“Every moment with Karl was a masterclass in sophistication,” says André Leon Talley, quoted in Robert Fairer’s new book of photographs, Karl Lagerfeld Unseen: The Chanel Years.
330 color photographs provide an insight into the studio founded by Coco Chanel in 1910 on Rue Cambon. They show customers trying on clothes, models in the make-up chair or seconds before walking down the catwalk, as well as pictures of the designer at work in his unmistakable look with black clothes, sunglasses and a snow-white ponytail. The photographs of haute couture and ready-to-wear date from 1994 to 2007, although Lagerfeld served as creative director of Chanel from 1983 until his death in 2019.
Like Leon Talley and Lagerfeld, Stella Tennant, the aristocratic fashion model and Lagerfeld’s muse, is no longer with us. Her tall, angular frame lent a touch of graceful anarchy to many of Chanel’s most memorable looks, and her face has graced numerous ad campaigns. A young Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell, as well as beauty icons of the time like Linda Evangelista, Lily Cole, Kirsten Owen, Shalom Harlow and Carla Bruni, before she became France’s first woman, feature in many never-before-released shots. Lagerfeld’s first 21st-century Chanel couture show delivers particularly timeless imagery: in a swimming pool, the models wore ruffled bouffants, green lips and plunging tulle dresses as if straight out of a fairy tale. This includes a striking shot of Devon Aoki staring off into the distance, dressed head-to-toe in matte pink and leaning against a green-tiled wall.
Chanel photographer shares insights into the Parisian fashion house and Lagerfeld’s work
“Ghosts jump out of the pages and make the most glorious noise in my brain,” writes Sally Singer in the book’s foreword. In fact, many of these looks are so ingrained in our consciousness that it’s almost impossible not to ride a wave of nostalgia. Amanda Harlech is quoted as saying that backstage was often more important to the designer than the catwalk, and Fairer’s photographs manage to convey something familiar, albeit in a slightly different narrative. The drama of the fleeting moment, the hint of adrenaline, the swirl of cigarette smoke and bubbly champagne, the absence of smartphones document the glittering bustle of Parisian fashion shows and perhaps even society in a time that is unrepeatable.
Bouclé, houndstooth and tweed for the day, the effortless mix of embroidery, sequins, lace and ruffles for the night – all are considered. Automotive gloves, chain belts, camellias, black bows and dangling double Cs in so many new variations. There are also motorcycle helmets, brass knuckles and ski goggles. A wedding dress for a couture bride, made from 38 yards of silk, embellished with Lesage embroidery and requiring 11 fittings.
“My job is to propose a fantasy. Whoever wants them, whoever likes them, whoever wants to use them.” “It’s for everyone,” might sound a bit hollow these days, since Lagerfeld’s more questionable off-the-cuff comments he’s made in interviews over the years, particularly about women who didn’t fit his ideal of thinness, are now widely condemned. He cast mostly white models for his catwalks. Yet his influence and fascination are undeniable. By the end of his life he was designing eight Chanel collections a year, not to mention his work for Fendi; it almost seems as if he hasn’t slowed down even in death. It was recently announced that a Hollywood film starring Jared Leto in the role of the late designer is in the works, while the Met Museum will celebrate Lagerfeld’s work in its Spring 2023 exhibit.
As Lagerfeld said, “Chanel left us something better than fashion: style. And style as she preached it doesn’t get old.”
Robert Fairer’s Karl Lagerfeld Unseen: The Chanel Years is due out November 22 through Abrams.
This translated article originally appeared on FashionUnited.uk.