THURSDAY
11am – With each season, the Carven show becomes a slightly bigger deal. That’s because the brand’s creative director Guillaume Henry has formulated a unique, girly twist on French dressing that is not only trés cool, but also surprisingly affordable as far as French labels go. For fall, he seems to be betting on the oversized trend with a range of voluminous belted coats in soft, slouchy shapes and a mix of fuzzy textures. It’s hard to deny the appeal of a warm, nubby coat in France’s frigid weather and I’m guessing we’ll be seeing many of them this week. But Guillaume’s especially stand out because they come in spring-like, candied almond colors, which make a nice contrast to all of the navy and black outerwear that designers have shown this season.  Because when you’re dying for the sight of spring on a glacial February day, a statement coat in a bold, bright pink makes a pretty good substitute for the sun.

1pm – The façade of the new Karl Lagerfeld store in Saint Germain des Pres looks like it is covered in giant black, studs. That’s so Karl. Inside, where his autumn/winter 13 line is on show, the studs are just as ubiquitous, showing up on the collar of a simple black shirt dress or on a pair of fingerless gloves. The collection is filled with many of the designer’s hallmarks that are as unmistakable as his famous soundbites: the mostly black and white palette (with the exception of a few moments in plum and blue), the edgy biker jackets (reinvented here in wool and leather) and the razor jeans and trousers. I’m especially impressed with a simple, tomboyish tweed blazer, which epitomizes that unique brand of unfussy, Left Bank rocker girl chic that Lagerfeld’s eponymous line has become known for.

The post Paris Fashion Week: Day 2 appeared first on Metro.us.

Lagerfeld was quoted as calling the singer “a little bit fat” in response to a question about singer Lana Del Rey. The controversial statement made headlines worldwide.

The post EXCLUSIVE: Karl Lagerfeld: ‘Adele, I am your biggest admirer’ appeared first on Metro.us.

1. Topshop sunglasses, $45, www.topshop.com
   

2. Prada butterfly-frame sunglasses, $290, www.netaporter.com
   

3. Henry Holland for Le Specs sunnies, $125, www.asos.com
   

4. Cutler & Gross 1051 mango frames, $475,  www.cutlerandgross.com
   

5. Linda Farrow Luxe 38 sunglasses, $704, www.lindafarrow.co.uk
   

6. Mango cat-eye sunglasses, $30, www.mango.com

The post Work the frames appeared first on Metro.us.

On not doing ‘Amores Perros’ 10 years ago
“Once I realized that this was the movie my friend had offered me the possibility to be in, I realized that it was worth it to give acting a shot. It just wasn’t a priority at the time. I didn’t foresee it. My life was supposed to go somewhere else. I was preparing to be a political journalist or a diplomat, a member of an international organization. That was pretty much the arena where I was heading to. But actually, not being in [“Amores Perros”] was the trigger for me to follow the other interests in my life — the interests for performing arts and movies. So it was a pivotal revelation for me.”

On his sci-fi leanings
“It’s very interesting to go from one type of moviemaking to another. ‘Wrath of the Titans’ was a completely different experience for me. The characters that I’ve played so far, they have inhabited a naturalistic, realistic world. So for me, it was very interesting to explore this sort of fantasy. Fantasy, mythology and special effects — a world of imagination, of what the Greek myths could have been. It’s about what can be interesting, what can be touching, and then going for it. ”

On Karl
“There’s this expression in Spanish, I don’t know if it translates in English. It says that the deeper the river is, the less noise it makes. Karl’s a very warm person and he doesn’t have anything to prove, so he’s approachable, very accessible, very open, very curious, you know? [The first time he photographed me] he made me feel very welcome and comfortable. He’s a walking encyclopedia, you know? I mean, I think that for me, the experience to work with him transcends fashion.” 

On fashion
“I like clothes and I go and shop. But I don’t really follow what is out there. I have an appreciation for well-cut clothes and handcrafted shoes. But for me, that has more to do with style than with fashion.” 

The post Edgar Ramirez on what it feels like to be tapped by Karl Lagerfeld appeared first on Metro.us.

