Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty

A brilliant retrospective named for English painter William Hogarth’s concept of the line of beauty, organized by the Met’s Costume Institute which was open until July 16 focused on Lagerfeld the designer and his art of sketching. By following two major “duality” lines by which the exhibition was anchored, namely the “serpentine” line and the “straight” line, we were able to delve deep into Lagerfeld’s unique working methodology.

“Fashion does not belong in a museum.”

A large screen at the entrance to the exhibition shows fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld sketching in his black leather fingerless gloves. Self-styled as a dandy, always hidden under the deep black sunglasses, wearing his signature black-and-white uniform with a collar, he became one of the most recognisable designers of the 20th century and a global fashion icon, a “living label.”

Born in 1933 in Hamburg, Germany into a family of a businessman, Lagerfeld was offered his first position at Balmain in 1955. Not surprisingly, 1955 was also the year Lagerfeld won the prestigious International Woolmark Prize in the coat category. He continued to refine his sketching style at the house of Jean Patou where he became an artistic director three years later. Subsequently, his career continued at Chloé and Fendi (1954–1982). The international fame came after he was hired by Chanel at the beginning of the 80’s. Lagerfeld’s eponymous label was created one year after, in 1984. The designer claimed that fashion and art are two different disciplines.

“In fashion, you always have to break something to make it again, to love what you’ve hated and hate what you’ve loved.”

The show spanned 65 years of Lagerfeld’s career with more than 200 pieces on display, including the replica of his working table, his personal neckties, and loafers. The visitor had also an unique access into Lagerfeld’s atelier and people who worked with him. The designer established long working relationships with collaborators close to him, such as head seamstresses and other staff. The interviews in this section has been conducted by the French filmmaker Loïc Prigent who had been following Lagerfeld’s collections since 1997.

The galleries were themed by following the dichotomous classification of two contrasting lines, namely: Feminine/Masculine, Romantic/Military, Rococo/Classical, Historical/Futuristic, Artisanal/Mechanical, Canonical/Countercultural, Ornamental/Structural, Floral/Geometric, Figurative/Abstract, and finally Satirical Line.

Sketches and other objects that inspired the particular garment were on view in each of these galleries. For example, a suit of black wool boucle with belt of simulated pearls, and bracelets of black leather with gold metal (Chanel) was paired with the painting Bauhaus Stairway by Oskar Schlemmer, 1932. Schlemmer, a German artist and choreographer became an inspiration for Lagerfeld who created a “Schlemmerian” silhouette for Chanel and his own label. This modernist silhouette features broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and rounded hips. Lagerfeld often referred to street style and other countercultural styles, i.e. movement of fashions that start from the street and gravitate upward into high fashion. In this context the exhibition curator Andrew Bolton stressed: “One of Lagerfeld’s most enduring stylistic interests was the postmodern combination of the traditional proprieties of the couture with the transgressive provocations of the edgiest street styles.”

“I am like a caricature of myself. Like a mask. For me the Carnival of Venice lasts all year.”

Lagerfeld was, however, inspired mainly by the arts of the 18th century, namely the elegant style of Louis XV, including the diverse range of decorative arts of that time. In Floral Line/Geometric Line section, Lagerfeld’s dress for Fendi from 2009, a light brown silk tulle with hand-painted white, cream, and pink strips of silk and cotton roses was paired with Jean Cocteau’s poster advertising Nijinsky with the Ballets Russes, Paris, 1913.

The very last gallery “Satirical Line” presented Karl Lagerfeld as a funny, self-mocking guy, who possessed a great deal of wit. Wit is characterized as a form of behavior including novelty, imagination, judgement, and knowledge, and it is obvious that all these qualities were reflected in his fashions. One could have learned about this playful side of Lagerfeld’s personality in a rather intimate, tiny space with multiple iPhones hanging on the walls and presenting in a loop various Lagerfeld’s quotes. This gallery also revealed certain details regarding the designer’s self-presentation, namely why he was always wearing the sunglasses. Lagerfeld himself explains: “I may be scary to some people but not to me. I know what is behind the black glasses.” And continues: “The emotions expressed by the eyes, they’re not something I really want to put on the market. That’s why I wear dark glasses.”

Karl Lagerfeld “converts the everyday into the exceptional, reconciling the ordinary and the extraordinary, the unremarkable and the remarkable.” Indeed, Lagerfeld’s enormous, distinct body of work is truly exceptional in the history of fashion.

Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty, was on view at The Met from May 5 to July 16, 2023.