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KARL LAGERFELD
KARL’s CUT

It’s hard to know how to start describing Karl Lagerfeld, one of our 2009 Guest Editors (W*127). ‘Renaissance man’ hardly does justice to this preternaturally prodigious polymath, who has been Chanel’s chief designer since 1983, not to mention performing a similar role at Fendi and running his own label on the side. There’s his book-publishing, his photography, his illustrations, his mammoth accumulation of books and furniture and houses. For Wallpaper* he photographed Alvar Aalto’s Maison Louis Carré and the artist Claude Lévêque, as well as his muse of the moment, the French model Baptiste Giabiconi in the Queen’s Theatre at Versailles

THE KINGS PLAYERS

Embroidered gold sequin tunic; satin collar; wrist cuff; gold sequin-trimmed basque; stockings with black satin trim, all by Chanel Haute Couture autumn/winter 1987. Tights, by Falke

Karl Lagerfeld

Karl Lagerfeld looks rather pleased with himself. ‘You know, this isn’t to my taste,’ he says with a cackle. ‘It isn’t even a period I like that much. I didn’t know these people or live in their world, the intellectual French art world, which was pretentious in a way. But it is amusing to have a glimpse, to take a look, to see what they considered modern. I like this idea of them being tempted by modernity without letting go of the conventions of bourgeois life.’

He cackles again. It’s a strike for Mr Lagerfeld (as his numerous employees call him, or ‘Kaiser Karl’, as he’s known throughout the fashion world). Several strikes, in fact. In a couple of sentences, he has a) shown that he has superior taste to the original owners of the house we’re in – an elegant but, yes, rather conservative villa built in the late 1950s in the countryside near Versailles by the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto for the Parisian art dealer Louis Carré and his wife, Olga; b) dissed the French, who’ve never quite forgiven him for being German; c) wrought revenge on the intelligentsia for sneering at him for being in fashion; and d) spat out the word ‘bourgeois’ with a soap operatic sneer.

Whether or not he approves of his surroundings, Mr Lagerfeld (as he’s in such a sunny mood, it seems mean to call him Kaiser Karl) has given up his Sunday to photograph La Maison Louis Carré for Wallpaper*. He’s doing it, as he does everything, accompanied by a SWAT team of black-clad assistants crying ‘Que c’est joli!’ whenever his images flash up on their iBooks. A luxury minibus has brought them to the house, while Lagerfeld and his driver did their bit for global warming by thundering along the autoroute in a Hummer.

Every so often, one of the black-clad assistants approaches with a silver tray bearing a single glass of Pepsi Max. (Lagerfeld recently switched brands from Coke after a kerfuffle over calorie content.) His sole responsibility seems to be to ensure the boss can take a sip or two of fizzily fresh cola whenever he wishes. 

As for what he is wearing, it might not be what you would expect from a septuagenarian on a country jaunt, but it’s the uniform Lagerfeld has favoured ever since he shed 103 pounds a few years ago, and wrote about it in a best-selling diet book. Today it consists of: a skinny black jacket (Dior Homme); skinny black jeans (ditto); starched white shirt with a fine blue stripe and four-inch collar (Hilditch & Key); skinny black tie pinned with a pretty diamond and pearl brooch (Lydia Courteille); diamond-encrusted fobs (Chrome Hearts); an S&Mish pair of fingerless black leather gloves (Chanel); white powdered ponytail (his own). ‘Oh, don’t look at me today,’ he cries in mock horror, as though I could count on him to look completely different on another day.

This particular guest editor of Wallpaper* needs little introduction, although for the benefit of readers who have recently returned from a Carthusian retreat, here’s a quick crammer. 

Karl Lagerfeld is a very, very famous fashion designer, who started off as an assistant to Pierre Balmain then worked for Jean Patou in the late 1950s, before designing for Fendi and Chloé. He clinched his place in fashion history by rescuing Chanel in the 1980s (one fashion editor had written it off as ‘Seconal City’), and thus triggering the ‘Lazarus’ syndrome of resurrecting deadbeat fashion brands. Cue Gucci’s revival by Tom Ford, Prada’s by Miuccia Prada, Lanvin’s by Alber Elbaz, Balenciaga’s by Nicolas Ghesquière and so on. 