“I was telling Kanye about it, and Kanye was like, ‘Wow, that’s pretty legit,’” she says. Banks, 20, speaks at the same rapid pace as she raps — her rat-a-tat delivery has resulted in 3 million-plus views of her YouTube hit video “212.”

The Harlem native says she can feel the momentum of her increasing fame, but she is conscious to keep it in perspective.

“People are starting to recognize me, but it’s not quite surreal yet,” she says. “I don’t feel like I’ve had that moment where thousands of people are screaming back at me.”

That moment is all but guaranteed, as Banks was the first artist announced to perform at the Coachella festival in April. She also recently signed a deal with Universal.
“It’s about to get crazy,” she laughs nervously.

The ‘s—’ she must top

When “212” hit YouTube this past September, word quickly spread of the gritty black and white video and the sexy girl in pigtails with the huge smile who spits raunchy lyrics (unprintable here). She’s currently working on her full-length debut, which she hopes to have out by May.

“Some of the songs are there, but I don’t have enough heat, especially with how quickly ‘212’ caught on and blew up,” she says. “That’s the s— I have to top. I have to compete with myself now. … I feel like I’d be short-changing myself if I just got caught up in the hype and just rushed some mediocre-ass project out.”

What sets Banks apart from most other MCs is the wide range of styles she has already demonstrated. Sure, other hip-hop artists may sample some indie rock from time to time, but is there anybody else working within the genre that would cover an Interpol song? Or bust out Prodigy’s “Firestarter,” as she did at a recent London gig?

“It’s just that I like what I like, and when you’re somebody who just devours culture the way that I do, it’s not that you’re looking for that new thing, but you kind of are,” says Banks. “But that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to get rid of the old thing,” she adds.

The ‘fly pieces’

Another “old thing” that Banks believes in is the idea of making a statement in a full-length album.

“They’re not really necessary anymore, but I just want to do it,” she says of albums in the Internet age. “I feel like, once I do it, it will really make sense to people. I feel like now people are like, ‘Oh, who is this girl? She’s interesting. She’s cool. We like her sound, we like her music, but how does this all tie in together?’ … I feel like my songs are all these fly pieces of clothing. You know how when you go on a magazine shoot and they have all of these clothes and you’re like, ‘OK, how does this all tie together? This is all mad random!’  And then there’s a stylist who will basically be the producer. I’m the person who’s bringing the clothes and the producers are the stylists that will help me put the outfits together and make it make sense.”

Karl Lagerfeld will certainly understand.

The 411 on ‘212’

When “212” hit the Web, it quickly racked up millions of hits, with many viewers speculating about the identity of the subject of the song, who Banks viciously says she is going to “ruin.” The most popular theory is that the threat was directed at Nicki Minaj, who attended the same high school as Banks, several years before.

Banks says the lyric concerns a different LaGuardia High School alum.

“It’s about me,” she says. “There was just a lot of s­— that was going on, like my boyfriend was breaking up with me. Then I had this apartment that he was paying for, and I couldn’t afford to pay for it anymore. And I was basically homeless, sleeping on my friends’ couches and s—. And life was just mad f—ed up. And I was just like, ‘Everybody can kiss my f—ing ass right now.’”

Banks says she needed to blaze her own path: “When you are a rapper, you get compared to Nicki Minaj and it was about trying to make records in that vein. And when I was there, life was f—ng up for me. So I had to just reel it back in and be like, ‘Listen, this is about me, and y’all must have f—ing forgot.’”

The post Straight outta ‘212’: Rapper Azealia Banks appeared first on Metro.us.

So I’m guessing you don’t eat at McDonald’s.

I have nothing against it, but I don’t eat garbage. Garbage is delicious — but look at the effect, especially on American kids. It’s a nightmare, huh? Once a week, I eat meat because my doctor says it’s good. If not, I eat fish, steamed vegetables, steamed fruit and that’s nearly it.

Do you still stick to “The Karl Lagerfeld Diet”?

It’s not a diet. It’s a way of eating. If you were to have lunch with me, you wouldn’t think for one second that it’s a diet. And my guests, they get sweets and such things. But I haven’t touched sugar, sweets, butter, cake, cheese — all of that — for more than 11 years, and I’m not even tempted. I’m beyond temptation. I think that’s the best thing that can happen in life.

