Pierre Balmain S.A. ( French: [balmɛ̃] ), trading as Balmain , is a French luxury fashion house that was founded by Pierre Balmain (1914–1982) in 1945.
75-457: Karl Otto Lagerfeld ( German: [kaʁl ˈʔɔtoː ˈlaːɡɐˌfɛlt] ; 10 September 1933 – 19 February 2019) was a German fashion designer, photographer, and creative director. Lagerfeld began his career in fashion in the 1950s, working for several top fashion houses including Balmain , Patou , and Chloé before joining Chanel in 1983. As the creative director of Chanel from 1983 until his death, he oversaw every aspect of
150-503: A teddy bear in his likeness that was produced by Steiff in an edition of 2,500 that sold for $ 1,500. and has been immortalized in many forms, which include pins, shirts, dolls, and more. In 2009, Tra Tutti began selling Karl Lagermouse and Karl Lagerfelt, which are mini-Lagerfelds in the forms of mice and finger puppets , respectively. That same year, he had a guest voice role in the French animated film Totally Spies! The Movie . In 1996,
225-506: A "t") and Lagerfeld. Like his father, he used the spelling Lagerfeld, considering it to "sound more commercial". His family was mainly shielded from the deprivations of World War II due to his father being a member of the Nazi party and his business interests in Germany through the firm Glücksklee-Milch GmbH. As a child, he showed great interest in the visual arts, and former schoolmates recalled he
300-450: A 35-piece athletic wear collection. In September 2023, Rousteing announced that a van holding over 50 designs for the fall 2023 show during Paris Fashion Week had been robbed while en route to the Balmain studio. Despite the setback, he insisted the show would go on and was able to successfully present a glossy show filled with flowers and message that "love is all". As of 2012, 50% of
375-554: A benefit luncheon at Avery Fisher Hall , in New York City. In November 2010, Lagerfeld and Swedish crystal manufacturer Orrefors announced a collaboration to design a crystal art collection. The first collection was launched in spring 2011, called Orrefors by Karl Lagerfeld. In 2012 Lagerfeld released his photo-book The Little Black Jacket which featured entertainers, models, and friends of his. In 2014, Palm Beach Modern Auctions announced that many of Lagerfeld's early sketches for
450-523: A complete about-face in 1978 and joined other designers in showing the heavily constructed, huge-shouldered , more restrictive looks that would dominate the 1980s. He presented such an exaggerated retro 1940s–50s silhouette – immense shoulder pads; severe, stiffly constructed suits with padded lampshade peplums; padded busts and hips; impractically tight skirts; awkwardly high spike heels; hats; gloves; even boned corsets – that his work did not look out of place alongside similar retro fare from Thierry Mugler of
525-411: A deal to design limited edition homes on the island of Isla Moda . A feature-length documentary film on the designer, Lagerfeld Confidential , was made by Rodolphe Marconi in 2007. Later that year, Lagerfeld assumed the role of the host of the fictional radio station K109 in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV and its DLCs The Lost & Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony . In 2008, he created
600-487: A figure reportedly close to €500 million ($ 548 million) in 2016. Prior to the deal, Balmain was 70 percent controlled by heirs of Alain Hivelin. The company does not regularly release financial information, but Les Echos estimated its revenue in 2015 at €120 million (about $ 136 million), growing from an estimated €30 million (about $ 34 million) in 2012. Balmain expected to reach a revenue of €150 million in 2017, 90% of which
675-516: A freelance artist and spending time with Edward Molyneux , he left school to work for Molyneux. In the late 1930s, he served in the French air force and the army pioneer corps. After peace was declared, he worked at Lucien Lelong and opened his own fashion house under his name at 44, rue François 1 in Paris. He released his first collection in October 1945 and his first fragrance, Jolie Madame in 1949. In
750-510: A lawyer bought back the painting; when the Kunsthalle refused to pay him the agreed "consideration", he sued and won. In 1997, the museum opened the Galerie der Gegenwart building, an extension of 5,600 square metres (60,000 sq ft) that was designed by Cologne architect Oswald Mathias Ungers and that is dedicated to the Kunsthalle's contemporary art collections. The cubic building sits on
