Fashion Designer Quotes - Part 2

When did fashion designers become the sages of our time? Their wit and wisdom now dominate some of the most popular Tumblr accounts.  Here are some of the best fashion designer quotes on the net:

One of the funniest new Tumblr accounts is Kor's Metaphors.  It takes screenshots from Project Runway and lists the Michael Kor's most scathing critiques.  Among the best gems:

"She just looked like rigatoni Mad Max"

"So she's a Snuggie designer?"

"She's borderline Teletubby".

"The blouse is just like a souffle that flopped."

"If the challenge was to make something for a 70 year old to go sit in a mall and get back to the house early so she can watch television, then you succeeded." 

Karl Lagerfeld (aka the Kaiser) has been to known for many sharp tongued statements.  That's why I am impressed with Karl Lagerfeld Quotes.  They have collected many of Karl's most inspirational statements as spoken from an artist.  Don't get me wrong, they haven't completely avoided fierce little quips...

"If you throw money out of the window throw it out with joy. Don’t say ‘one shouldn’t do that’––that is bourgeois."
"My thing is to work more than the others to show them how useless they are."
"Looking like an S&M fanatic without being one is grotesque."

He doesn't have a Tumblr, but he does have a Tim Gunn Twitter account.  Mentor to wannabe designers on Project Runway, he first started out as the education administrator at my alma mater, Parsons School of Design.  He has never claimed superior knowledge of fashion, and I love the fact that he lists "Educator" first among his many titles.  I also respect that he doesn't do the usual thing of pandering to the hottest personalities of current media:

"I just think the Kardashians have an absence of taste and I don't think that that should be perpetuated. I'm sorry I'm sounding like an old farty snob but it bothers me."

He called out Anna Wintour on having the worst Diva behavior by recounting something he witnessed: 
"I was with a colleague from Parsons, and we had been discussing the will-she-or-won't-she-take-the-elevator question, so we ran over to the elevator bay to see if Anna would deign to get on. She wasn't there. Then we looked over the stairway railing. And what did we see but Anna being carried down the stairs. The bodyguards had made a fireman's lock and were racing her from landing to landing. She was sitting on their crossed arms."

He was pressured to recount the story, and he refused, saying: 
 "Accept responsibility for your own behavior. If you're going to be carried down five flights of stairs, own up to it."

Always a good teacher:  “You can be too rich and too thin, but you can never be too well read or too curious about the world.” 

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Cats in Fashion, Choupette to Hello Kitty

I've always said it...Fashion is not for pussies. I stand corrected. In the last few years, cats in fashion have been making a big splash in the media.

Choupette is the famous familiar of Karl Lagerfeld. Her overnight fame (she has made appearances in WWD, I-D magazine and now her own photo editorial in V-magazine) is not just for obvious cuteness, but the thought of an often intimidating designer doting on a sweet cat. Karl is often quoted for words that sound unforgiving or harsh, so his affection for the little fluffball shows a different side of him. Perhaps our obsession with Choupette is a projection of our own fantasies. Who wouldn't want the kaiser of Chanel doting on US while flying us in a private jet while two separate maids care for us?

Matilda is the legendary cat of the Algonquin Hotel. Her annual birthday party has turned into an elaborate feline fashion show benefit.. Matilda is an icon of the historical inn (there have been several versions of her). She has social media accounts where she Instagrams her #OOTDs as well as employs a social secretary. She is more socialite than many of the bolded names in gossip columns.

Hello Kitty has always been a fashion icon to the Kawaii set since way back in 1974.  The fashionable feline has her own clothing collection (of course). She is expanding her style empire with collaborations with lingerie brand Hanky Panky, in makeup with M.A.C. cosmetics , fast fashion with Forever 21 and soon to be high fashion with Yohji Yamamoto.

Maybe that crazy aunt you had with the ugly cat Christmas sweater was just ahead of her time...

Photos from V-magazine, Time Out NY, Harper's Bazaar,Girly bubble

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Chanel Haute Couture - Fall 2012

 Karl's collection for Fall 2012 for the House of Chanel contained a lot of signature elements you expect.  Super luxurious tweeds, coordinated suit pieces, ladylike in a myriad of variations.  This season he added a bit of sparkle to the pantyhose and metallic threads in the fabrics.

Lagerfeld is all about youth culture, yet this particular collection sent mixed messages.  The proportions on some of the looks just looked like they wouldn't flatter anyone, like the over sized coats that made the 00 sized models look enormous.  Some suits looked perfectly at home at what I picture as the Chanel core customer, tiny old, wealthy ladies but not a fashion forward statement.  Then there were looks that looked like an upscale version of Wednesday Addams, black, white, Gothically girlish.