How do you get to be beyond temptation?

Sometimes I think my doctor hypnotized me. When I go to a party, or when I’m in the studio and there’s these huge buffets, for me, it’s as if the table was covered with plastic stuff. I don’t even think that one could eat it. Other dieters, they crave sugar and chocolate, no? Chocolate: I like the perfume of chocolate, but I don’t have to eat it.

How much do you weigh?

I found out that clothes are much better than scales and things like this. Clothes don’t lie. If you have only clothes in one size and nothing one millimeter bigger, the minute something hurts somewhere, you know it’s time. And always keep a pair of tight jeans, something tight for control. I know a woman who every year put on her wedding dress just to see if she can still fit in it. It’s only a problem if you have four or five weddings.

Diet principles

The book is out of print, but we scored a copy. Here are the basics.
   
Why diet? First, ask yourself why you’re dieting. For Lagerfeld, it was only after giving up bodybuilding and eating out every night that he began to “get annoyed” with his weight gain. Then, consult a doctor. Ask about your Body Mass Index, for example — it’s one way to measure obesity.
   
What to eat: The Karl diet has three levels of calorie reduction, the most drastic of which requires doctor supervision. The more general advice: Give up red meat and eat lots of fish. “I have never eaten so much fish, poultry or veal in my life; and I feel wonderfully well on it,” Lagerfeld says.
   
What to drink: Water. Sorry boozehounds: “Alcohol in any form is not recommended,” writes Dr. Houdret. “A maximum of two glasses of red wine per day can be included,  but I do not recommend white wine or champagne, as these are higher in calories. Sweet and carbonated drinks … only in their diet versions.”

Karl on Fashion and self-esteem

“Fashion is an expression of its time. No one was killed by fashion, even if they are fashion victims. It’s ridiculous [when people say fashion promotes unhealthy images of women]. You     cannot let yourself go. Clothes are a healthy therapy. I have a very down-to-earth look at things, if you haven’t noticed.”

Recommended foods
   
Whole-wheat bread
Dairy products: Skim milk, low-fat yogurt
Light margarine
Meats like calf’s liver, ham, poultry and rabbit
Shellfish of all kinds
Most fish
Green veggies like endives, spinach, asparagus, etc.

Caution
   
Beef
Sardines and tuna
Potatoes
Processed cheese
Pears
Jam
Chocolate
Red wine

Avoid
   
White bread, pasta and rice
Full-fat butter
Lamb and pork
Peas, white beans and lentils
Dried fruit and nuts
Cheeses like Gouda, Edam, Gruyere and Roquefort
High-sugar fruits, including figs, plums and grapes
Alcohol

The post How Karl Lagerfeld stays fit appeared first on Metro.us.

Outside of fashion and photography, Karl is passionate about furniture, which he’s collected for decades. For his office on the Left Bank of Paris, he chose a mix of early and midcentury furniture along with modern pieces such as the desk at right, which once belonged to the famous French architect Michel Roux-Spitz, who worked in the ’20s.

“The building is from 1853, 1860, but the panelling of my office was done in the ’20s and that is why I thought the Roux Spitz desk was so perfect there,” Lagerfeld explains.

Not that he feels like he ever has enough time to spend there. “With every book you buy, you should buy the time to read it. But the drama is, time is not for sale. [In Paris], they are for the 35-hour work week. In France, I am for the 48-hour day because I could take a little more time,” he says. “I just want to work in perfect conditions, live the way I live and not to have my watch to look at too often.”

Back in time

“The chairs are by José Emilio Terry from the late ’30s,” Lagerfeld says. “And the rest of the furniture is American from the ’30s and ’40s. The collage with the butterflies [behind the desk] was made by the Comte Étienne de Beaumont in the ’20s.”?

The tools

Karl is a self-professed iPad sketching champion. “It’s not easy if you don’t know how to sketch. You have to find the technique. I discovered that it’s a little like engraving, like etching,” he says. But he’s still a loyalist to good old paper. He’s rarely without a set of sharpened colored pencils.