825-507: A moment of silence in his honor and chairs emblazoned with his image next to Coco Chanel with the saying "the beat goes on". Although Lagerfeld shunned any emotional reactions around the idea of his death, some models could be seen crying on the runway, as well as audience members. Lagerfeld took up photography in 1987 after being frustrated with images done for Chanel press kits. Chanel's then-image director, Éric Pfrunder , encouraged Lagerfeld to redo them himself, and photography became one of
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#1733104945597900-642: A monolithic base at a prominent location in close proximity to the Binnenalster . The Kunsthalle is divided into four different sections: the Gallery of Old Masters, the Gallery of 19th-century Art, the Gallery of Classical Modernism, and the Gallery of Contemporary Art. The highlights of the collection include the medieval alters of Master Bertram and Master Francke , 17th-century Dutch paintings, works of early to mid 19th-century German Romanticism , and collections of impressionism and classic modernism. The Kunsthalle
975-424: A new long-term licensing agreement with Estée Lauder Companies . In 2013, Balmain introduced their Care and Styling for Hair Couture. In 2017, Balmain introduced a lipstick collection in collaboration with L’Oreal . In 2019, Balmain announced the capsule makeup collection, KYLIE X BALMAIN , a collaboration with cosmetics entrepreneur, Kylie Jenner . Jenner was also named Artistic Director for Makeup for
1050-509: A professional caricaturist; from 2013, his political cartoons were regularly published in the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . In 2013, he directed Once Upon a Time... , a short film starring Keira Knightley as Coco Chanel and Clotilde Hesme as her aunt, Adrienne. In June 2016, it was announced that Lagerfeld would design the two residential lobbies of the Estates at Acqualina,
1125-410: A rare vibrant white marble with dark gray veins and black Nero Marquina marble with milky veins. Inspired by antiquity and referred to as modern mythology the ensemble consists of gueridons, tables, lamps, consoles, fountains and mirrors. In 2019, following the news of Lagerfeld's death, Galerie Gmurzynska mounted a retrospective exhibition highlighting the past three decades of his work. Lagerfeld
1200-483: A residential development in Miami's Sunny Isles Beach . In 2016, Palazzo Pitti hosted another exhibition of Karl Lagerfeld's photography that included portraits and photos from fashion shoots, all inspired by classical mythology. In October 2018, Lagerfeld in collaboration with Carpenters Workshop Gallery launched an art collection of functional sculptures titled Architectures. Sculptures were made of Arabescato Fantastico,
1275-549: A series of three videos. By 2013, Balmain terminated its agreement with Italian manufacturer Ittierre SpA for the production of Pierre Balmain and brought it in-house. The line was ultimately discontinued in 2018. In November 2015, Balmain released their one-off collaboration with the international Swedish retail store H&M . In 2012, Balmain entered into a licensing, development and production agreement with Interparfums for 12 years. By 2017, Rousteing terminated this contract due to declining sales. In 2022, Balmain announced
1350-404: A suitable building. The original red-brick Kunsthalle building was constructed from 1863 to 1869. It was designed by architects Georg Theodor Schirrmacher and Hermann von der Hude , and financed largely through private donations. The Kunsthalle's first director was the art historian and educator Alfred Lichtwark (1852–1914). His successor during the interwar period was Gustav Pauli . He oversaw
1425-1691: Is also known for its international contemporary art collections and exhibitions, which include post-1950 Pop Art, conceptual art, video art and photography. The Old Masters Collection shows works by Bartel Beham, Bernardo Bellotto , Lucas Cranach the Younger , Master Francke, Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes , Johann Georg Hinz , Jan Massys , Giambattista Pittoni , Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn , Peter Paul Rubens , Jacob Isaacksz van Ruisdael and Giovanni Battista Tiepolo , among others. The Gallery of 19th-century Art shows work by Carl Blechen , Arnold Böcklin , Gustave Courbet , Edgar Degas , Anselm Feuerbach , Caspar David Friedrich , Jean-Léon Gérôme , Wilhelm Leibl , Max Liebermann , Édouard Manet , Adolph