Karl Lagerfeld breathed new life into Chanel in the 1980s by overhauling the brand’s image. Chanel became a label that was worn outside of the confines of the Upper East Side. Yet, Lagerfeld has a mysterious air about him, and I quite can’t figure it out.
My interest in him sparked after I was an intern at Conde Nast. I had heard of him before working there, but I didn’t know much about him. I guess if I worked in the same place that was home to the magazine that helped launch his career, I felt morally obligated to learn something about him. To me, he looked like nothing more than an Armani-clad ex-communicated priest. Yet, little did I know his name alone was worth millions to Chanel and other fashion houses around the globe, including H&M.
Last week, I was flipping through the channels and a documentary on the Sundance channel about him. I was able to peak inside his life for a short 90 minutes. I learned several things about him actually, but something stood out about him in his home. Lagerfeld is an obsessive compulsive packrat that is really awkward to watch on screen. He paces a lot. No, I mean really, a lot. He can’t sit still for a very long time. He also avoids eye contact with the cameras and even his most beloved Chanel employees. I don’t get him.
After 90 minutes of watching him, he still looked like a priest to me. No offense to preachers and their uniforms, as the Catholic Church isn’t probably to worried about haute couture right now but rather the current state of affairs… But still, I just couldn’t get over it. I’d seen pictures of Lagerfeld before, but I never had a chance to actually see him on screen.
He’s just really awkward. Maybe even an awkward genius.
~Sara McKinnis
Columbus, Ohio
sarabethmck@gmail.com
