Karl Lagerfeld: Fashion Icon

The German designer and creative director of Chanel has passed at the age of 85. Lagerfeld worked up until his death and will always be one of fashions most iconic figures. His signature ponytail, dark glasses, and all black apparel was envied and recognizable everywhere around the world. The House of Chanel has always been my favorite luxury and ready to wear brand since I was a little girl. Bruno Pavlovsky, President of Fashion at CHANEL, said: “Fashion show after fashion show, collection after collection, Karl Lagerfeld left his mark on the legend of Gabrielle Chanel and the history of the House of CHANEL. Karl's creativity, quick wit and style will always be remembered and never forgotten by everyone in the fashion industry. 

Here is a timeline of Karls career, favorite quotes of mine, and photos of him along his journey with Chanel. Rest in Peace to a true fashion legend.

Timeline of Karl's fashion journey 1954-2019

1954

• Karl wins an award in the coats category at the International Wool Secretariat.

1955

 •Lagerfeld is offered a job as Pierre Balmain's assistant, who quickly took his winning illustration to production.

1957

• Lagerfeld moves to work with French fashion designer Jean Patou, beginning to design two haute couture collections per year.

1958-1960

 • A career break was much needed for Lagerfeld, who took two years away from Paris to spend mostly on beaches. He remarked, “I guess I studied life.”

1962

• Lagerfeld begins his freelance career by starting with the Italian couture brands Tiziani and Valentino.

1964

 • Lagerfeld joined the French fashion house at Chloé as a freelancer. Karl worked with designer Evan Richards, which lead to him having one of his most famous clients being actress Elizabeth Taylor. 

1965

• Lagerfeld joins Fendi as head designer for its ready-to-wear and fur collections.

1966

• After three years working alongside other designers at Chloé, Lagerfeld takes role as creative director for the brand.

1974

• Showing 200 looks, Lagerfeld’s Chloé show is said to have “set a new direction for the fashion world” in terms of the way he designed separates. Some looks included loose cardigans layered over V-necked pullovers and blouses with ruffled collars and sleeves.
• Lagerfeld is set to launch his first perfume under Chloé. 

1977

• While Lagerfeld has become known at Chanel for his elaborate fashion show sets, he actually started the practice during his time at Chloé, most notably his “Fellini’s Casanova” show.

1983

• With the end of his contract, Lagerfeld leaves his role as creative director at Chloé. He signs on as the new couturier at Chanel.

1984

• Lagerfeld launches his namesake label, Karl Lagerfeld. He claimed it would be used to fashion “intellectual sexiness”.

1987

• Lagerfeld adds photographing to his list of job titles throughout his career. He was known for photographing his own campaigns for Fendi and Chanel. He also did photography for magazine editorials, such as Harper’s Bazaar and international versions of Vogue.

1988

• Partnering with Steilmann, Europe’s largest apparel manufacturing group, Lagerfeld creates KL by Karl Lagerfeld, a more affordable line than his namesake ready to wear brand

1992

• Lagerfeld rejoins Chloé for his second time designing for the brand. 
• Dunhill Holdings PLC acquires the Karl Lagerfeld brand for a reported 16 million pounds, or $28.9 million.

1997

• Lagerfeld leaves Chloé.

1999

• Karl opens a book shop called 7L, in Paris. The store offers a large assortment of books on fashion, architecture and photography, among other topics.

2004

• In his first foray into the mass market, Lagerfeld teams up with H&M to create a collection of women’s and men’s clothing. The collection sells out immediately after launch.
• Tommy Hilfiger Corp. acquires the Karl Lagerfeld brand. The parent company has plans to grow the brand internationally.

2005

• Tommy Hilfiger Corp. shutters Lagerfeld’s contemporary label, returning the focus on the designer’s ready to wear collection.
• With its parent company, Lagerfeld launches K Karl Lagerfeld, his first denim line.

2008

• Lagerfeld’s name is added to Le Petit Larousse Illustré, France’s most iconic dictionary.

2010

• Lagerfeld receives the Couture Council Fashion Visionary Award from the Fashion Institute of Technology, a special honor which was created for him.