Menzel , Claude Monet , Auguste Rodin and Philipp Otto Runge , among others. The Classical Modernism gallery shows works by Francis Bacon , Max Beckmann , Lovis Corinth , James Ensor , Max Ernst , Ernst Ludwig Kirchner , Paul Klee , Oskar Kokoschka , Paula Modersohn-Becker , Edvard Munch , Emil Nolde and Pablo Picasso , among others. The Gallery of Contemporary Art shows works by Joseph Beuys , Tracey Emin , David Hockney , Rebecca Horn , Ilya Kabakov , On Kawara , Yves Klein , Kitty Kraus , Robert Morris , Hermann Nitsch , George Segal , Richard Serra , Franz Erhard Walther , and Andy Warhol , among others. The Hamburg Kunsthalle continuously carries out temporary exhibitions on contemporary and historic art, in addition to its constant rotation of temporary exhibitions. Yearly there are on average 20 special exhibitions. In December 2023,
1500-534: Is generated by the wholesale channel, and is also putting more effort into direct retail . Balmain was born in 1914 in France. His father owned a drapery business and his mother and sister owned a fashion boutique where he often worked after his father's death in 1921. He attended the École des Beaux-Arts in 1933–1934, with intent to study architecture but instead ended up spending the majority of his time designing dresses. After working for atelier Robert Piquet as
1575-652: Is located on Rue Saint-Honoré in Paris . Additional flagship locations are in Tokyo, New York City, London, and on Via Montenapoleone in Milano . This includes six stores in the United States including in on Madison Avenue in New York City, Bal Harbour , Las Vegas, and Melrose Place in Los Angeles. Balmain was acquired by Qatari Crown investment firm Mayhoola for Investments for
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#17331049455971650-573: The Altstadt district between the Hauptbahnhof (central train station) and the two Alster lakes. The name Kunsthalle indicates the museum's history as an 'art hall' when it was founded in 1850. Today, it houses one of the few art collections in Germany that cover seven centuries of European art , from the Middle Ages to the present day . Its permanent collections focus on North German painting of
1725-504: The House of Chanel . Lagerfeld also changed the Chanel silhouette that had prevailed since the early 1960s, making it more eighties by padding the shoulder, shortening and tightening the skirt, raising the heel, and enlarging or miniaturizing the jewelry and purses, all controversial moves, especially the short skirts, as Mlle. Chanel had always disapproved of above-the-knee skirts. This new direction
1800-650: The Russian Revolution in 1917. His maternal grandfather, Karl Bahlmann, was a local politician for the Catholic Centre Party . His family belonged to the Old Catholic Church . When Lagerfeld's mother met his father, she was a lingerie saleswoman from Berlin. His parents married in 1930. Lagerfeld was known to misrepresent his birth year, claiming to be younger than his actual age and misrepresenting his parents' background. For example, he claimed that he
1875-647: The 14th century, paintings by Dutch, Flemish and Italian artists of the 16th and 17th centuries, French and German drawings and paintings of the 19th century, and international modern and contemporary art. The museum collection traces its origin to 1849, when it was initially established by the Hamburg Kunstverein, which was founded in 1817. The collection opened to the public a year later as the Städtische Gallerie (municipal painting gallery). The collection grew quickly, and it soon became necessary to provide
1950-464: The 1930s, '40s, and '50s, in 1974 he contributed to the burgeoning Big Look or Soft Look by eliminating linings, padding, and even hemming from voluminous, thin-fabric garments, even from fur in his work for Fendi at the time, to enable an unencumbered, comfortable, layered style which would dominate the high fashion of the middle of the decade. After refining this style and saying that to go back to linings and stiff structure would be regressive, he did
2025-402: The 1980s, Lagerfeld was hired by Chanel, which was considered a "near-dead brand" at the time since the death of designer Coco Chanel a decade prior. Taking over the couture there in 1983, Lagerfeld brought life back into the company, making it a huge success by revamping its ready-to-wear fashion line. Lagerfeld integrated the interlocked CC monogram of Coco Chanel into a style pattern for
