More than a mere tastemaker, Karl Lagerfeld devoted himself to the continual pursuit of chic. “My life and my job,” the designer once said, “is to forget myself.” During his five-decade career designing shoes, handbags, evening dresses and other items for Chanel, Fendi, Chloé and many others, Lagerfeld was a quintessential chameleon, ever evolving to embody the times.
An outsize, instantly recognizable personality — his ponytail powdered like an 18th-century viscount, his eyes perpetually shielded by dark glasses, wearing fistfuls of chunky silver jewels — Lagerfeld was, above all, an avatar of style.
Born in Hamburg (in 1933, ’35, or ’38 by varying accounts), Karl Lagerfeld packed his bags for Paris in 1954. His design for a coat won him the International Wool Secretariat and landed him a job with the celebrated couturier Pierre Balmain. He went on to become the designer of Jean Patou, eventually realizing that his seemingly endless ideas could fuel a career as a designer-for-hire. As such, Lagerfeld lent his vision to everyone from Loewe and Max Mara to Krizia and Charles Jourdan, nimbly moving among a diverse range of styles. It was an unprecedented way of working in the days when freelance was still a dirty word.
During the late ’60s and ’70s, he refashioned Chloé to reflect the free spirit of the day and, beginning in 1965, joined forces with the Fendi family, taking it from sleepy furrier to fashion’s haute-est stratum. Because of his track record for reviving and reimagining brands that had grown stagnant, in 1983 Lagerfeld was handed the reins at Chanel, which had been gathering dust since its founder’s heyday.
From Lagerfeld's first Chanel collection, he injected the venerable house with a frisson of modernity. He riffed on its iconography — tweed skirt suits, pearls, camellias — accenting a lexicon of Chanel-isms with tastes of the moment. Despite producing eight collections a year for Chanel, as well as four to five for Fendi, Lagerfeld never faltered in proposing new ideas each time he put pencil to paper.
Lagerfeld’s collections for Chanel, in particular, displayed his knack for synthesizing old and new, high and low. From Watteau (Spring/Summer 1985 couture) and Serge Roche (Spring/Summer 1990 ready-to-wear) to hip-hop fly girls (Fall/Winter 1991 ready-to-wear), surfers (Spring/Summer 2003 ready-to-wear) and ancient Egypt (Pre-Fall 2019), Lagerfeld used each season’s inspiration to conceive Chanel’s signatures anew.
Browse a collection of sophisticated designs by Karl Lagerfeld on 1stDibs, including handbags and evening gowns for Chanel, vintage cocktail dresses for Chloé and more.
CHANEL 17A Runway Paris Cosmopolite tweed double breasted tuxedo jacket FR44
By Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld
Located in Hong Kong, NT
CHANEL 17A Runway Paris Cosmopolite black tweed double breasted tuxedo jacket FR44 Reference: BMPA/A00267 Brand: Chanel Designer: Karl Lagerfeld Model: P56950V41202 Collection: Pre-F...
CHANEL 15A Runway burgundy green wool tweed 4 pocket jacket FR36 S
By Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel
Located in Hong Kong, NT
CHANEL 15A Runway burgundy green wool tweed 4 pocket jacket FR36 S Reference: MELK/A00552 Brand: Chanel Designer: Karl Lagerfeld Collection: Fall/Winter 2015 Ready-to-Wear (15A) Mate...
Chanel 2010 Veste FR40 White Black Cotton Tweed Sleeveless Jacket UK12 US10
By Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld
Located in PARIS, FR
Chanel 2010 jacket in white and black cotton blend tweed, long, with short sleeves, notched collar closed by 2 jewel buttons, 2 slit pockets at the flared bottom, 2 slits at the back...
CHANEL 08A Runway tweed fringe trim tromp loeil layered 4 pocket jacket FR46
By Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld
Located in Hong Kong, NT
CHANEL 08A Runway black tweed braided fringe trim tromp loeil layered 4 pocket jacket FR46 Reference: BMPA/A00273 Brand: Chanel Designer: Karl Lagerfeld Model: P33960V20596 Collectio...
CHANEL 11A Fantasy Tweed black silver checkered asymmetric collar jacket FR44 XL
By Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld
Located in Hong Kong, NT
CHANEL 11A Fantasy Tweed black silver checkered asymmetric collar jacket FR44 XL Reference: BMPA/A00185 Brand: Chanel Designer: Karl Lagerfeld Collection: 11A Material: Wool, Blend C...