Karl swag

­Karl’s office is peppered with his mini-mes in every shape and size, including a limited edition snow globe he created in partnership with Sephora, pictured above.

The post Karl Lagerfeld’s creative space: Where the magic happens appeared first on Metro.us.

He’s talking about the moment he went from being a cult favorite of Tilda Swinton and a host of fashion and art world insiders to an outright media sensation. It was the fall of 2010 and the pertinent events unfolded like this: In an interview with Numéro magazine, Karl Lagerfeld named Haider Ackermann as the guy he’d like to succeed him at Chanel. Days of retweets and months of “Who is Haider Ackermann?” blog coverage ensued, followed by a pivotal bombshell runway show in March 2011 that literally moved editors to tears. Then came an American Vogue cover, a big story in Newsweek and a slew of gushing magazine articles in which journalists wrote about him with highly poetic language. They called him The New Romantic. His role as the fashion world’s new crown prince was sealed. It’s a high that Ackermann is still floating on.

“Certain things happen and you realize just how much power a single person can have. To have people you’ve admired your whole life notice you,” he says, trailing off. There is a smile in his voice, which is a surprise because at first glance, Ackermann appears to be a very serious, brooding, enigmatic man.

His clothes reveal a similar mysteriousness and intelligence. This isn’t fashion for the Kardashians of the world. He’s more revered by the most ardent, hard-core fashion lovers. “I’m not so much attracted to the woman who wants to be the center of attention. She’s not my kind of person. It’s violent how people put themselves out there on reality TV, leaving nothing to imagine or question,” he says.

His silk skirts, dresses and jackets wrap around the body like sinuous bands of smoke (there’s that poetic language again) and his flair for rich, jewel and desert tones conjures up images of moody vistas in places like Morocco, Ethiopia or India. Ackermann calls it “drawing up his past.”

Born in Columbia, he was raised by French parents in various parts of Africa and Europe. “The first thing I was drawn to as a kid in Africa was the idea of one piece of fabric that women would wrap around themselves. The fabric was always blowing in the wind and you’d see these women running through the medina like ghosts. It touched me. And ever since, a wardrobe has only ever been interesting to me when it’s moving,” he says. Lately, though, he’s been looking back much less. “You can only draw what you are made of. But now that so many things are happening, I’m looking much more toward my future in my work,” he admits, alluding to the near constant state of buzzing excitement around him.

He gets particularly animated when remembering a meeting he had with his hero, Martin Margiela, one of the fashion world’s most recondite and revered talents. “He wanted to meet me,” Ackermann says incredulously. “I used to have all these doubts and insecurities in my head. But if this man could take me seriously, I had to face it and take myself seriously.”

Ackermann is quick to dismiss any notion that he might be an overnight hit, though. “I’ve never been attracted to the person of the moment. The idea of being a passing moment always kind of scared me. I showed my first collection in 2003 and could not have gotten to this place without all of the building I did before.”

The backstory

Background: After graduating from high school in the Netherlands, Ackermann studied at Antwerp’s prestigious The Academy of Fine Arts.

The line: Ackermann launched his eponymous line after leaving fashion school and completing an internship for John Galliano.

The look: Mannish tailoring meets seductive, body-skimming silhouettes.

The women: Tilda Swinton is Ackermann’s most loyal fan. But his legions of famous followers also include Penelope Cruz and Janet Jackson.

The post Haider Ackermann: The new Karl Lagerfeld? appeared first on Metro.us.

A staffer offers me a pink bottle of Diet Coke emblazoned with a miniature ponytailed Lagerfeld and designed by the man himself. I pour the soda into a sleek, cube-shaped Orrefors glass created by, you guessed it, and then sip my drink underneath a giant, crystal, antique chandelier.

Finally, Lagerfeld arrives,  looking impenetrable in dark glasses and leather, but he has the sniffles. Welcome to Karl’s world, a contradictory mixture of the old-fashioned and thoroughly modern, the rarefied and the mass market, the untouchable and surprisingly vulnerable.

Nice to see you again. Have you read all of these books?