2100-509: The American dairy company Carnation . During his travels, his father was present during the great 1906 San Francisco earthquake , escaping unharmed. A fluent speaker of Russian , his father had even attempted to gain citizenship into the country at the start of World War I , leading to an accusation of espionage and a three-year prison term in Vladivostok , eventually returning to Germany after
2175-468: The Autumn/Winter 83/84 and one for the Autumn/Winter 87/88. He left the house in 1990. Designer Hervé Pierre took over until 1992 working as director of ready-to-wear and haute couture. Possibly the most influential designer to take over at Balmain was Oscar de la Renta , who led the house between 1993 and 2002. Already a fashion veteran before joining Balmain, De la Renta brought a famous face to
2250-686: The House of Tiziani in Rome would be sold. Because his designs changed depending on which fashion house he was working for, designers such as Anna Sui and Clare Waight Keller praised his "chameleon-like versatility". In November 2015, Karl Lagerfeld was presented with the Outstanding Achievement Award at the British Fashion Awards . Anna Wintour , Editor in Chief of American Vogue , presented
2325-562: The Record , a collection of Lagerfeld's photography. The publishing house went on to release dozens of collections of his work, including The Little Black Jacket in 2012, which featured 113 portraits of models and entertainers wearing the book's eponymous article, and Karl Lagerfeld: Casa Malaparte in 2015, which documented the Italian Modernist architectural monument . Lagerfeld and investments enterprise Dubai Infinity Holdings (DIH) signed
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2400-485: The Rome-based fashion house Tiziani. In 1965, he was hired by Fendi to modernize their fur line. The fashion editor of The Independent , Alexander Fury, wrote in 2015 that Lagerfeld's designs for Fendi were innovative and proved groundbreaking within the industry. These included the introduction of less expensive furs such as rabbit and squirrel pelts into high fashion, and launching a ready-to-wear line. He also designed
2475-519: The Spring-Summer 2020 Runway Collection. In 2023, Balmain Hair celebrated its 50th anniversary and was lauded by Vogue for setting the tone in luxury haircare. In 2017, Balmain launched a capsule collection with Victoria's Secret . In 2022, Balmain launched its first ever fine jewellery collection. From 1947 to 1976 Balmain's directrice (director) was Ginette Spanier . Alain Hivelin
2550-479: The Zürich-based Galerie Gmurzynska began exhibiting Lagerfeld's photography. In 1999, Lagerfeld opened 7L, a bookshop in Paris that specializes in photography collections and visual arts books. In 2000, he launched a publishing imprint, Editions 7L, in collaboration with Steidl . The imprint released books on fashion and photography and also republished rare and out-of-print books. The 7L bookshop
2625-630: The agreement with Bidermann in 1989. That same year, Lagerfeld launched two Karl Lagerfeld brand menswear lines. The Lagerfeld label was then purchased by the Cora Revillon Group , which had previously reached an agreement to manufacture and market Karl Lagerfeld-branded products. In 1992, Dunhill Holdings—part of the Vendôme Luxury Group —acquired the Karl Lagerfeld brand from Cora-Revillon for an estimated $ 30 million. The acquisition
2700-589: The award. Karl Lagerfeld was well known for his collaborations with brands and individuals. Some of his notable collaborations during the 2000s and 2010s include the following: In September 2010, the Couture Council of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology presented Lagerfeld with an award created for him, The Couture Council Fashion Visionary Award, at a benefit luncheon at Avery Fisher Hall , in New York City. In November 2015, Karl Lagerfeld
2775-652: The books. I ended up with a library of 300,000. It's a lot for an individual". After health complications in January 2019, Lagerfeld was admitted to the American Hospital of Paris in Parisian suburb Neuilly-sur-Seine on 18 February. He died there the following morning from complications of prostate cancer . He requested no formal funeral, with plans for cremation and ashes spread at secret locations alongside his mother as well as his late partner, Jacques de Bascher. Lagerfeld