Lagerfeld designs for Fendi and his own eponymous label, as well as Chanel, while flooding the fashion gossip mill with whoever happens to be in – his muse, Amanda Harlech, the stylist Charlotte Stockdale – or out – remember Hedi Slimane? – with him at any particular moment in time. 

He somehow still manages to find time to ransack Colette’s music racks, buy thousands of books and read most of them in any of the four languages – German, French, English and Italian – he speaks fluently. And it shows. Lagerfeld can be thoughtful, funny, knowledgeable, bitchy and dogmatic all in the same sentence, and peppers his conversation with references to everything from Aristotelian rhetoric and German classical music to early 20th-century novels. 

Just a few of his recent extracurricular gigs include: running a publishing house and bookshop; kitting out a Steiff teddy bear in his skinny black uniform; shooting David Chipperfield’s restoration of the Neues Museum in Berlin for German Vogue (‘Very, very beautiful,’ Lagerfeld enthuses. ‘I am mad for it.’); DJing for Grand Theft Auto IV; and recording the voice of the villain in French animated children’s film Totally Spies!. ‘Apparently my voice is strange and special with a different accent in every language,’ he says gleefully, in tones that, although delivered at supersonic speed, are softer and less like a Teutonic baddie’s than you’d expect. ‘They want me to do the same thing in America, but how could I stay in Hollywood for three weeks?’

Lagerfeld has strong opinions on most subjects, and loves to air them. On travel: ‘Only for business. I hate tourism. Travel for travelling? No thank you, my dear. I’d rather stay at home enchanted by my books.’ On fashion: ‘Nobody can beat me in terms of technical knowledge. Nobody. I don’t want to be pretentious, but I have studied all the old techniques and know all the new techniques.’ On socialising: ‘You know what killed conversation in France? The smoking ban, cell phones and people who make believe that they’re politically correct. Boredom is guaranteed.’ On his » 

In the Queen’s Theatre at Versailles, Lagerfeld sets the stage for an 18th-century costume drama

Stylist Felipe Mendes

Brocade and lace bustier, by Chanel Haute Couture autumn.winter 1987. Trousers, by Dior Homme

She wears, tunic; collar; wrist cuff; basque; stockings, all by Chanel Haute Couture autumn/winter 1987. He wears, brocate and lace bustier, by Chanel Haute Couture autumn/winter 1987. Trousers by Dior Homme

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Cape; shirt; both by Number Nine. Trousers; shoes, both by Comme des Garçons. Tights, by Falke

Tunic; collar; wrist cuff; basque; stockings; tights; satin shoes, all by Chanel Haute Couture autumn/winter 1987

FIRST EXPOSURE

The columbarium of Pomponius Hylas

Lagerfeld turns his lens on his favourite Roman haunts and lays the monuments bare

AnSuit; shoes, both by Dior Homme. Cardigan, model’s own. White gold and diamond pendant; chain, both by Repossi

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The Eqyptian god Bes, protector of households, stands guard at the last remaining gate of Palombara villa

The Pomponius Hylas columbarium holds hundreds of urns dating from year zero

The gate to Palombara villa, Porta Magica, is also known as Porta Alchemica and derives its name from the magic symbols engraved on it, said to be the secret formula for turning base metal into gold

Midas Touch The god Bes

AALTO SEX

The terraced slopes in the garden continue the clean lines of Aalto’s modernist vision

Alvar Aalto’s Maison Louis Carré, built for the Parisian art dealer in the 1950s, plays host to Lagerfeld’s newest muse

Gilet; jumpsuit, both by Thom Browne. Shoes, by Number Nine. Aalto’s chairs in the house include ‘406’ armchair (1936) with linen webbing; and ‘69’ birch and white laminate chair (1935)

Dressing gown; pyjama top; pyjama bottoms, all by Yohji Yamamoto. Shoes, by Number Nine. Pipe, from a selection, from A L'Oriental RVK Ravael von Kote. The study features Aalto’s ‘Bilberry’ pendant lights which he created specially for the house in the 1950s

Gilet; jumpsuit, both by Thom Browne. Shoes, by Number Nine.

Each main room of the house leads to a private patio. Shirt; jeans, both model's own.

