Tag Archives: karl lagerfeld

Design and Innovation

Eye On Design: Upholstered Chair Hat By Karl Lagerfeld

Leave a comment

upholstered chair hat by karl lagerfeld photo by gail worley
Photos by Gail

Karl Lagerfeld (1938 – 2019), an avid collector of rare books, art and antiques, conceived of a series of accessories inspired by eighteenth-century French decorative arts for his autumn/winter 1985-86 collection. The fashion designer worked closely with milliner Kirsten Woodward to arrive at this Upholstered Chair Hat, and other witty translations of miniaturized furniture based on Lagerfeld’s sketched interpretations of original objects from reference photos.

upholstered chair hat by karl lagerfeld photo by gail worley

The resulting hats were a playful pastiche of historical references, infused with elements of Surrealism and executed with vivid opulence that was often characteristic of 1980s fashion.

Photographed as part of the exhibit In Pursuit of Fashion: The Sandy Schreier Collection, on view through May 17th, 2020 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC.

Design and Innovation

Eye On Design: Black and Gold Evening Ensemble By Karl Lagerfeld for Chloe

Leave a comment

Black and Gold Evening Ensemble By Karl Lagerfeld Photo By Gail Worley
All Photos By Gail

Chloe is a French fashion house founded in 1952 by the Jewish Egyptian immigrant Gaby Aghion, who had a vision to offer luxury ready-to-wear. Karl Lagerfeld began designing for Chloe in 1966, and his creations from the 1970s were extremely influential.

Black and Gold Evening Ensemble By Karl Lagerfeld Photo By Gail Worley

Lagerfeld returned as creative director of Chloe in 1992, and was followed in due course by Stella McCartney, Phoebe Philo, and Natacha Ramsey-Levi.

This Black and Gold embroidered Tulle and Silk Chiffon Evening Ensemble was part of Karl Lagerfeld for Chloe’s Fall/Winter 1993 – 1994 Collection. Photographed as part of the exhibit, Paris: Capital of Fashion at the Museum art FIT in Manhattan.

Black and Gold Evening Ensemble By Karl Lagerfeld Photo By Gail Worley

Design and Innovation

Eye On Design: Lipstick Bracelet and Brooch By Karl Lagerfeld

Leave a comment

Lipstick Pin and Bracelet By Karl Lagerfeld Photo By Gail Worley
All Photos By Gail

This matching Bracelet and Brooch are composed of a vibrant rainbow of resin Lipsticks that humorously assert the decorative nature of cosmetic products.  While both by Karl Lagerfeld and the jewelry designer Ugo Correani were known for their postmodern sampling of objects and ideas, the tendency to inflate scale in order to invest drama was a particular strength of Correani.

Lipstick Bracelet By Karl Lagerfeld Phot By Gail Worley

In the words of Lagerfeld, “He has a magic touch. No one can compare to him . . . He’s modern, not afraid to be oversized, but with the right eye for proportion.”

Lipstick Pin By Karl Lagerfeld By Gail Worley

Photographed as part of the exhibit In Pursuit of Fashion: The Sandy Schreier Collection, on view through May 17th, 2020 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC.

Design and Innovation

Eye On Design: Karl Lagerfeld’s Blue and Black Sequined Grosgrain Jacket

Leave a comment

Blue and Black Sequined Grosgrain Jacket
All Photos By Gail

The spring 1991 collection by Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel was clearly inspired by surfing wet-suits. The Blue and Black Sequined Grosgrain Jacket was one of several brightly-colored versions covered in shimmering sequins that glistened like wet neoprene, and the lines of black, grosgrain trim are similar to the seams of a wet-suit. Lagerfeld called this jacket “the city surfer” look and noted that it was “perfect for diving into the nightlife from Paris to Rome to London to New York.”

Blue and Black Sequined Grosgrain Jacket

Photographed as part of the Exhibit Expedition: Fashion from the Extreme which Runs Through at January 6, 2018 the Museum at FIT In Manhattan.

Blue and Black Sequined Grosgrain Jacket

Above and Below, New Shots Added February 9, 2019 from The Current Exhibit, Exhbitionism: 50 Years of the Museum at FIT.

Blue and Black Sequined Grosgrain Jacket

Design and Innovation

Pink Thing of the Day: Pink Hermes Bag with Karl Lagerfeld Caricature Keychain!

Leave a comment

Pink Hermes Bag
All Photos By Gail

I was at the Architectural Digest Design Show a few weeks ago, cutting through one booth on the way to another booth, when I noticed that someone had left this totally sick Fuchsia Pink Crocodile Hermes Bag completely unattended — which is insane, because regardless of what’s inside it, this bag alone is worth as much as a car. But what caught my attention even more than the bag’s awesome pinkness, was this hilarious caricature of designer-god Karl Lagerfeld, rendered in vinyl and rabbit fur, and hanging from the purse’s strap by a key ring.

Karl Lagerfeld

Oh Karl, how cute are you?