The Incredible Dandy Style of Jacques de Bascher, Karl Lagerfeld’s Longtime Partner
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Ahead of the 2023 Met Gala on May 1st, there’s much discussion around the late designer Karl Lagerfeld, who will be honored throughout the evening. (The exhibition this year, “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” explores the designer’s inimitable legacy.) One point of interest? How Lagerfeld cultivated a signature uniform of his own, always including his iconic powdered ponytail, a crisp white shirt, and driving gloves. But there’s a lesser-known style icon who was by Lagerfeld’s side for 18 years throughout the ’70s and ‘80s: Jacques de Bascher.
Lagerfeld and Bascher met in Paris in 1971 while running in similar fashion crowds. (Prior to meeting Lagerfeld, Bascher was a flight attendant for Air France.) Bascher was a true dandy in the sense of nobody quite knew what he did for a living—but he was always by Lagerfeld’s side, and therefore, famous. “Money, work, and ordinary realities were not among his preoccupations," writes Marie Ottavi in her 2017 book on Bascher, titled Jacques de Bascher, Dandy de L ombre. Lagerfeld was instantly drawn to his magnetic personality. “He made me laugh more than anyone,” Lagerfeld told Ottavi in the book. “He was the opposite of me. He was also impossible and despicable. He was perfect.”
Much like Lagerfeld, Bascher had an identifiable sense of style all his own. His wardrobe was highly sophisticated and suited for his party-heavy lifestyle. Think: sleek, effortless suiting and tuxedos. He rarely went without his ties or bowties, though he sometimes veered outside the classics in favor of a floral suit, shearling coat, or preppy wide-brimmed hat. “He didn’t dress like anyone; he was ahead of everyone,” Lagerfeld told Ottavi. In 2020, a special exhibition at the Treize gallery in Paris explored Bascher’s life and style through images. “He loved beauty and intensity in equal measure,” wrote one of the exhibit’s curators.
The style icon’s wild, raucous personality was well-documented. For one, it’s reported that Bascher kept his silk ties in a ribbon box that once belonged to Marie Antoinette. Lagerfeld said Bascher’s unpredictability and spontaneity was the perfect balance to his more militant lifestyle. “I’m a total puritan, but I found Jacques’ adventures amusing,” Lagerfeld told Ottavi. “We couldn’t be further apart. I am a Calvinist toward myself, and totally indulgent toward others.”
The pair’s romantic relationship never got physical—rather, it was more of an emotional connection. “I infinitely loved that boy but I had no physical contact with him,” Lagerfeld told Ottavi. Sometime in the 1970s, Bascher also reportedly had an affair with designer Yves Saint Laurent—a direct competitor of Lagerfeld’s, reports New York critic Cathy Horyn.
Up until Bascher died from AIDS in 1989, Lagerfeld remained by his side. The designer has credited Bascher with inspiring much of his early work and creative ideas—even years after his passing. “He was the only thing that gave a kind of sense to things,” Lagerfeld said three years after his death. “He brought to my life a kind of sparkle nobody else ever will. Maybe there is one person in life for you and that’s all.”
Photo: Getty Images1/3Jacques de Bascher at Chloe s spring 1974 presentation
Photo: Getty Images2/3Jacques de Bascher and Karl Lagerfeld in 1979
