The Fashionista is in – designer drama

Depending on your feelings about obesity and little kids, Chanel head honcho Karl Lagerfeld could be the funniest man alive. Or the most deadpan. Or the most stuck up. But he is one thing, and that’s over-the-top chic. And quotable.
You see, the 75-year-old German designer took over the storied house of Chanel when its founder, the irreplaceable French Gabrielle Chanel , died. He rose to greatness around the same time that peer designer Yves Saint Laurent did, and the two had a glamorous feud during the 1970s. Karl designs tons of shows each year for the house (like cruise, couture and ready-to-wear), as well as shows for Fendi and his eponymous line. However, the reason I’m bringing him up is beacause it’s rumored he’s stepping down from Chanel and retiring. Of course, this rumor has the fashion world buzzing, and for good reason: Karl is one of the legends. Apparently, his successor would be Lanvin’s Alber Elbaz , whose designs for that house are absolutely lovely and would do well at Chanel. And Karl, well, he needs a break. The man is busy!
But it sounds like the rumor about Karl retiring is null and void. Karl says he’ll never leave Chanel, since he IS Chanel. However, it’s still worth thinking about: What would Alber do at Chanel? I have to admit, I was sort of looking forward to a possible change of hands. The fact that Karl can churn out constant creativity for not one, not two, but three lines is astounding to me.
Plus, Karl’s a photographer with about 200 iPods scattered all over the world; he did some stuff for H&M a while back, and he still finds the time to hold court about all sorts of ridiculous topics. This can be seen in a 2008 Hong Kong interview, the highlights of which are below :
How does Karl feel about children? “I hate all children. For other people, it's fine, but not for me.” How about food? “I hate the smell of cooking. I don’t eat greasy things. I don’t eat sweet things.” This is particularly amusing because Karl used to be rather … voluptuous, and a strict diet and regimen of ballroom dancing trimmed him down to miniscule skinny jean size. Strangers? “I cannot go on airplanes because … you have to be touched by people.”
There’s plenty more where that came from. Just Google the man or watch YouTube clips of Karl interviewed on Charlie Rose. Or, even better, check out Fake Karl’s blog, wherein a mysterious stranger pretends to be the designer. Fake Karl waxes poetic about Richard Nixon’s need of skinny jeans, among other things. It’s super amusing — almost as amusing as the real guy.
Another amusing development in the fashion world was the recent “60 Minutes” interview with Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. When being grilled about her magazine’s constant barrage of teeny models, she said she’d recently visited Minnesota and compared our residents to “little houses.” And I guess I see her point when comparing us to the New York fashion scene, but for the most part, Minnesotans are pretty decently-sized folks. It got people up in arms and defensive, but you have to remember that Anna’s world is a lot different than our own.
You can see for yourself at upcoming fashion events around the city, like Cliché’s Five Years of Love fashion show June 11, which is an annual runway show done by the Lyndale boutique and local designer haven. If you go, you’ll see looks by Ivan Idland, Maritza Ramirez and St. Kate grad Amanda Chaffin.
Another highlight will be the Vita.mn Poolside Fashion Show on June 18 at the Calhoun Beach Club. This show isn’t just local designers, but also looks from Mall of America stores like Burberry. This is one I’ve been painstakingly planning an outfit for!
There’s Macy’s Glamorama in August, and though it’s on the spendy side ($75) it’s going to be a glamorous event for the chicest folks around town. Say what you will about Macy’s (and I can say a lot, since the store drives me nuts) but they put on a great show, and Glamorama is not to be missed.
Luckily for you, I’ll be popping up Fashionista-style both around campus and in these pages throughout the summer, so keep reading. And if you’re going to the beach, wear a suit that fits, OK?