Karl Lagerfeld, creative director for Chanel and one of the fashion industry’s most prolific and influential designers, has died after an illness, it was announced by Chanel. He was 85.
Lagerfeld, was creative director for Chanel since 1983 and for Fendi since 1965. He also helmed an eponymous line.
Lagerfeld was an icon, instantly recognizable with his white ponytail and sunglasses, he was known not only for his fashion and accessories designs, but also for his photography.
Several years ago, when I was walking down Prince Street in Soho with my family, my daughter, Emily, was the first to spot him shooting an ad. “Mom, that’s Karl Lagerfeld!” The street was quiet. There were no huge crews with cameras and lights, but there was Karl Lagerfeld, camera in hand, taking photos of a model I hardly remember, posing on a staircase. We were the only ones to spot him, and we stopped to watch the master at work. A crowd gathered shortly afterward and we left, but it was awesome to be in the presence of the great Herr Lagerfeld, if only for a few moments.
Several years later, I was on an extremely crowded Fifth Avenue during the second Fashion’s Night Out. Models, actors, and rock stars walked the street, rubbing elbows with us mere mortals who were taking in the sights. I was inches away from Chris Brown and the crowd was yelling his name. I don’t like crowds and walked towards the street to get away when I saw Karl Lagerfeld for the second time in my life. He was in a limousine that was parked on Fifth Avenue. No one noticed him. No one called his name. His window was open and he was observing the crowds and the atmosphere on Fifth Avenue when I spotted him. Our eyes met for a second before he rolled up the window as the limousine drove away.
An era has ended. Karl Lagerfeld has died.
