Page 161 - Philippine Tatler (April 2019)
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many have stayed with him throughout his FORWARD-LOOKING
career. This has to say something about Lagerfeld was always looking ahead.
his human warmth, because nothing could An example of how far ahead he was:
have inspired such loyalty up and down he made his beloved cat, Choupette,
the hierarchy, from the Wertheimers (the a social media and endorsement star,
family owns a majority stake in Chanel), demonstrating (with wry irony) what
Fendis and Arnaults, to the petites mains modern celebrity meant and was worth.
(tailoring specialists in the ateliers), studio He voraciously consumed modern media,
heads and model muses. This also just and was never far from a TV screen,
means that Lagerfeld must have been not multiple iPhones and his 300 iPods. He
only a smooth corporate operator, but in embraced each successive generation of
the end, simply a rather lovely man. stars, however incongruous, incorporating
them into the thrall of Chanel, inclusive
SPEAKING HIS MIND and democratic to the last.
Unafraid to say what was needed to walk
be said, Lagerfeld wasn’t cowed into THE OG the talk
political correctness. He took a logical Most important of all, Lagerfeld was simply Lagerfeld with
approach to the issue of fur—he an original. His ideas and creations were the Fendi sisters
(this page) in
catered to clients who appreciated his always his—he would never be called out 1986; he was
beautiful fur creations for Fendi and by fashion industry critic @diet_prada for involved in
continued making them right up to his copycatting, unlike latter-day designers. He almost every
last collection, which was shown just was a Renaissance man in a two-dimensional aspect of the
after his death. He spoke hard truths world, and each of his art added lustre brands that he
worked with,
about people who were less than slim to the body of his work. He was also an from designing
and made no bones about not liking uncomplaining stoic. Not only did he quietly the collections
certain celebrities—and why should he do the work that has taken a toll on his and creating
be hypocritical about any of these? Some contemporaries, he continued doing so right the advertising
have taken issue with his snippy side, but up to his last, gravely ill, and probably in and editorial
campaigns, to
it takes great courage and moral integrity great pain from pancreatic cancer. And still model casting
to say these things in the most PC of ages. he delivered. Lagerfeld never let up. (opposite page).
.
philippine tatler april 2019 161
