If idle hands are the devil s playground, Karl Lagerfeld is destined for sainthood. There s the Chanel and Fendi jobs, not to mention innumerable collaborations, photo projects, drawings, furniture designs, books, houses—OK, he s busy. But never too busy, it seems, to play with some fashion ideas. Which is where Lagerfeld Gallery comes in. Lagerfeld Gallery started out as a group of items shown at his Left Bank art gallery (hence the name), but has since evolved into a true collection.
Lagerfeld is particularly good at taking one or two big ideas and looking at them from all sides. For Fall, he played off two of the season s favorite icons: denim and black dresses. The famously slimmed-down designer clearly wanted to share his rediscovery of all things skinny. At the heart of the collection were skintight blue jeans (created for Lagerfeld by Diesel), boot-cut or as knickers and worn with teetering heels. He paired those with fitted jackets, crisp white shirts or black knit tops—perfect dressing for a woman who likes uncomplicated style that still packs a punch. When she s feeling a bit more like playing the sex kitten, Lagerfeld s customer will change into one of his satiny, figure-hugging black dresses or skirts and add a slouchy bag from another of the season s collaborators, accessories designer Matt Murphy. Simple ideas, made new and interesting—that s how Karl keeps his fashion wheels rolling.
