famous cat in the world. I even get propositioned by pet food companies and things like that, but it’s out of the question. I’m commercial. She’s not. She’s spoiled to death. Obviously.”
“I live in a set, with the curtains of the stage closed with no audience – but who cares?”
“They grow so fast, and having adult children makes you look 100 years old. I don’t want that.”
“Bling is over. Red carpetry covered with rhinestones is out. I call it the new modesty.”
“Well, there came this new line from Hedi Slimane at Dior that you needed to be slim to wear. It said: ‘You want this? Go back to your bones.’ And so I lost it all. I lost 88 pounds and never got them back.”
Thank you Karl Lagerfeld for imparting your wisdom on us. You were truly one of a kind.
Quotes courtesy of British Vogue.