Karl Lagerfeld is a genius. This much we know. Unfortunately, for the majority of us, the chance to own something by the master, created for the house of Chanel, is rare (see bloody expensive). Despite this, Lagerfeld has a huge following among us civilians. We know this because when he created a line for H&M there was an unseemly scrum of the sort normally reserved for free iPhones or the dancefloor at Boujis once Prince William alights.
Was it the clothes? Was it the idea of buying a “piece” of the man? Lagerfeld is, after all, the only bloke who has managed to make boucl? and pearls devastatingly sexy. He is, by his own admission, not “normal” – this is a good thing. He has his quirks: travelling the world first-class with his bespoke iPod transporter (70 pods at last count, all loaded to the max) is one; his uniquely slimming diet of zero carbs and Diet Coke is another.
Karl Lagerfeld might be an enigma, but he also makes great, wearable, chic clothes. OK, so there have been some stinkers – but in a 50-year career there has to be room for mistakes. And frankly, he hasn’t made many at Chanel, where he has ruled the roost and set the fashion agenda for the past 24 years.
Recently, Karl has begun making murmurings about America, a country he once professed ambivalence towards. In an interview a few years ago, he said he liked the idea of living in the land of the free (versus homeland Germany, to which he vowed he would never return). He may have changed his mind – I don’t know, Karl and I don’t exactly “hang out” swigging our DCs and tweaking toiles – but I think his latest collection for KL suggests otherwise.
Why? Well, firstly Karl Lagerfeld is now owned by Apax Partners, which also owns that American retail juggernaut Tommy Hilfiger, formerly beloved of US rappers. K is Lagerfeld’s first comprehensive denim-inspired line and it is a barnstormer. Reprising a little of what he did at H&M (so good one British fashion director wears the black trench religiously all winter), this is a pared-down, versatile collection of slim jeans, cashmere sweaters, cashmere cotton Ts, cute skirts and two iconic coats – the trench and the pea.
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There’s a sprinkling of Lagerfeld’s trademark humour in there too, with cotton and sequined vests bearing his face, and a sweater carrying his slimline silhouette. This is exactly the sort of easy to put together collection that bicoastal America will be “mad for”. Here’s the real clincher though – they won’t be able to buy it. Why? Because this collection is initially for sale in Europe and Canada only. There’s nothing America wants more than something it cannot have. Breaking the US is notoriously difficult. I reckon Lagerfeld has managed it with one collection.
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