Yes, but you know most of the books are books you look at. This is not a library with reading books. My reading books are somewhere else. I haven’t looked at every book. I don’t buy them by the meter to make a wallpaper, hm? But you can spend hours looking at these. So when I’m late, I think people have so much to look at, to learn, that I don’t feel too guilty. But it’s not my fault because when the first appointment is late, you’re late after all the time. I had an appointment at 11, they arrived at half past 12. What can you do, huh?

It’s good to know that you’re human.

I look the part. But I’m not that human, hm? But more down-to-earth than me, you will never find. You cannot be more down-to-earth.

You’re about to relaunch your Karl Lagerfeld brand as two collections, both of which will be sold online and one of which is very affordable. Why now?

These days, it’s easier to use decent fabrics for not so much money. Really great. When I did H&M, which was seven years ago — I cannot believe it — I had a kind of appeal for people who buy inexpensive. I don’t say cheap because people are cheap, but clothes are not supposed to be cheap, they are supposed to be well designed and not expensive. There’s a very big difference, ah? So [the Karl Lagerfeld launch] has the top and [then also] the top of the inexpensive. I don’t say low because there is nothing low. When I did H&M, everyone said don’t do it. And it worked. When I took over Chanel, everyone said to me, don’t do it, it’s dead, it doesn’t work. It worked beyond. So I [had] better not listen to people and follow only my instincts.

Do you spend a lot of time on the Internet?

Yes. I spend a lot of time — no, time passes so quickly that nothing is ever a lot of time.

Do you ever shop online?

Not personally; I don’t do it because I don’t have the Internet.  But everyone around me does it for me. I buy things from the Internet, but it’s not me personally. I don’t give the number of my credit card and all those things. Excuse me one second. Why do we have a visitor? I didn’t know we were going to have a visitor. [Speaks in French] This is why I’m late you know, because people come who don’t have an appointment and say they do.

Life with Karl Lagerfeld.

Yeah, but it shouldn’t be, you know? [Laughs] I don’t make meetings, it bores me to death. I never make meetings. You know what I call meetings?

No, what?

Salary justification. That’s why people meet for hours. Whenever they want to talk to me, they meet for hours.

What is your response to people who say you do too many collaborations?

I couldn’t care less. It depends if I know the people. If unknown people say this, they should send me a note and explain why. The limit is up to me to decide.

You’re known for constantly moving forward and really capturing the now. But are there any moments from the past that you hold especially dear?

I’m not a vintage specialist, for nothing: not for my life, not for my work, for nothing. I have no archives. Maybe the houses keep archives. I have nothing. I’m not interested in what I did. I’m just interested in what I’m doing, what can be inspired.

You live in six different places — where are those six places?

I have one where I live and sketch. Here is my private office, then I have a townhouse for entertaining, my photo studio. I have all of this on the corner here, and then I have two apartments that are guests’ houses, because I don’t want people in my house. I don’t care so much, but they have to go home. I don’t want any promiscuity, I’m not into that.

Speaking of promiscuity, do you have much of a sex drive?

No, I’m not very much interested in that. But it’s not a question of time, people can make quickies, you know. [Laughs] If you ask this kind of question, you get this kind of answer. [Laughs]

Quickies can be fun.

Good, good, good! I find you talk like Europeans. [Laughs] I think sex is an overrated subject.

It’s the French way, though.

You know, I’m not French. I’m a bloody German.

When was the last time you were in love?

I don’t know. I like freedom.

Do you find relationships too constricting?

Relationships happen for everybody, it can never be a problem. But it’s not really my main thing.

If you had a child or a pupil or someone who you had to pass down words to live by, what would you pass down?

That’s why I don’t have children, hm? There’s nothing to pass down because everybody has to invent his own thing. I don’t believe in this because what I learned, saw and all that happened in other periods is different now. I have a godson, who is small, 3½ years old, genius. He’s got real personality and his parents have no authority. He loves clothes. He wants everything like me. He sleeps with his gloves and goes to school with black glasses on. It’s so funny. But I believe you have to find your own way. What I hate about children is that they put you in a generation mode. I don’t want to be anyone’s father generation, grandfather generation. I’m of no generation. I’m from every generation.