CHANEL 94A Vintage black wool gold CC button monogram lining blazer FR34 XS
By Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld
Located in Hong Kong, NT
CHANEL 94A Vintage black wool gold CC button monogram lining blazer FR34 XS Reference: TGAS/D00331 Brand: Chanel Designer: Karl Lagerfeld Collection: Fall 1994 Material: Wool Color: ...
CHANEL 09A Paris Moscow black tweed leather lined CC logo jacket FR34 XS
By Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld
Located in Hong Kong, NT
CHANEL 09A Paris Moscow black tweed leather lined CC logo jacket FR34 XS Reference: NILI/A00005 Brand: Chanel Designer: Karl Lagerfeld Collection: 09A Paris Moscow - Runway Material:...
FENDI 1990s Maglia Vintage FF Zucca monogram shell button knit vest top IT40 S
By Fendi, Karl Lagerfeld
Located in Hong Kong, NT
FENDI 1990s Maglia Vintage black navy FF Zucca monogram shell button knit vest top IT40 S Reference: DYTG/A00096 Brand: Fendi Designer: Karl Lagerfeld Collection: Maglia Circa 1990s ...
CHANEL Vintage navy blue tweed gold CC buttons 4 pocket jacket
By Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel
Located in Hong Kong, NT
CHANEL Vintage navy blue tweed gold CC buttons 4 pocket jacket Reference: LNKO/A02113 Brand: Chanel Designer: Karl Lagerfeld Material: Feels like wool Color: Blue, Gold Pattern: Soli...
CHANEL 94P Vintage mint green boucle wool chain buttons cropped jacket FR42 XL
By Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld
Located in Hong Kong, NT
CHANEL 94P Vintage mint green boucle wool chain buttons cropped jacket FR42 XL Reference: MECG/A00341 Brand: Chanel Designer: Karl Lagerfeld Collection: 94P Material: Tweed Color: Gr...
CHANEL navy gold CC buttons flap pockets military blazer jacket FR38 M
By Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld
Located in Hong Kong, NT
CHANEL navy gold CC buttons flap pockets military blazer jacket FR38 M Reference: LNKO/A02112 Brand: Chanel Designer: Karl Lagerfeld Material: Feels like wool Color: Navy, Gold Patte...
CHANEL black silk satin crepe 4 pockets gold high collar mandarin jacket FR42
By Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel
Located in Hong Kong, NT
CHANEL black silk satin crepe 4 pockets gold high collar mandarin jacket FR42 Reference: BMPA/A00019 Brand: Chanel Designer: Karl Lagerfeld Material: Others Color: Black Pattern: Sol...
Karl Lagerfeld Pink Jacket
By Karl Lagerfeld
Located in London, GB
A pretty and chic jacket by Karl Lagerfeld , Paris. The jacket has a round neck line, zip front opening, and is fully lined. Measurements: Bust up to 38'',length 22''.
Karl Lagerfeld Black Blended Wool Jacket
By Karl Lagerfeld
Located in SAINT-OUEN-SUR-SEINE, FR
Karl Lagerfeld - Black blended wool jacket with a removable collar decorated with costume pearly cabochons. L size indicated. Additional information: Condition: Very good condition ...
CHANEL 18B Fantasy tweed grey checked sequinned wool crop jacket FR38 M
By Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel
Located in Hong Kong, NT
CHANEL 18B Fantasy tweed grey checked sequinned wool crop jacket FR38 M Reference: TGAS/E00515 Brand: Chanel Designer: Karl Lagerfeld Collection: 18B 2018/19 Pre Collection Material:...
1990s Karl Lagerfeld Black Lambskin Leather Jacket – Fred Hayman Beverly Hills
By Karl Lagerfeld
Located in Port Saint Lucie, FL
An exceptionally supple black lambskin jacket designed by Karl Lagerfeld and retailed by Fred Hayman Beverly Hills, dating to the 1990s. Fred Hayman—often called the “Godfather of Ro...
Vintage Karl Lagerfeld beaded evening jacket, 1990s
By Karl Lagerfeld
Located in New York, NY
Vintage Karl Lagerfeld beaded evening jacket from the 1990’s Collection by Karl Lagerfeld Fully lined, two pockets, hidden button placket Size – S, please refer to measurements Pi...