Treat yourself to the wit and wisdom of the incomparable Karl Lagerfeld
Éminence grise Karl Lagerfeld has long kept the fashion world enthralled and entertained with his aphorisms and bon mots. Unafraid to express his distaste for political correctness and pseudo-intellectualism, or his love of books and his work, Lagerfeld’s witty and wise repartee hearkens back to the glory days of the salon, while forever finding inspiration in his unending love of the present. Capturing the single-minded spirit of this unrivalled fashion figure, The World According to Karl brings together Lagerfeld’s wit and wisdom from over 40 years in the public spotlight, as he ranges from the Wildean to the Warholean while remaining unequivocally ‘Uncle Karl’. Below, some excerpts from this enlightening new book:
On Life:
“My autobiography? I don’t have to write it. I’m living it.”
“I never drink anything hot; I don’t like hot drinks – very strange. I drink Diet Coke from the minute I get up to the minute I go to bed, and even in the middle of the night.”
“I like that the people who follow me in the street, who want photos with me, are very, very young. It’s been my biggest success in life.”
On Fashion:
“Trendy is the last stage before tacky.”
“Every era gets the fashion it deserves.”
“Fashion is made up of two things: continuity and the opposite. That’s why you have to keep moving.”
On Style:
“The clothes don’t have to suit you; you have to suit the clothes.”
“Jogging pants are a sign of defeat. You’ve lost control of your life, so you go out in jogging pants.”
On Chanel:
“In the end, I am just a mercenary paid to perpetuate the label. You can’t go wrong with that.”
On Luxury:
“You have to lead your life according to your ideas. Spend all your money and live life in line with what you are fighting for. I hate it when rich people try to be Communists. I think that’s obscene.”
“Often these days luxury is expensive goodies bought by nobodies who don’t have a luxury life.”
On Design:
“The purpose of dress design is to make people feel good, not to express the pain and the suffering of the world in taffeta.”
On Being Controversial:
“It’s always been my dream to have white hair. Dry shampoo is my cocaine.”
“When people show their ass that doesn’t bother me. When they expose their feelings, that shocks me.”
“There’s no justice. Social injustice is almost the only kind you can cure. When a girl is ugly and has a fat ass down to the ground, what can you do? She’ll never be Claudia Schiffer – that’s real injustice.”
On Celebrity:
“I will never write my memoirs. Because I have nothing to say, and I would have to mention people I don’t want to talk about.”
On Books:
“I am crazy about books. Books are the tragedy and the happiness of my life.”
On Karl:
“I like the idea that people think I’m wicked. I think I’m a bit of a chump.”
Karlisms:
“Spitefulness is excusable if it’s spiritual. If it’s gratuitous, it’s unforgivable.”
“When you are shortsighted, the first ten minutes after you take your glasses off you look like a rescue dog that wants to be taken to the pound. That’s not my look. That’s why I wear dark glasses.”
“I am not a fortune-teller. I am a fashion tailor.”
The World According to Karl is available now from Thames & Hudson.
Text by Ananda Pellerin
