Paradise Now
The Extraordinary Life of Karl Lagerfeld
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4.5 • 13 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
The definitive biography of fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld, written by journalist and author William Middleton, who knew the designer in Paris.
In February 2019, the world lost one of its most enduring cultural icons, Karl Lagerfeld, the creative director for the storied House of Chanel for thirty-five years. Larger than life, Lagerfeld was legendary not only for reinventing Chanel; and creating constant fashion excitement at Chloé, Fendi, and his eponymous brand; but also for his vivid personal style, including his signature uniform of dark sunglasses and a powdered white ponytail. And then there was his utter devotion to his cat, Choupette.
Journalist and author William Middleton spent years working in Paris for Women’s Wear Daily, W, and Harper’s Bazaar. During his time in Paris, he interviewed and socialized with Lagerfeld, coming to see a side of the designer that he kept private from the world.
In this deliciously entertaining book, Middleton takes us inside the most exclusive rooms in the fashion industry, behind the catwalk, and into a world of brilliantly talented artists, stylish socialites, and famous stars—some of the most elusive and unforgettable figures of fashion’s inner circle for the past four decades.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Recently deceased fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld holds down the center of a glamorous universe in this luminous biography. Journalist Middleton (Double Vision) surveys his subject's celebrated career as a designer for Chloé and Fendi, his revitalization of Chanel as its chief couture designer, and his 2004 triumph with a collection for H&M of garments so popular that one shopper bit another to obtain one when stocks ran low. Middleton's Lagerfeld is himself a fashion statement, with his trademark powdered white ponytail, black sunglasses, and fingerless gloves, as well as a man of dual natures. A "harsh, intimidating, even unpleasant" figure, Lagerfeld brims over with "bitchy bon mots" ("ballerina costumes for menopausal fashion victims," he sniffed of one rival's designs) and abrasive opinions, but in private had an inviting and magnetic personality. Middleton's animated portrait paints Lagerfeld's life as a whirl of clubbing, parties that occasionally end in orgies, and over-the-top fashion shows acted out by luminaries in gorgeous clothes and sumptuous locales. Fashion doesn't emerge as a great or even coherent art here—"‘It is not black in the sense of black.... It's black in the sense of chic!"' is about as deep as Lagerfeld gets—but Middleton ably conveys the industry's fizzy exuberance and the character of one of its definitive figures. This is a crackling chronicle of one of the fashion world's punchiest personalities.
