Karl Lagerfeld has been honoured in the most moving way in Paris
After Karl Lagerfeld passed away last February at the age of 85, he was honoured at his last shows during fashion month: Fendi in Milan, and Chanel in Paris.
But last night was the first time all his fashion houses came together to pay tribute to the late designer. Fendi, Chanel and his eponymous label joined forces in Paris for a 90-minute 'Karl For Ever' memorial.
Karl, who famously hated funerals ('I'd rather die,' he famously quoted), was cremated in private, so this was the opportunity for those who loved him to say farewell to him.
The event was aptly held at the Grand Palais, which Karl regularly transformed into wonderful creations for his shows, from winter wonderlands to enchanted forests and an airport.
Famous guests such as French First Lady Brigitte Macron, the royal family of Monaco, Gigi Hadid and Claudia Schiffer sat on black and white seats surrounded by black and white portraits of the designer, spanning his lifetime. A monochrome nod to Karl's favourite colours.
Tilda Swinton, Helen Mirren and Cara Delevingne delivered readings, whilst Pharrell and concert pianist Lang Lang performed.
Then came an on-screen homage from famous figures, from Maria Grazia Chiuri to Baz Luhrmann, and even included a cameo from Karl's beloved cat, Choupette. The video included words by Lagerfeld himself, with the help of edited clips from archive interviews.
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A moving tribute about the man and his creative genius.
Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.
Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).
Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.
However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.
Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.
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