2850-470: The brand Balmain. He lived in New York City most of his life, although he was born in the Dominican Republic and became a naturalized United States citizen in 1971. He fit into the Balmain design aesthetic, with an eye for detail and classic silhouettes. He, like Balmain, preferred modest and simple design rather than extremely ornamental and flashy styles. Couture had been suffering at the time since it
2925-448: The brand's double F logo. Lagerfeld remained with Fendi Rome until his death. In 1966, Lagerfeld became a designer for Chloé working alongside Gaby Aghion , and in 1974 he became the sole designer for the brand. In the 1970s, Lagerfeld's work for Chloé made him one of the most prominent designers in the world, often vying with Yves Saint Laurent for most influential. After a period in the early seventies when he toyed with styles from
3000-504: The coat category. He also befriended another winner, Yves Saint Laurent , and was soon after hired by Pierre Balmain who was a judge for the competition. He worked as Balmain's assistant, and later apprentice, for three years. In 1957, Lagerfeld became the artistic director for Jean Patou . He left Jean Patou in 1962, to become a freelance designer, one of the first designers to do so. In the 1960s, he freelanced for brands including Charles Jourdan , Chloé , Krizia , Valentino , and for
3075-797: The color of one of her blue chalcedony rings as the starting point for the Chanel spring/summer 2012 collection. Lagerfeld owned a red point Birman cat named Choupette , which, in June 2013, he indicated he would marry, if it were legal. According to reports, the designer included the feline in his will from 2015, and designated 1.5 million dollars for its care and maintenance. Lagerfeld lost 42 kg (93 lb) in 2001. He explained: "I suddenly wanted to dress differently, to wear clothes designed by Hedi Slimane ... But these fashions, modeled by very, very slim boys - and not men my age - required me to lose at least 40 kg. It took me exactly 13 months". The diet
Karl Lagerfeld - Misplaced Pages Continue
3150-446: The company's total income is from license royalties. In 1994, Balmain licensed Societe Creations Michel Firer to manufacture and distribute a diffusion collection of women's ready-to-wear. In 2011, Balmain launched its Pierre Balmain diffusion line for men's and womenswear. To highlight the collection, the photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin directed the model Abbey Lee Kershaw and her band, Our Mountain, in
3225-566: The completion of the Kuppelsaal (domed-hall) extension, the museum's first annex, designed by Fritz Schumacher and erected between 1914 and 1921. In 1994, a painting of the Kunsthalle was involved in the so-called Frankfurt art theft . While on loan to the Kunsthalle Schirn in Frankfurt, the painting Nebelschwaden by Caspar David Friedrich was stolen. After negotiations with the thieves,
3300-808: The early 1980s); the Villa Jako in Blankenese in Hamburg , decorated in the Art Deco style (mid-1990s to 2000); the Villa La Vigie in France (the 1990s to 2000), a 17th-century mansion ( hôtel particulier ) in the Rue de l'Université in Paris, decorated in the Rococo and other styles (1980s to the 2000s); an apartment in Manhattan , although he never moved into or decorated it (2006 to 2012);
3375-562: The fashion house's creative output, from designing collections to photographing advertising campaigns and arranging store displays. He was instrumental in revitalizing the Chanel brand, helping it regain its position as one of the top fashion houses in the world. He was also creative director of the Italian fur and leather goods fashion house Fendi , as well as his own eponymous fashion label. Throughout his career, he collaborated on numerous fashion, design, and art-related projects, and his photography
3450-494: The house to work as Balmain's assistant in 1951. After succeeding Balmain, Mortensen worked to maintain the brand aesthetic in the ever-living world of couture while still maintaining the progressive spirit of creativity in the fashion industry. The Balmain house recruited Peggy Huynh Kinh in 1982 to provide artistic direction for women's ready-to-wear and women's and home accessories license studios. Eric Mortensen won two Golden Thimble awards for his haute couture collections, one for
3525-808: The label towards the finer aspects of French couture. At the time of his appointment, Rousteing was a relatively unknown designer, and has brought a fresh take on the brand's aesthetic that remains to this day. He was credited with adding an Asian influence to the clothing, as Asia comprises a huge part of the brand's buyers. In April 2016, Balmain opened its New York flagship store in Soho. On June 22, 2016, Mayhoola Investments acquired Balmain from its previous owners for reportedly more than 460 million euros ($ 522 million). In 2017, Rousteing debuted Balmain's first accessory line. On December 4, 2018, Rousteing introduced Balmain's new logo. In 2019, Balmain partnered with Cara Delevingne and Puma on Puma X Balmain,
