Karl Lagerfeld's death is end of an era, and end of a 'particular vision of women': fashion critic
Lagerfeld made several controversial remarks over the years
The death of fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld may mark the end of an era, but not everything from that era will be missed, according to a fashion critic with the Washington Post.
"I do think that [his death] marks the end of a particular train of thought, and in some ways I think that's a good thing," said Robin Givhan.
"Lagerfeld was of an era that had this very particular vision of women, and what was chic and what was sophisticated, and I think that often came out in some of his less diplomatic remarks about women," she told The Current's Anna Maria Tremonti.
"He had this vision that the ideal body type is thin, and certainly that's something that is being rethought within the fashion industry."
Lagerfeld, the artistic director at Chanel, died Tuesday at the age of 85. In a career that spanned over half a century, he became an icon of the haute-couture industry, but also courted controversy with his pronouncements.
In 2012, he called British singer Adele "a little too fat." In the same year, he said he didn't like Pippa Middleton's face, and she should "only show her back" — referencing the headline-grabbing dress she wore to her sister Kate's wedding to Prince William. He also once branded Princess Diana sweet and pretty, but "stupid."
For those who knew and loved him, those remarks were just part of the persona of a "naughty boy" that he created, said Jeanne Beker, a fashion journalist, author and style editor.
"As outrageous as they were, it was him trying to stir it up," she told Tremonti.
Beker first interviewed Lagerfeld in 1987 for Fashion Television, a show she hosted for 27 years. She interviewed the designer many more times over the years.
She remembers Lagerfeld as "a very kind, big-hearted person."
"When you take [his comments] out of context, and say it like that, yeah — how creepy, and how could we be celebrating a man who said such things?"
Lagerfeld 'knew exactly what he was saying'
Lagerfeld's public statements also strayed into the political realm. In 2017, he spoke out about Muslim migration into Germany, saying: "One cannot — even if there are decades between them — kill millions of Jews so you can bring millions of their worst enemies in their place."
Givhan said she wasn't sure how much weight people gave Lagerfeld's opinions, if they weren't related to style and aesthetics.
But she added that Lagerfeld was "someone who was extraordinarily adept at media, and knew exactly what he was saying."
"People are complicated and it's possible to absolutely admire the work that he did, and also be deeply offended by many of the comments that he made," she said.
"You have to … decide how much that is going to impact his legacy in your eyes."
Click 'listen' near the top of this page to hear the full conversation.
Written by Padraig Moran. Produced by Julie Crysler, Danielle Carr and Sarah-Joyce Battersby.