Have you ever had a pet?

Yes, but they die so I don’t like them. The drama is I had two I really liked, and after they died I don’t want another one. That’s too depressing.

Are you afraid of death?

I couldn’t care less. [Percy Bysshe] Shelley said, “Death may be a waking up from the dream of life.” But if you ask me, it’s like a sleep where you don’t wake up. You don’t remember before, you don’t remember after. The only thing is, I don’t want to be seen dead, huh? So anyway, over, over. The battery is finished, huh? Pfft.

Related:

Karl Lagerfeld on Lana del Rey, the Greek crisis and M.I.A.’s middle finger

Straight
outta ‘212’: Rapper Azealia Banks

Nine women, nine global cities all in KARL (PHOTOS)

The post A chat with Karl Lagerfeld appeared first on Metro.us.

Since then, her star power has hardly diminished. Essentially a free agent, Roitfeld, 57, creates books and collaborates on campaigns for fashion houses and emporiums — unreal, in an industry where people often define themselves by the luxury brand or title they work for. “I’m free,” she says simply. We chat about what she’s been up to — including a new book with longtime friend Karl Lagerfeld — and her very own magazine.

Can you recall the first time you ever met Karl?

Of course. We never forget the first time with Karl. He invited me for lunch and I was like, “Ooh la la! What can I tell  Karl?” He’s so incredible and knows so many languages. I was very insecure. But for me it was very fun, and easy immediately. My father was raised in Germany. And Karl was happy to talk about this German singer my father loved. He really knows everything. The next day, he sent me a selection of CDs by this singer. That is Karl. He’s the kind of person where, if he sees me at a party, the next day I’ll receive a drawing of myself from Karl.

It seems like you two have been working together a lot lately.

I’m back to working with him more as an editor. We just finished a book about a little black Chanel jacket. I dressed all of these people in the Chanel jacket, sometimes it’s very big, sometimes it’s very small. Anna Wintour, Sarah Jessica Parker, even a little 3-year-old girl. It will be released in March.

Are you an emotional person? When was the last time you cried?

I’m crying very often, you know. I think it’s my Russian blood. I’m a very emotional person. If I go to see “Bambi,” I cry. It’s true. And I just received bad news. There was an editor I really liked at French ELLE, and she just passed away last weekend. And that put tears in my heart. Life goes very quick. The more you advance in age, the more you realize it.

Do you ever find yourself mourning for your chapter at Vogue Paris?

I don’t miss it. I spent 10 years there and that was great. I stopped French Vogue on the 31st of January, last year. And I didn’t have any Vogue blues. I jumped on a new project right away. I had no time to be sad or to look behind. I discovered and learned a lot there and now I want to do something different.

Do you still read the magazine? What’s your opinion of its current incarnation?

I don’t read Vogue Paris, honestly. I want to make a break. It’s like when you have a divorce, you don’t want to go back. And we don’t have kids in common, so. …

So, no regrets?

I really regret not helping the young designer more. I just realized in the past few years that we have a lot of power and can change their destiny. I’d love to create a special place for young designers in Paris. I remember meeting Riccardo Tisci, who is now at Givenchy. One day, I was in Milan. It was after the Gucci show and someone said I should go to see this young designer. After the show, I go backstage, and he was so surprised to see me he was almost crying. Givenchy was looking for young designers and I told them to have a look at him. I was the link. And now I see it.

You’re working on your own title. Do you envision it being a competitor to Vogue?

I’ll start out doing two [issues] a year and it will launch in September. I’m coming from Vogue. It’s difficult to do another magazine after Vogue with less money. So I want to do something totally different. I want to be the Joan of Arc of fashion. I want to be the link between the runway and the
real woman.

The post Carine Roitfeld: Free after VOGUE appeared first on Metro.us.

Fashion’s love of decades past
“I don’t make package deals. Like, it’s a bad thing today. Now they do the ’70s and then they do the ’80s and then they do the ’90s and then they go back to the ’20s. It’s because lots of editors are not that great and they need package deals. They don’t know what to do. Because in the ’60s and ’70s — I remember because I was around — no one ever talked about what it was like in the ’50s or something because it was just different. Now, they have 100 years to go back to every decade, and that comes back all the time. In a way, it’s something sad. They are lost.”

