Luxury celebrates Lagerfeld legacy across maisons

May 3, 2023

Sketches procured during Mr. Lagerfeld's days at French fashion house Chloé, one of many commemorative social posts pushed live this week. Image credit: Chloé

By Amirah Keaton

The “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” exhibition is now on view, opened to the public following this year's Met Gala.

The Costume Institute's fashion presentation hones in on a late fashion figure, as guests of the corresponding fundraising event donned designs from the maisons at which the German designer's skills were cultivated, showcasing the breadth of his work. Industry leaders take a look at the late creative director's impact in light of Monday's philanthropic affair.

French flurry
By proxy of the hyper-specific theme, luxury houses are pulling the legend’s legacy into focus, crediting the creative's role in shaping history at a bevy of brands over the course of a nearly 65-year career.

The Met's exhibition title offered guests of the annual function distinctive dress guidance, restoring adherence to historical references. The honorary event called for accuracy in execution and, with the exception of a few outlying risk-takers, famed attendees arrived in symbolic wear.

Many were clothed in archival Chanel.

Meanwhile, at Balmain, Chanel, Chloé, Fendi and Patou, social media and styling teams alike sought to advance the storytelling opportunity, lending highly-engaged audiences — according to Condé Nast, the 2022 ceremony broke Vogue records with a livestream that generated a total of 25 million views, up 52 percent from the year prior – a lesson in fashion history.

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A post shared by Balmain (@balmain)

Occasionally omitted from popular conversation, Mr. Lagerfeld graced an array of luxury players with his presence before arriving at Chanel, levying his skills at some of the sector’s most notable names in the process.

Thus, a few of the fashion houses that the Met Gala’s honoree graced over the course of his career shared early-week content that extolled Mr. Lagerfeld’s contributions as a creative director across the board.

Olivier Rousteing, creative director at Balmain, tied his look back to a piece of Lagerfeld-endorsed merchandise that hit store floors at the now-defunct Paris department store Colette more than a decade ago. Mr. Rousteing sported a quilted handbag inclusive of letters that spelled out “Karl who?” in a fashion similar to the tote bag Mr. Lagerfeld wore ironically in era-appropriate streetwear snapshots.

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A post shared by PATOU (@patou)

Coincidentally, Mr. Lagerfeld started his career with a three-year stint assisting Pierre Balmain, before leaving the French fashion house in 1958 for Patou (see story), working as the house's head designer until 1963.

Leaving behind the blueprint for a set of satin dresses that would define his time there. Fifty years after his departure, one of his gowns adorned American actress Allison Williams at Monday's spring gathering.

Latter season
Predating the flurry of posts, Chloé was one of the first to fall in line, with communications starting to roll out a suite of retrospectives the day before the occasion.

In 1963 Chloé founder Gaby Aghion hired the young Karl Lagerfeld, who was brimming with a wealth of inspirations. ⁰⁰Over the course of 25 years he designed era-defining collections, ascending to the role of Creative Director along the way. pic.twitter.com/i9KaDDPttD
— Chloé (@chloefashion) April 30, 2023

A subsequent designation at Fendi (see story) would carry Mr. Lagerfeld into an era of production spanning more than 100 collections in a little over half a century and, after becoming chief artistic director of Chanel in 1983, the executive would go on to establish a namesake label just one year later (see story).

In honor of “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” a selection of pieces and sketches from Fendi's late Artistic Director of Couture and Womenswear have been pulled from the Fendi archive and are on display in the windows of the Fendi 57th Street Boutique in NYC.
#ALineOfBeauty… pic.twitter.com/cMbdlbG3Xu
— Fendi (@Fendi) May 2, 2023

As fashion nears five years since his passing (see story) the Met Gala proves that his enduring output prevails.

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