Near the end of "Valentino: The Last Emperor," Karl Lagerfeld says to Valentino that if he ever retires, Karl will never, never, never forgive him. He must continue working at least another twenty-five years or more, so instructs Lagerfeld. Longtime admirers of Lagerfeld feel exactly the same way. We'll never forgive him if he ever leaves Chanel. We have no problem with him leaving Fendi or abandoning his namesake line, but Chanel is sacrosanct, and there is simply no one who can replace Lagerfeld.
Why the concern over the prospect that Lagerfeld could be departing from Chanel in the near future, you might ask? Well, Lagerfeld is 76 and no longer, as my father would say, a "spring chicken." The Cut reported on this earlier in the week and, naturally, any headline with "Karl Lagerfeld" in it is bound to catch my eye. Is life without Karl Lagerfeld at the helm of Chanel even conceivable? If not Karl, then who? Who could guard the legacy of Gabrielle Chanel as well as Lagerfeld has? I have heard the name of Alber Elbaz tossed around casually, but his replacing Karl would only create another dilemma: who could replace Elbaz as the head of Lanvin? Is it possible that we have a drought of truly talented designers, those who are trained in the art of couture?
Since Valentino departed, "yes" seems to be the obvious answer. Cathy Horyn of The New York Times spoke of this concern in "The Last Emperor." If you didn't learn the craft of couture from someone who was working in the 1920s and 1930s, you are learning it from Lagerfeld's generation. Lagerfeld's generation learned this trade, of course, from Patou, Jeanne Lanvin, Cristobal Balenciaga, Christian Dior, Chanel, et al. Thus, it is up to them to pass on this craft. But, as this group of designers continue to age, the fear is that the craft itself will die.
Karl Lagerfeld is not the only remaining septuagenarian. Giorgio Armani and Ralph Lauren are both in their seventies as well. They might be leaving the hallowed fashion runways for greener pastures at some point, too. I would be deeply saddened with the retirement of either designer (especially for poor Ralph Lauren, since most of his clientele still continue to mispronounce his last name. It's Lau-ren, folks. Not Lo-ren, as in Sophia Loren. Geesh.), but the absence of Karl Largerfeld would truly signify the end of couture and, possibly, fashion as we know it. If you thought the death of Yves Saint Laurent or the recent abdication of Valentino was devastating, imagine what would happen if someone else was charged with preserving the legacy of fashion's greatest treasure. Unfathomable.
On the bright side, I'm fairly confident that, like my beloved chihuahua, Karl Lagerfeld is immortal, and will continue to reign at Chanel for many centuries to come. He really has no other choice.
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