Karl Lagerfeld has reached beyond fashion icon status at this point and he only seems to keep working more... (My favorite moment from a NY Times talk he did a few years back was that when people say he has a lot of class, he explained that it was all "working class").   I have no doubt that no matter what my personal thoughts are on this season, it will be an influencer that trickles down through the rest of the industry for seasons to come.
Yannis Vlamos / GoRunway.com

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CHANEL: The Little Black Jacket Exhibit

Rarely can a single garment become an icon onto itself.  Chanel's Little Black Jacket is one of those exceptions.  Carine Roitfield and Karl Lagerfeld collaborated on a series of photographs with top international style icons in their own right, like Sarah Jessica Parker, Yoko Ono and Daphne Guinness. 

The photographs have a romantic, art quality to them.  In dramatic black and white, they show the differences in construction, styling and the personality of the model posing in them. 

What kind of work goes into a little black jacket from Chanel?  Check out this video for some insight:

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For more information, check out their site.

Saturday, June 8 - 15, 12 PM - 7 PM

18 Wooster Street, NYC Map

Photos courtesy of Little Black Jacket Website

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Karl Lagerfeld at Macy's

 

Yes, the Kaiser is coming to Herald Square.  On Tuesday, September 6, there will be a red carpet arrival of celebs and the Chanel designer himself at the Macy's store in Manhattan.  This is to celebrate the highly publicized arrival of Karl Lagerfeld's collection for Macy's.

This is the man who commented that those who purchased clothing on sale did not deserve to shop at his regular boutiques.  I love this little Karl gem, "Sweatpants are a sign of defeat. You lost control of your life so you bought some sweatpants."

To contradict himself, he also was quoted as saying ""Never use the word “cheap”. Today everybody can look chic in inexpensive clothes (the rich buy them too). There is good clothing design on every level today. You can be the chicest thing in the world in a T-shirt and jeans — it’s up to you."

The collection itself consists of rather conservative pieces with a black, grey and white palette.  A few artsy tees with Karl's image on them makes for a fun item.  The line is indeed affordable, ranging from $50 - $170.

Fashionista.com has photos of the entire collection.  View them here.

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Happy Easter! A Special Greeting from Anna Wintour, Karl, John Galliano, Diane and Andre

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Have a beautiful bunny day!  The team at Ms. FABulous

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Karl Lagerfeld Sketches Chanel for Bio

Is there a bigger fan of Gabrielle Chanel than Karl Lagerfeld?  The atelier has millions of fans around the world.  Coco Chanel's story has been played out as a pop history fairy-tale in movies and books many times over.

British journalist Justine Picardie wrote a new biography of the designer that Mr. Lagerfeld liked so much that he contributed several illustrations for the new French edition.  The new tome will be feted at a cocktail bash/signing in the Galignani bookstore (Karl's fave) on the evening of March 24th.

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Chanel Onscreen...Again

A new film about Coco Chanel is being released this month. One of the many that have found inspiration in designers.

“Chanel Coco & Igor Stravinsky“focuses on the brief affair between the designer and married composer. Karl Lagerfeld is not a fan. Like many who worship at the altar of Chanel, he does not prefer to think of the pioneering designer in an unflattering light. She may be portrayed as cold and calculated at times, but ambition and selfishness is still human.

This film follows in the footsteps of last year’s ”Coco Avant Chanel”, the film follows ingénue Gabrielle from her humble beginnings post-orphanage to the beginnings of fashion success. Again, it shows her rise with the help of her lovers.

Shirley Maclaine earned an Emmy Award for her portrayal of Chanel in her later years, with a romanticized younger version in the television movie of 2008. “Chanel Solitaire” was a 1981 film based on a biography by Claude Delay. Katherine Hepburn starred in the one Broadway musical version of her life.

Coco Chanel herself made contributions to film in the form of costume design. She even collaborated with Pablo Picasso on a film.

Photos by Sony Picture Classics and Lifetime Network

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Paris Fashion Week – Chanel RTW Fall/Winter 2010

Karl Lagerfeld is predicting that next winter will be supremely chilly. Based on the snowfall from this past season, that’s not much of a stretch. He demonstrated this with a giant iceberg at the Grand Palais Paris this week. The collection itself was a mix of everything luxurious you could find cozy…Fuzzy tweeds, cashmere knits, leather and (faux) fur… While the concept was amusing, many bordered on abominable snowman or ‘Wookie’ territory. Bulkier versions of the classic Chanel tweed suit were present, with extra fur and occasionally, ice-like chunky quartz embroidery. While the looks were interesting, I had to imagine that most women in the world would not find these outfits particularly flattering on themselves.

The handbags in the collection received the same treatment. They were equally fuzzy, furry and embellished. The familiar signature quilted Chanel bag was also updated in chunky tweeds and the chain handles were often accented with feathers or fur.

Spotted in the front row: Alexa Chung, Vanessa Paradis, Yi Zhou

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