Mad King Lagerfeld

Karl Lagerfeld seems to be shrugging off his Parisian pomp and returning to his Chitty Chitty Bang Bang roots. Meanwhile the fashion press remain in a manic state of denial; the reapearence of the Brothel Creeper being met with an almost ecstatic response, 'Chanel Cruise 2013 cements the trend: Brothel Creepers are cool!' Grazia Daily, hmmm. This type of shoe has been doing the rounds for some time now but then again, Karl is master of the encore.

                        

                                         A Marie Antoinette Romper suit

However his detractors are heavy weights. Last year Tina Brown's Newsweek dared to focus on how heavily he relies on the Chanel brand for his inspiration. 'Lagerfeld has simply broadened a road built by Chanel herself.' His furious, ill thought out, response was to announce that she was 'dying (professionally).'

                                   An Artist's impression: Karl and Tina

Lagerfeld’s ambivalence towards women is hard to miss, swinging from the total idealisation of the female and her form, to utter contempt, This schizoid position can get a bit tricky when your job is dressing women. 
How do you dress what you secretly desire to debase? Could this be the true inspiration for S/S 2013:

                                Chanel's  billboard, The Hoola Hoop Bag 

As with all obsessions there runs a schism of murderous hatred, the desire to become is overshadowed by the desire to kill off. The bitchy remarks that come burping out, constantly revealing this inner struggle. I am reminded of Psycho with poor old Norman standing at the top of the stairs with his skewed bonnet, he had become his mother, the perfect way to triumph over the old cow, and when I read how Karl’s mum ‘had striking white hair’ it all begins to get a bit spooky. 

                                    

Part of a painting by Lagerfeld. A distinguished gentleman with black monocle, who reminds Lagerfeld of 'someone now dead.' His mother wore a monocle.

His mother, an ever present inspiration seems to have taken a sadistic pleasure in belittling her son, warning the eight year old child he should steer clear of hats lest he end up ‘looking like an old Dyke’ Karl goes on to add ‘She was quite funny, no?' NO, not really. Had Lagerfeld identified this remark as an attack he may been able to avoid slavishly living out the prophesy.

However unlike most people that suffer abusive parenting, it has served him well, not all psychological warps need be destructive. An obsession with the idealised mother has made for some beautiful high points in an illustrious career but at some point there comes exhaustion. Manic defences, no matter how stridently erected, falter. How anxious he must now be feeling as he reaches his tricky octogenarian years, the hysteria of narcissus runs wild. Death is badgering him and truths become harder to sit on. There is a madness to his work, to the way he chooses to dress, to his strange boasts ‘I am a brain-bodybuilder...a Schwarzenegger of the brain." Possibly then this latest collection is the victim of steroids as well as revenge.

Biography:
Luke Leitch: Chanel S/S 2013. Telegraph, 21 December 2012. ‘Chanel Spring/ Summer 2013'
Maureen Orth: Kaiser Karl: Behind the Mask. Vanity Fair- February 1992.
Robin Givhan: Newsweek January 2012
Alicia Drake: The Long Fall 2006
Hannah Almassi: 'Chanel Cruise 2013 Cements The Trend.'  Grazia daily.com May 2012
Detail from Karl Lagerfeld's illustrations: 'A Secret Ball.’ Vogue Magazine November 2008
Stills from: Chanel S/S Cruise 2013 and S/S 2013 
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang 1968.