Karl Lagerfeld on Adele, the Greek crisis and M.I.A.'s middle finger (UPDATED)

Karl Lagerfeld is in our Paris office today, acting as Metro’s guest editor! When you’ve got a celebrity of his magnitude in the room, you can’t really help nagging him with questions. Below, Karl took five minutes off from his duties to give his opinions on the news of the day, and even included some sketches!

Karl on the Queen’s Jubilee:

I think [Queen Elizabeth] looks very good in her recent photos even better than a few years ago – beautiful, a bit like Queen Mary. She looks a little bit like her grandmother – a more smiley version. In terms of what she wears, she’s come into herself a little bit more – whatever that is.

Is the monarchy still relevant?

It’s good for the tourists because it brings a lot of money in. It’s totally unnecessary, but it’s pleasant. Why not have the monarchy? People can dream about it.

Karl on Lana del Rey:

I prefer Adele and Florence Welch. But as a modern singer she is not
bad.The thing at the moment is Adele. She is a little too fat, but she
has a beautiful face and a divine voice. Lana del Rey is not bad at all.
She looks very much like a modern-time singer. In her photos she is
beautiful. Is she a construct with all her implants? She’s not alone
with implants.

UPDATE: Lagerfeld has clarified his remarks on Adele’s weight.

Karl on women in Russia:

If I was a woman in Russia I would be a lesbian, as the men are very
ugly. There are a few handsome ones, like Naomi Campbell’s boyfriend, but
there you see the most beautiful women and the most horrible men.

Karl on M.I.A. and her middle finger:

Nowadays people give the middle finger quite quickly – it’s not the best behavior. Everybody does that, what’s new about that? It’s just become a bad habit. People in magazines are 50% bimbo and 50% pregnant women.

Karl on the Greek economic crisis:

Greece needs to work on a cleaner image. It’s a big problem, as [Greeks]
have this reputation of being so corrupt. You can’t be sure the money
will go where it’s supposed to go. They need to build trust, and that
takes time too. Nobody wants Greece to disappear, but they have really
disgusting habits – Italy as well.

Karl on Barack Obama‘s claim that he “deserves” to be re-elected:

Yes he does, especially because of Mrs. Obama. I’m a big fan of Mrs. Obama – and her face, I think, is magical. He would not be there without her. There was an article by some stupid woman, I forgot who, and she said she [Mrs. Obama] was poorly dressed. Mrs. Obama is not a fashion statement, she has other things to do. …My favorite line of Mrs. Obama is when a journalist asked her if she thought her skirts were not too tight and she answered, “Why you don’t like my big black ass?” This is a line I admire. She got me with that. So I want Mr. Obama who I think is very okay— because there is nothing better anyway — [to be re-elected], especially because of her.”

I never voted in my life. I will never vote. I know too much about politics from what’s going on backstage. To vote you have to believe all that garbage that they promise you, and they can’t keep those promises. If someone gave me an Obama pin, I would just put it on.

UPDATE: Kristina Schake, Director of Communications to First Lady Michelle Obama released a statement regarding Lagerfeld’s comment saying, “Mrs. Obama never made that statement.”

Karl on sustainable fashion:

I don’t know what you consider as sustainable fashion. Do it, but don’t make a subject out of it. It’s a little bit boring.

Karl on Syria:

Some people say it will be worse if [President Assad] goes. It’s very
difficult now to say. What he does is beyond awful. I think the man is
frightening.

Karl on racism in soccer:

If
it is not clear yet, then wait for it to be clear. They say a thing and
then they forget what they said. It’s very difficult today, as you open
your mouth and everything is printed somewhere. You cannot even make
private jokes anymore.

Karl on political correctness:

Be politically correct, but don’t become a bore for that. People should be sensitive in these matters, but not make so much noise. Be politically correct, but do we have to know your opinion?