Gold's Tracey Donaldson spoke to William Middleton about the designer's legacy after death. Photo / Getty Images.
Gold's Tracey Donaldson spoke to William Middleton about the designer's legacy after death. Photo / Getty Images.
When it comes to celebrations of the sartorial kind, the first Monday of May (Tuesday in New Zealand) is the most anticipated event on the fashion-enthusiast’s calendar.
The Met Gala is fast-approaching and, while the event is famed for hosting some of the biggest names in Hollywood, an even bigger German moniker is serving as its muse this year.
Revered for his role as Chanel’s creative director since 1983, Lagerfeld could instantly be recognised by his signature white hair, black sunglasses, fingerless gloves, and firmly-starched collars.
But while Lagerfeld was a globally-renowned icon, there were a lot of things people didn’t know about the fashion powerhouse.
Gold radio host Tracey Donaldson spoke to William Middleton, author of the recent publication Paradise Now: The Extraordinary Life of Karl Lagerfeld, who revealed quirky details about the creative and even dropped some hints on what to expect from the Met Gala.
Fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld poses backstage with models Karen Mulder, Carla Bruni, Nadja Auermann, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Claudia Schiffer and Helena Christensen during the Chloe Ready to Wear Spring/Summer 1995 show. Photo / Getty Images
When reading the book, it’s apparent that its title is derived from a direct quote made by Lagerfeld himself: “I don’t care about posterity, it’s today that counts, Paradise Now.”
“He didn’t like nostalgia when it came to himself,” Middleton told Donaldson. “He loved history, but he didn’t like his own history, he didn’t like focusing on his own past. For him it was all about ‘now’.”
When asked about the Met Gala and its 2023 muse, Middleton said: “I know Karl wouldn’t have approved if he was alive, but Karl is part of fashion history now and he would appreciate that.
“He made a point, that I talk about in the book, that Coco Chanel and Balenciaga never had exhibitions of their work while they were alive. That you should concentrate on your work while you’re here, and then it’s for other people to look at your history when you’re no longer here.”
Middleton lived in Paris in the 1990s, working as the Bureau Chief for Fairchild publications, and would go on to become the Features Editor for Harper’s Bazaar. Meeting Lagerfeld in 1995, the duo’s strictly professional relationship within the journalism and fashion world quickly developed into a budding friendship.
Karl Lagerfeld walks the runway during the Chanel Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2016-2017 show. Photo / Getty Images
“I liked Karl and I admired him.”
“What was fascinating about Karl is that he was so involved in the culture of his time. He knew everything that was going on in music, cinema, art, design,” Middleton said.
“Every season I would be the first person to see his new collection before he’d present it. I’d be the first person to write about it every season. We travelled together, we’d have dinner together and we had a very good relationship.”
Anna Wintour, Karl Lagerfeld ,Venus Williams and Andre Leon Talley attend the Nina Ricci After Party For Met Ball. Photo / Getty Images
Showing a deep knowledge of the designer, Middleton was asked if he knew what to expect when it came to the Met Gala on Monday - and the author dropped a few hints.
“I heard from someone who works in that world, a stylist, that every piece of vintage Karl is gone from the major vintage stores in Paris,” he said.
“Everywhere he knows is out of all vintage Karl designs - Chanel, Fendi everything! Everyone has raided them for the Met Ball so I suspect we’ll see a lot of great vintage Karl designs, which is very exciting.”