2012

• Lagerfeld teams with Carine Roitfeld on a traveling exhibition called “The Little Black Jacket” based on photographs taken by the designer of his favorite muses wearing Chanel’s famous jacket.
• Known for using the brand’s makeup for his fashion sketches, Lagerfeld teams with Shu Uemura for a holiday collection of color cosmetics.

2014

• The designer jumps back into the fragrance game, this time creating a line of women’s and men’s scents under Interparfums. Industry sources estimate the brand will earn $70 million in its first year.

2015

• For his namesake brand, Lagerfeld unveils his first kids’ collection, which includes 140 pieces.
• Lagerfeld received the Outstanding Achievement Award at the British Fashion Awards.
• The designer launches “The Karl Daily,” which is a satirical take on his sketches and photography and shows his brand’s latest collection. Some 150,000 copies are distributed in Europe and Japan.

2017

• The designer receives Paris’ highest honor: At the Chanel couture show.

• The house of Chanel shares its financial figures for the first time: £1.35 billion had been made the previous year.

2018

• Lagerfeld brings his namesake brand to SoHo with its first flagship.
• The designer teams with model Kaia Gerber for a capsule collection for the brand, which includes rtw, accessories, shoes and jewelry ranging from $35 to $1,045.

2019

• For the first time in his 54 years at Fendi, Lagerfeld designs a men’s look for the brand’s runway show.

My favorites of Karl

"Black and white always looks modern, whatever that word means."

"I am a working-class person, working with class."

"What I enjoy doing most is doing something I've never done before."

"No, I never thought I would like cats."

"Everything has changed and nothing has changed more than the fashion world."

"I never fall in love."

“Sweatpants are a sign of defeat. You lost control of your life so you bought some sweatpants."

"Keep the best, forget the rest."

"People who say that yesterday was better than today are ultimately devaluing their own existence."

"I don’t care if people I admire criticize me because their opinion is valuable to me."

Nicki & Adam= Sugar & Spice

Anyone who knows me knows I am OBSESSED with Nicki Minaj and Adam Levine. They now have worked together and made some sweet magic. Maroon 5's newest single Sugar now has a new addition featuring the queen herself Nicki Minaj. I was beyond excited when I found out earlier this week that this collaboration was happening! My two favorite entertainers/artists on one song, what could be better?! Let's hope there is more to come with the two of them in the future. 

Since I am obsessed and crazy with the two of these artists, I had to share this excitement and love with all of my followers. SO here it is... SUGAR By Maroon 5, Feat. Nicki Minaj!

xoxo, Nik

Oscars On Point.

From deep v necks, to slicked back hair, the Oscars red carpet was nothing short from glamorous. The celebrities this year really stepped up their fashion game and I enjoyed seeing a lot of them on that red carpet. Deep v neck styled dresses front or back was a trend I saw on the red carpet, looking very elegant on most of the women, but on some of the others it's just too much. Whites and nudes seemed to be the trending neutral that was taking over the red carpet as well, some pops of color such as red was also popular, but I mainly saw neutrals this year. Hair for women was also semi-glamorous, with many having their hair slicked back or down, not to many up-do's for the ladies this time around. Accessories were pretty simple for this Oscars, in exception to a few who overloaded on accessories, when they should have just focused on some of the gorgeous gowns they had. Here are my personal red carpet favorites...

 

My Celebrity woman crush looking stunning as always. Jennifer Aniston wearing Versace.

 

Zoe Saldana wearing Atelier Versace.

 

The lovely Emma Stone in her Elie Saab beaded gown.

Anna Faris in her white glitzy Zuhair Murad dress.

 

Jenna Dewan-Tatum also wearing Zuhair Murad.

 Jennifer Lopez wearing a deep v neck nude Elie Saab dress.

 Reese Witherspoon looking sleek with her off the shoulder Tom Ford dress.

 

 Anna Kendrick looked beautiful in her Thakoon gown.

Xo Nik

Grammy's Weekend: The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly.