A model of the house

One of the three main bedrooms has an en suite sauna

‘809’ floor lamp (1959), by Alvar Aalto

‘Bilberry’ pendant lamp, by Alvar Aalto

Custom-built nest of tables and Aalto’s leather-upholstered bentwood armchair

The dining room with the webbed ‘45’ armchairs (1947) and Aalto’s triple pendant lamp (1956), which he originally designed for his church at Imatra

The living room features full-width picture windows looking onto the garden

‘Flower Set’ vase and bown set (1939), by Alvar Aalto

Coat; trousers, both by Yves Saint Laurent. Jumper, by Marni. Shoes, by Kenzo. Socks, by Falke. The table and stools are classic Aa|to designs

Lagerfeld’s newest muse model Baptise Giabiconi

Golden Age Tunic; collar; wrist cuff; basque; stockings; tights, all as before. Satin shoes by Chanel Haute Couture autumn/winter 1987

Curtain Call Cape; shirt; both by Number Nine. Trousers;shoes, both by Comme des Garcons. Tights, by Falke

Curtain Call Embroidered gold sequin tunic; satin collar; wrist cuff; gold sequin-trimmed basque; stockings with black satin trim, all by Chanel Hautre Couture autumn/winter 1987. Tights, by Falke

Golden Age Bustier; trousers, both as before

Curtain Call She wears, tunic; collar; wrist cuff; basque; stockings, all as before. Her wears, brocate and lace bustier, by Chanel Hautre Couture autumn winter 1987. Trousers by Dior Homme.

Midas Touch The gate to Palombara villa, Porta Magica, is also known as Porta Alchemica and derives its name from the magic symbols engraved on it, said to be the secret formula for turning base metal into gold

Midas Touch The god Bes

Ancient History Suit; shoes, both by Dior Homme. Cardigan, model's own. White gold and diamond pendant; chain, both by Reposal

Next to Godliness The Eqyptian god Bes, protector of households, stands guard at the last remaining gate of Palombara villa

Next to Godliness The Pomponius Hylas columbarium holds hundreds of urns dating from year zero

Step Class The terraced slopes in the garden continue the clean lines of Aalto's moderinst vision. Shirt; trousers; shoes, all by Kenzo. Socks, by Falke

Finnest Hour Gilet; jumpsuit; shoes, all as before

Baptiste of Fire Coat; trousers, both by Yves Saint Laurent. Jumper, by Marini. Shoes, by Kenzo. Socks, by Falke. The table and stools are classic Aa|to designs

Pipe Dreams Dressing gown; pyjama top; pyjama bottoms all by Yohji Yamamoto. Shoes, by Number Nine. Pope, from a selection, from A L'Oriental RVK Ravael von Kote. The study feautre Ao\to's 'Bilverry' pendant lights fro which he create specially for the house in the 1950's

To Dine For Each main room of the house leads to a private patrio. Shirt; jeans, both model's own.

Baptiste of Fire Lagerfelds newest muse model Baptise Giabiconi

Finnest Hour A model of the house

To Dine For One of the three main bedrooms has an en suite sauna

Finnest Hour '809' floor lamp (1959) by Alvar Aalto

Finnest Hour 'Bilberry' pendant lamp, by Alvar Aalto

Finnest Hour Custom-built nest of tables and Aalto's leather-upholstered bentwood armchair

To Dine For The dining room with the webbed '45' armchairs (1947) and Aalto's triple pendant lamp (1956) which he originally designed for his church at Imatra

Glitter One, Hedi Slimane glitter installation, Ellipse Foundation Contemporary Arts Center, Lisbon, May 2007

To Dine For 'Flower Set' vase and bown set (1939), by Alvar Aalto

Pipe Dreams Gilet; jumpsuit, both by Thom Browne. Shoes, as before. Aalto's chairs in the house include '406' armchair (1936) with linen webbing; and '69' birch and white laminate chair (1935)

Zaha Hadid 2008
Dieter Rams 2007
Christian Marclay 2011
David Lynch 2010
Frank Gehry 2014
Laurie Simmons 2013
Hedi Slimane 2007
Elmgreen & Dragset 2013
Jean Nouvel 2014
Jeff Koons 2007
Kraftwerk 2011
Karl Lagerfeld 2009
Liz Diller 2015
Philippe Starck 2009
Louise Bourgeois 2008
Ole Scheeren 2012
Rei Kawakubo 2008
Taryn Simon 2012
Robert Wilson 2010
Lang Lang 2012
William Wegman 2015