3600-455: The label's reputation for its classic and luxurious designs. He was considered a "star designer", and the brand became more about his star status than about its clothes. In April 2011, Balmain announced that Decarnin was to be replaced by Olivier Rousteing . Rousteing had joined the company in 2009, after attending a prestigious French fashion school and working under Roberto Cavalli . While he liked Decarnin's aesthetic, he wanted to orient
3675-581: The look even as high as mini length , though his hemlines could also range as low as the ankle. Alongside these styles, he also showed softer, more comfortable clothing, particularly in 1981–'82, when a brief revival of somewhat mid-seventies-looking long dirndl skirts and shawls appeared on runways and Lagerfeld touted the gossamer weightlessness he had perfected in the seventies, although he did like to place corsets and girdles over it by that time. The variety of lengths and trouser shapes he presented during this period kept him in line with modern women's needs. In
3750-409: The most influential of the early years of the big-shoulder era, contained millinery that recalled Napoleonic bicornes , along with button-sided spats/leggings that looked somewhat like military accoutrements from the same period. Lagerfeld continued producing outfits in the shoulder pads-tight skirts-stiletto heels direction into the eighties, joining other similar designers in shortening the skirts of
3825-494: The museum received public criticism for its response to a restitution claim by the family of Holocaust victim Robert Graetz concerning Paula Modersohn-Becker 's painting Girl's Head . Listed for more than twenty years on the German Lost Art Foundation's website, the painting passed through the Nazi art dealer Konrad Doebbeke and was gifted to the museum by Doebbeke's widow. The museum director Alexander Klar rejected
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#17331049455973900-461: The passions of Lagerfeld's life outside of design. He went on to shoot commercial fashion campaigns, editorial shots for magazines like Harper's Bazaar , as well as architectural and landscape work. "I'm an illustrator with a camera", Lagerfeld told Women's Wear Daily at a 2010 exhibition of his work at the Maison européenne de la photographie . In 1994, German publishing house Steidl published Off
3975-573: The period following World War II , Pierre Balmain was "a king of French fashion" and outfitted stars including Ava Gardner and Brigitte Bardot , the Nicaraguan first lady Hope Portocarrero , and Queen Sirikit of Thailand . Marlene Dietrich wore Balmain clothes that she selected in " No Highway in the Sky " (1951). After Balmain's death in 1982, the house was led by Erik Mortensen, described by Vogue as "Pierre Balmain's right hand". Mortensen had joined
4050-403: The period. During both these phases, his mid-seventies Soft Look phase and his late seventies-eighties big-shoulders phase, his love of the eighteenth century was frequently on display. For instance, his Fall 1977 collection, one of the most celebrated of the seventies Soft Look era, included lace trim, headwear, and thigh-high boots in styles from the 1700s, while his Fall 1979 collection, one of
4125-401: The plethora of historical revivals of the eighties, from the shoulder-padded 1940s–50s revivals beginning in 1978 and continuing through the eighties, to the 1950s pouf skirts, 1860s crinolines, and hoops of the mid-eighties, now often showgirl-short. Lagerfeld participated in it all, for both his namesake line and Chanel. In 1986, he marked the move away from broad shoulders by removing pads from
4200-578: The proceeds going toward the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria . The brand has since cooperated with (RED) on various occasions. Kunsthalle Hamburg The Hamburger Kunsthalle is the art museum of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg , Germany. It is one of the largest art museums in the country. It consists of three connected buildings, dating from 1869 (main building), 1921 (Kuppelsaal) and 1997 (Galerie der Gegenwart), located in