Grammy's weekend is one of the biggest events of the year. Celebrities everywhere, parties left and right, paparazzi at every corner, you gotta love LA! Like every other year, the red carpet this year was filled with endless talent. Walking down the red carpet were true stars and legends of the entertainment industry. Outfits this year surprised me just like any other, some amazing, some I thought could do better, and the rest... WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? We all sit in front of our television sets waiting for the best and worst dressed of the night, the musical performances, award speeches and of course during the whole thing making endless judgements or opinions on every action/move being made by all of attendees. It blows my mind to think some of the celebrities really picked these ensembles out for the world to see them in and really be satisfied with how they look. Sometimes you wonder or at least I do, was this just for attention, paparazzi fun, or were they really just trying to make a fashion statement all their own that they truly liked. I guess all of us will really never know, but all of us still sit down and get that satisfaction of watching one of the biggest award shows of the year.  I mainly of course love to sit and see what my favorite or most popular celebrities are wearing, but of course it's all about the excitement of the event itself and the awards being given. The nominees this year were all outstanding and unique in their own way, and many of the award winners for the Grammy's of 2015 I agreed with, some of them not so much.

Here are some photos from the Grammy's that I have chosen, some good, some great, and some gross. I know who caught my eye and who attracted my attention on looking the best. Who grabbed your attention, who did you think looked ridiculous, or who were you just speechless for?

Comment below or personally contact me, let me know what you thought of this post, the Grammy's or anything fashion related. Would love to hear from my fellow followers or anyone in the fashion world!

 

 

 

 

Audience Candid's/Performances  

 

xoxo, Nik

AMAS: From the red carpet to the stage.

The AMA'S that aired previously on Sunday  I thought it was the best one yet. Celebrities from Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj, One Direction, Imagine Dragons, Nick Jonas, Jennifer Lopez, Taylor Swift & so many more walked the red carpet & most also took the stage to perform some breath taking performances of this year. Taylor swift broke out the show with her new single Blank Space, her performance was so emotional & flowed perfectly with her song, she told a story throughout her performance and it was great to see that side of her on stage. Taylor Swift not only opened the show, but she also received a the prestigious award of the first-ever Dick Clark Award for Excellence presented to her by legendary Diana Ross. Taylor swift was so genuinely grateful & deserved to receive that award. Her career has been a great journey to follow & I am happy that she was awarded for her great actions she does for her career & her fans. Ariana Grande was another favorite of mine, she chose to slow down her musical choice & combine her most popular songs into a ballet. She looked stunning in her "promiscuous" gown with showing some skin, but the gown looked so elegant on her, she pulled it off with her performance perfectly. Her outfit in that performance was one of my favorites of the night. Iggy Azalea was another rock star performing Sunday night, she was spitting out her lyrics & brought her game to that performance of her new song Beg for It. She really worked the stage & had a powerful performance in my opinion, out of the two performances she did that night, her Beg for it definitely took the win for me. Of course, I have to incorporate my girl Nicki, she looked stunning on the red carpet as always, & both of her  performances she did including her new song Bed of Lies, along with her other popular hit BANG BANG with Ariana Grande & Jessie J. They all killed it on stage & Nicki was definitely in my top favorites for the night.  Hey, I guess we can't forget the guys of the night, when I can say One Direction isn't in my top list of favorite artists, they pulled out 3 award winnings at the AMA'S, this year apparently was a great year for them, and the girls continue to drool over these English native pop stars. Also, Imagine Dragons pulled off a stellar performance with a trippy light show & really brought the crowd to their feet, they had the most eye catching performance of the night I'd say.  The AMA'S was all about fashion, entertainment, and of course music, this AMA'S of 2014 I think was the best one by far. All of the performances were extraordinary, each of them had their own individuality & created their own stories to show the audience.  The audience and fans from inside & outside of the show seemed to me ex tactic with the show and the celebrities that were chosen to attend.

 

You didn't think I was going to stop there did you? I still havent shown you my favorites of the night for best dressed, a lot of my favorite outfits were the long gowns with the large slits down the side. Hey girl if you got it flaunt it, show those legs girl. Many celebrities that night were definetly dressed for the occasion, & all seem very intrigued & excited to see how this year at AMA's was going to go down.  Here are my BEST DRESSED of the night.....