His closet
“My dressing rooms are a shame. I’m a very messy person for clothes and books. [Where I live, it’s] a huge place, and you can hardly walk through it because there are so many piles of books. And in the dressing rooms, there’s only a passage to get through because it’s all on racks and things like this. But I love it. There’s no kitchen, only a place where you can warm up things. If you want food, you have to bring it there. I don’t want the kitchen smell. No, no, no, no, no.”

The look

The KARL collection is a little bit tough-edged rocker, a little bit chic Parisian and trés, trés untouchably cool. Kind of like the man himself. Get it online at Netaporter.com and look for updates in the coming months at Karl.com.

Tina Chadha, style editor, Metro New York

Vanessa Thualt-Balboni, girl about town, Paris

Eleonora Carisi, shop owner, Milan

Marian Kihogo, blogger, London

Fatima Lara, full-time mom, Mexico City

Natalia Bogomolova, accountant, Moscow

Bianca Brasser, writer, Amsterdam

Marie Tromberg Petterson, journalist, Copenhagen

Linn Asplund, blogger, Stockholm

The post Nine women, nine global cities all in KARL (PHOTOS) appeared first on Metro.us.

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?

Related:

VIDEO: Karl Lagerfeld visits the Metro office

Straight outta ‘212’: Rapper Azealia Banks

Nine women, nine global cities all in KARL (PHOTOS)

The post Karl Lagerfeld on Adele, the Greek crisis and M.I.A.’s middle finger (UPDATED) appeared first on Metro.us.

Lagerfeld will guest edit all Metro editions around the world. As
part of the project, he will create a series of collectible sketches,
illustrations and columns as well as choose the stories for the
newspaper and give his notoriously provocative comments on the news of
the day.

The issue will also include a series of guest appearances by
celebrities and fashion personalities from Karl’s world. The
collaboration is just one of several moves the creative director of
Chanel and Fendi has made toward fashion demo-cracy lately. The special
issue will come just weeks after Lagerfeld launches a new lower priced
line called “Karl.” 

The post Karl Lagerfeld to guest-edit Metro appeared first on Metro.us.

Lagerfeld came to town to launch his new, affordable ready-to-wear collaboration with the chain, and was all good humor when we sat down in an executive suite on the 13th floor.

It’s been quite a few years since your H&M collection. What inspired you to do this new affordable line?

I like to do the opposite of what people expect — and do it well. Because in our times, the inexpensive, in a way, is more important in fashion than the very, very expensive. So the people who can buy the expensive can buy the inexpensive, too. The people who can buy the inexpensive — because I never say cheap — maybe they cannot buy the expensive, but they can buy a lipstick or nail polish from Chanel. I approach this more or less the same way that I approached H&M because, you know, I was the first one to do H&M. So I do it from instinct because I know life in a way — what people want to wear, what they have, what they don’t have. But I’m not a marketing person. So I don’t ask myself too many questions. I listen to the instinct.

You balance so many projects, and yet younger designers have buckled under the stress of having more than one job.

The young designers should forget about the word “young” because if you’re only interesting because you are young, that may be a problem. Nobody has my past and my present. So people who are in my situation may think it’s not right for them. But for me, I think it’s right.

You were recently quoted as saying that sweatpants are a sign of defeat. So what do you wear in your downtime?

Downtime? I don’t have downtime. Downtime has a very aging affect. I know Uptown and Downtown, but downtime? [Laughs] I believe in discipline. You get up, and you make an effort. But if you are down, you only remain down. Kick your ass yourself. You have to be very disciplined. You know, people can start to like to be down after a certain point. It’s very bad.

What are your thoughts on the reports that Marc Jacobs may go to Christian Dior?

Life is about change. Some people don’t like things to change. I like things to change. I like Marc Jacobs at Dior. I like the idea. … Marc has this little twist needed today in fashion.

The post A one-on-one with Karl Lagerfeld appeared first on Metro.us.