4275-431: The shoulders and placing them visibly on the outside of the hips. In December 2006, Lagerfeld announced the launch of a new collection for men and women dubbed K Karl Lagerfeld, which included fitted T-shirts and a wide range of jeans. In September 2010, the Couture Council of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology presented Lagerfeld with an award created for him, The Couture Council Fashion Visionary Award, at
4350-652: The summer villa El Horria in Biarritz , decorated in the modern style (1990s–2006); and a house dating from the 1840s in Vermont (from the 2000s). From 2007, Lagerfeld owned an 1820s house in Paris in Quai Voltaire decorated in modern and Art Deco style. A spread with pictures inside Lagerfeld's apartments in Paris and Monaco was published in Vogue . He also revealed his vast collection of Suzanne Belperron 's pins and brooches. He used
4425-466: Was "born neither in 1933 nor 1938". In April 2013, he finally declared he was born in 1935. A birth announcement was, however, published by his parents in 1933, and the baptismal register in Hamburg also lists him as born in that year, showing he was born on 10 September 1933. Bild am Sonntag published his baptismal records in 2008 and interviewed his teacher and a classmate, who both confirmed he actually
4500-575: Was actually initiated the year before Lagerfeld took the helm, 1982, when a design team led by Hervé Léger , a Lagerfeld protegé, operated at the house. Lagerfeld is suspected of having influenced Léger's changes. In 1984, a year after his start at Chanel, Lagerfeld began his own eponymous "Karl Lagerfeld" brand with a focus on ready-to-wear clothing. The brand was established to channel "intellectual sexiness". Lagerfeld had signed an agreement with Bidermann Industries USA, giving them ownership and licensing rights to fashion labels he produced. Lagerfeld ended
4575-626: Was always making sketches "no matter what we were doing in class". Lagerfeld told interviewers he learned much more by constantly visiting the Kunsthalle Hamburg museum than he ever did in school. In 1954, Lagerfeld submitted a dress design to the International Wool Secretariat 's design competition. His submitted entry presaged the chemise dresses which would be introduced by Givenchy and Balenciaga three years later. In 1955, Lagerfeld entered another IWS competition and won in
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#17331049455974650-425: Was an extremely impractical business, so Oscar joined the brand in order to challenge himself and to help it through the beginning of the decline of couture. After Oscar de la Renta's departure Christophe Decarnin joined the house in 2005. Contrary to all the designers before him, Decarnin insisted on bringing the brand into the 21st century. He favored expensive prices and flashy pieces that sharply contrasted with
4725-418: Was born in 1933. Later, his death record confirmed the same. Despite that, Karl Lagerfeld announced publicly he was celebrating his "70th birthday" on 10 September 2008, despite actually turning 75. His older sister, Martha Christiane "Christel", was born in 1931. Lagerfeld had an older half-sister, Theodora Dorothea "Thea", from his father's first marriage. His family name has been spelled both Lagerfeldt (with
4800-565: Was born in 1938 to "Elisabeth of Germany" and Otto Ludwig Lagerfeldt from Sweden. These claims have been conclusively proven to be false, as his father was from Hamburg and spent his entire life in Germany, with no Swedish connection. There is also no evidence his mother, Elisabeth Bahlmann, the daughter of a middle-class local politician, called herself "Elisabeth of Germany". He was known to insist that no one knew his real birthdate. In an interview on French television in February 2009, Lagerfeld said he
4875-537: Was chairman and majority owner of Balmain starting in 2004 until his death in 2014. In 1969, singer/songwriter Peter Sarstedt hit the top 40 with the song " Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)? ". In the first couplet he sings about Balmain: "You talk like Marlene Dietrich and you dance like Zizi Jeanmaire . Your clothes are all made by Balmain and there's diamonds and pearls in your hair - yes there are." In 2018, Balmain joined forces with (RED) to auction off its custom-made looks for that year's Met Gala , with 100% of
