If idle hands are the devil's playground, Karl Lagerfeld is destined for sainthood. There's the Chanel and Fendi jobs, not to mention innumerable collaborations, photo projects, drawings, furniture designs, books, houses—OK, he's busy. But never too busy, it seems, to play with some fashion ideas. Which is where Lagerfeld Gallery comes in. Lagerfeld Gallery started out as a group of items shown at his Left Bank art gallery (hence the name), but has since evolved into a true collection.
Lagerfeld is particularly good at taking one or two big ideas and looking at them from all sides. For Fall, he played off two of the season's favorite icons: denim and black dresses. The famously slimmed-down designer clearly wanted to share his rediscovery of all things skinny. At the heart of the collection were skintight blue jeans (created for Lagerfeld by Diesel), boot-cut or as knickers and worn with teetering heels. He paired those with fitted jackets, crisp white shirts or black knit tops—perfect dressing for a woman who likes uncomplicated style that still packs a punch. When she's feeling a bit more like playing the sex kitten, Lagerfeld's customer will change into one of his satiny, figure-hugging black dresses or skirts and add a slouchy bag from another of the season's collaborators, accessories designer Matt Murphy. Simple ideas, made new and interesting—that's how Karl keeps his fashion wheels rolling.
