Karl Lagerfeld

Not only is Karl Lagerfeld the most famous fashion designer in the world, he is also revered as the industry's resident Renaissance man. With his signature white ponytailed mane, black sunglasses, fingerless black gloves, and skinny jeans, Lagerfeld's public persona is so expertly honed, it can verge on the cartoonish—until you look at his towering achievements.  In addition to being an accomplished fashion photographer and running his own publishing imprint, Edition 7L, Lagerfeld also serves as the creative director of Chanel, his eponymous label, and Fendi. (Until 1997, he was also simultaneously the creative director of Chloé.)  Lagerfeld began his career at the fur and leather house Fendi in 1965, when the family behind the brand hired him. Having worked in the ateliers of Pierre Balmain and Jean Patou, he quickly set about designing the famous double-F logo, which to this day remains a luxury status symbol.  Lagerfeld launched the house's first ready-to-wear fur collection in 1969, putting Fendi at the forefront of fur innovation. Treating the material more like a fabric, he reshaped the stiff and heavy traditional coat into lighter, more wearable styles. In 1977 the house debuted womenswear, also designed by Lagerfeld. Fendi continued to diversify throughout the eighties and nineties, expanding into menswear, denim, fragrance, and gifts, all under the direction of Lagerfeld. After more than 40 years of collaboration, the label continues to push boundaries under Lagerfeld's guidance. Case in point: For Fall 2008 Fendi sent glowing furs gilded in 24-karat gold down the runway, a first for the fashion industry.

Current collection Spring 2010 RTW

MILAN, September 27, 2009

By Sarah Mower

It's the season of wispy fabric, ivory and ecru, off-pastels, and fraying edges. At Fendi, all that was going on, with an added Parisian lingerie twist. It looked as if Karl Lagerfeld had drawn from his French vocabulary to make a cream silk high-necked playsuit (part classic blouse, part romper) and a dotted tulle shirt with a frilled triangle bra beneath. Thankfully, it didn't slip completely into the clichés of boudoir (hypersexy is not the mood). That's because of the more rough-hewn elements—say, a pale blue linen sarong, wrapped like a simple piece of raw-edged fabric around the body—and the incredibly luxurious Fendi craftsmanship. The latter was apparent in a couple of pairs of chamois-fine pants and the puffy, feathery collages of leather on the shoulders of a tulle jacket. As for bags? There were a lot of wood-handled ones that came with the odd device of a snap-on fabric cover—could be linen with a flower-embroidered edge, could be needlepoint. If it was hard to see the utilitarian value in those, that's nothing to the two evening clutches made of completely transparent Perspex, with beveled edges. They were, of course, empty, because it would ruin their beauty to carry anything in them. Nevertheless, they were almost the most eye-catching thing in the show.

Past collection Spring 2000 RTW

MILAN, September 30, 1999

By By Armand Limnander

Karl Lagerfeld presented one of the strongest collections of the season, propelling Fendi once and for all into the center of the fashion limelight. Their trademark accessories--snakeskin baguette purses, acid-colored totes and luxurious foulards--were impeccable as usual, but it was the clothes that took over the stage and captivated the audience. Lagerfeld toyed with the interaction between soft, flowing fabrics in feminine colors and shapes, and the hard-edged glamour of a Halston-clad Studio 54 diva. The result was an innovative, perfectly balanced silhouette. One-sleeved cocktail dresses, shiny patent leather with lace detailing, logo-emblazoned suits, sexy chiffon dresses, enormous driving sunglasses and futuristic metallic heels make up the wardrobe of the modern Fendi woman--a sophisticate who feels equally at home sipping cocktails at a garden party in Milan, attending a gala in New York or nightclub-hopping until dawn in Los Angeles.