4950-519: Was created specially for him by Dr. Jean-Claude Houdret, which led to a book called The Karl Lagerfeld Diet . He promoted it on Larry King Live and other television shows. Lagerfeld was a passionate book collector and amassed one of the largest personal libraries in the world. According to the Rare Book Hub, he was quoted as saying: "Today, I only collect books; there is no room left for something else. If you go to my house, I'll have you walk around
5025-560: Was exhibited in galleries and collected in published volumes. Lagerfeld was recognised for his signature white hair, black sunglasses, fingerless gloves, and high-starched detachable collars. Karl Otto Lagerfeldt was born in Hamburg on 10 September 1933 to Elisabeth (née Bahlmann) and Otto Lagerfeldt . His father, coming from a family of wealthy wine-merchants, was a prosperous businessman and polyglot , speaking nine languages; his father owned an import company (Lagerfeldt & Co.) specialising in evaporated milk , leading him to work with
5100-653: Was memorialized on 20 June 2019 at the Grand Palais with "Karl For Ever", a celebration of the designer's life, which featured a career retrospective highlighting his tenures at Chloé, Fendi, and Chanel, along with his work for his eponymous Karl Lagerfeld brand. The 90-minute tribute was attended by 2,500 guests. Nearly 60 gigantic portraits were on view within the pavilion, which has hosted many Chanel runway collections. The ceremony also included readings and musical performances by Tilda Swinton , Cara Delevingne , Helen Mirren , Pharrell Williams , and Lang Lang . The production
5175-405: Was part of the agreement the company made with Lagerfeld for him to return to designing for the fashion house Chloé . Vendôme retained ownership of the brand for five years, until 1997, when it sold the brand back to Lagerfeld for a "symbolic one franc", following the end of his contract with Chloé. Lagerfeld stated that Vendôme "had not hired the right people to manage it." Lagerfeld flourished in
5250-449: Was presented with the Outstanding Achievement Award at the British Fashion Awards . Anna Wintour , Editor in Chief of American Vogue , presented the award. In 2017 he received the John B. Fairchild Award from WWD . The final Chanel collection completed before his death had an Alpine theme of après-ski clothing. As Lagerfeld requested not to have any type of funeral, the show only included
5325-414: Was recognized for his signature white hair, black sunglasses, fingerless gloves, and high, starched detachable collars . He had an 18-year relationship with French aristocrat and socialite Jacques de Bascher (1951–1989), though Lagerfeld said that the relationship never was sexual. "I infinitely loved that boy", Lagerfeld reportedly said of de Bascher, "but I had no physical contact with him. Of course, I
5400-570: Was reconceptualized after Lagerfeld's death as a space for cultural events. In 2010, the Maison Européenne de la Photographie assembled the largest-ever exhibit of Lagerfeld's photography. The show featured selections from his commercial work for Chanel, his celebrity portraits for Vogue and other magazines, and his more abstract landscapes and architectural pieces, including a 2007 series titled "Another Side of Versailles." Later in life, Lagerfeld realized one of his boyhood ambitions by becoming
5475-454: Was seduced by his physical charm". de Bascher had an affair with the couturier Yves Saint Laurent ; subsequently, Saint Laurent's business partner and former lover Pierre Bergé accused Lagerfeld of being behind a gambit to destabilize the rival fashion house. de Bascher died of AIDS in 1989 while Lagerfeld stayed on a cot at his bedside in his hospital room during the final stages of his illness. After Lagerfeld's death, tabloids reported that he
5550-454: Was staged by theater and opera director Robert Carsen . The exhibition “Lagerfeld: The Chanel Shows” of Simon Procter was shown in London, Paris, Dubai, Boca Raton and Miami. In February 2020 Eden Gallery honored Lagerfeld with an exhibition in which explored sculptures and paintings inspired by his work. Balmain (fashion house) It operates over 50 stores. Its primary flagship
5625-700: Was to be cremated and his ashes mixed with those of de Bascher, which Lagerfeld kept in an urn, or with those of his mother. Lagerfeld lived in numerous homes over the years: an apartment in the Rue de l'Université in Paris, decorated in the Art Deco style (1970s); the 18th-century Chateau de Penhoët in Brittany , decorated in the Rococo style (1970s to 2000); an apartment in Monte Carlo decorated until 2000 in 1980s Memphis style (from
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