What I've done, Coco Chanel would never have done. She would have hated it.
Interpretation
Karl Lagerfeld expresses his belief that his work diverges significantly from Coco Chanel's principles and style.
In this quote, Karl Lagerfeld acknowledges the stark contrast between his creative vision and that of Coco Chanel, one of fashion's most iconic figures. By stating that Chanel would have disapproved of his work, Lagerfeld emphasizes the evolution and divergent paths within the fashion industry, celebrating individuality and personal expression while recognizing the foundational influence of Chanel's legacy.
In practice
Using this quote in a speech about innovation in fashion to highlight the importance of personal style.
I believe in sketching because there is something very sensitive in sketching, you know, in sketches that you don't have out of a computer that looks the same like everybody even if, later on, the dresses are OK, but I like to sketch, and I like to see trails made after my sketches that look the same. It is you know, what I like.
I'm open to everything. When you start to criticize the times you live in, your time is over.
If I could be reincarnated as a fashion accessory, it would be a shopping bag.
Chic is a kind of mayonnaise, either it tastes, or it doesn't.
Why should I stop working? If I do, I'll die and it'll all be finished. 'm lucky to work in the most perfect of conditions. I can do what I want in all kinds of areas. The expenses are not expenses. I would be stupid to stop that. Work is making a living out of being bored.
Elegance has nothing to do with fashion.
Vogue always did stand for people's lives. I mean, a new dress doesn't get you anywhere; it's the life you're living in the dress, and the sort of life you had lived before, and what you will do in it later.
I want to make beautiful clothes for women and men who appreciate detail and quality. The product must be the best but this is almost secondary to the service the customer will receive.
The difference between style and fashion is quality.
It pains me physically to see a woman victimized, rendered pathetic, by fashion.
The thing I always try to remember is that feet are attached to the leg, and that you must prolong the silhouette. The shoe elongates the leg and does it discreetly. The goal is to get people to look at a woman's legs. It's all about the leg. No, it's not about the leg. It's about the woman.
Clothes are status signifiers, and no matter how restrained, they always give you subtle symbols of what your values are.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.