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.
KARL LAGERFELD vintage matte gold plated poured glass designer clip on earrings
By Karl Lagerfeld
Located in Palos Hills, IL
DETAILS • signed KARL LAGERFELD • gold plated with poured glass • vintage designer earrings MEASUREMENTS • CONDITION • very good vintage condition with minimal signs of wear...
Vintage modernist gold lucite designer runway clip on earrings
Located in Palos Hills, IL
DETAILS • unsigned • gold tone with lucite • vintage designer runway earrings MEASUREMENTS • CONDITION • excellent vintage condition with minimal signs of wear ❤️❤️ VINTAGE DESIGNER JEWELRY...
Vintage TRIFARI signed gold tone glass designer clip on earrings
By Trifari
Located in Palos Hills, IL
DETAILS • signed TRIFARI • gold tone with glass • vintage designer earrings MEASUREMENTS • CONDITION • very good vintage condition with minimal signs of wear Sku 47 ❤️...
KENNETH LANE signed vintage gold lucite designer clip on earrings
By Kenneth Lane
Located in Palos Hills, IL
DETAILS • signed KENNETH LANE • gold tone with lucite • vintage designer earrings MEASUREMENTS • CONDITION • very good vintage condition with minimal signs of wear Sku...
Vintage KENNETH LANE gold glass designer runway clip on earrings
By Kenneth Lane
Located in Palos Hills, IL
DETAILS • signed KENNETH LANE • gold tone with glass • vintage designer runway earrings MEASUREMENTS • 1" by 0.88" CONDITION • excellent vintage condition with minimal signs o...
Vintage gold silver modernist designer clip on earrings
Located in Palos Hills, IL
DETAILS • unsigned • gold and silver tone • vintage designer earrings MEASUREMENTS • 1 1/8" by 1 1/8" CONDITION • very good vintage condition with minimal signs of wear ...
Gold
Karl Lagerfeld Earrings Charm Square Enameled Clip on
By Karl Lagerfeld
Located in Wallkill, NY
Purchased and stored away till now, vintage 1980s Lagerfeld Square Purple and green enameled earrings. Still on earring card. Measuring 1.11 in square. Necklace, Earrings, charm Brac...
Gilt Metal, Enamel
Alex Jona 18 Karat Yellow Gold Square Stud Earrings
By Alex Jona
Located in Lugano, TI
Alex Jona design collection, hand crafted in Italy, 18 karat yellow gold square stud earrings. Alex Jona jewels stand out, not only for their special design and for the excellent qu...
18k Gold, Yellow Gold
Kenneth Jay Lane Gold Jeweled Square Button Clip on Earrings, KJL, Contemporary
By Kenneth Jay Lane
Located in Milford, DE
A pair of clip on earrings by Kenneth Jay Lane. Each gold-plated earring is painted in coral orange enamel, and decorated with colorful crystals. Crystals: Aquamarine, peridot, rose...
Crystal, 22k Gold, Gold Plate, Yellow Gold
Jean Mahie Paris Artistic Vintage Squared Clips Earrings in Textured 22Kt Yellow
By Jean Mahie
Located in Miami, FL
Textured earrings designed by Jean Mahie. A beautiful pieces of art, created in Paris France by the artist and goldsmith Jean Mahie, back in the late 1980's. These pair of sculptural ear-clips earrings has been crafted in solid rich yellow gold of 22 karats and finished with highly textured and hammered patterns. Suited at the reverse with comfortable hinged French omega backs for fastening clips and the option of adding posts for pierced ears can be easily done. Weight: 12.45 grams (7.98 Dwt). Measurements: 26 mm by 26 mm (1.02 x 1.02 Inches). Hallmarks: Both are tamped in the obverse, with the maker's mark, the mark for the assay of the gold and signed, "JM 22KT.". Jean Mahie, is the result of a wonderfully symbiotic and fruitful partnership between Jacline Mazard and her father-in-law Jean-Marie Mazard. They first began combining their artistic talents in 1969, working from a studio in Mouans-Sartoux in the South of France, and launched their jewellery line the following year. Neither was formally trained and both preferred to work with 22ct gold in order to realise their unique style that embodied primitive form, motifs and techniques. Everything they made was entirely hand crafted with Jacline often drawing inspiration from her memories of growing up near the ancient ruins of Carthage in Tunisia. Their bold, imaginative, exotic pieces in richly hued yellow gold fitted perfectly with the bohemian fashions...
Gold, 22k Gold, Yellow Gold
Vintage Gold Tone Clip-On Square Dangling Earrings, Circa 1980s
Located in New York, NY
Vintage Gold Tone Square Dangling Earrings Circa 1980s. These are always classic earrings that look great and elevate an outfit to the next le...
Mixed Metal
Yves Sain Laurent 1990s Gold & Rhinestone Large Square Earrings
By Yves Saint Laurent
Located in New York, NY
Add a touch of timeless elegance with these exquisite 1990s Yves Saint Laurent clip-on earrings. Featuring a bold cross design in gold-plated metal, each earring is adorned with emer...
Crystal, Gold Plate
