Karl For Ever: The fashion world pays homage to Karl Lagerfeld in Paris
Three months after his passing away iconic designer Karl Lagerfeld was given a large memorial in the French capital on June 20.
The event was initiated by the three fashion houses for which he had last worked: Chanel, Fendi and his eponymous brand Karl Lagerfeld. Held at the Grand Palais, a location rich in symbolism for the late designer, the event was a celebration in honor of his work and life.
Titled “Karl For Ever” the commemoration, which was only accessible by private invitation, witnessed the coming together of the fashion world with 2,500 guests. The background featured 56 of the most famous portraits of Lagerfeld as well as three giant screens playing interviews with longtime companions who shared their favorite memories. Among them: the designers Nicolas Ghesquiere, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Haider Ackermann and Clare Waight Keller; Models Claudia Schiffer, Carla Bruni, Natalia Vodianova and Gigi Hadid; the actresses Carole Bouquet, Vanessa Paradis and Anna Mouglalis as well as friends and girlfriends like Princess Caroline, artist Jeff Koons, director Baz Luhrmann and last but not least Alain Wertheimer and Gerard Wertheimer.
There were emotional performances from the likes of Pharrell Williams (with whom the designer designed a joint collection shortly before his death), Violinist Charlie Siem played Paganini (one of the favorite composers of Elizabeth, Karl Lagerfeld’s mother), Chinese pianist Lang Lang played Chopin on the grand piano drawn by Karl Lagerfeld for the 150th anniversary of Steinway & Sons’s and Argentinian composer German Cornejo and his troupe of 17 tango artists and 7 musicians from Buenos Aires offered touching performances.
In addition, there were readings by actresses Tilda Swinton (“Suspiria”) and Fanny Ardant (“La Grande Bellezza”), who had worked together for many years with Lagerfeld and were considered his muses. The dancer Lil Buck, model Cara Delevingne (who transformed into Choupette to read Colette) and actress Helen Mirren (who read a selection Karl Lagerfeld’s quotations) were also involved in the commemoration.
The two-hour journey recounted the designer’s exceptional career, his wonderful sense of humor, his encyclopedic wisdom and his aptitude for intense creativity. It was an impressive experience, a celebration of his wonderful personality and paid tribute to him, not only as one of the greatest creative geniuses of our time but above all as a person.
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