The heavily awaited documentary of Karl Lagerfeld Mode Als Religion was just over. It's like listening to the preach of Pope you're devoted to, I'm telling you. For four full hours. And don't expect hearing something witty. Here, Karl is seriously serious. Martina Neuer, the interviewer for all the talks, is just genial.
Well, maybe a bit joke here and there.
The feeling was like watching the last part of Harry Potter movie, that you knew you're about to see something magical, I was so amazed that it's going to be a very long interesting documentary, and I forgot to record or take a note of everything, so I was lost of few initial points. But then I was awaken, and everything was noted.
With a lot of things to hear and to see, here is the resume I made with German beginner-level:
The documentary consists of no less than twelve parts (I skipped a few before the following).
I. Die Zeremonie (The Ceremony)
What's involved in and around haute couture. the meaning, the preparation, the people involved in it.
Here is revealed one thing I've been researching forever, another super secret clients' identity. Patricia Rossignol.
She opens up her fabulous wardrobe full of couture clothes (two! one is just for Chanel, and one is from other designers), accompanied by her stylist John William Barger III, who looks like young John Galliano, whom I first saw at Oscar Carvallo couture show last year. She is overlooking her collection, discussing what she's going to wear for a society dinner (later she decides to wear a Chanel couture dress shown in January 2012, the air plane collection. SHE. LOOKS. DIVINE). I will write another post about Patricia as couture client, specialised for this particular topic. I learnt a lot from her.
II. Die Engel (The Angels)
Karl's muses, his angels, and his ability of finding the next top models; Claudia Schiffer (also as one of the speaker during the documentary), Nadja Auermann, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Saskia de Braw.
Martina: "(What do you think about) Nadja?"
Karl:"With Claudia is the German's proudest model"
Martina:"Claudia?"
Karl:"With Nadja is the German's proudest model"
Martina:"Kaiser Karl?"
Karl:"I don't know what you're talking about"
And here you'll hear Kate Moss' first show and how she handles pre-walk nerves.
III. Meister Gerhard
Gerhard Steidl, an expert of printing and publisher, is the main point of this chapter. His tremendous work of printing and his deep involvement in both printing and curating the photos for Little Black Jacket exhibition are all unveiled. And Brad and Hudson Koenig show up! I never knew that Hudson is very close to Karl. I think he is the only 4-year-old boy who can (and is allowed to) scream loudly in front of Karl.
IV. Die Glorifizierung (The Glorification)
Karl is talking about the image of Chanel and his position in building it; the advertising, the photography ("I hate photography with humor"), Babtiste Giabiconi, Choupette (whom Karl refers her as a star, having two maids for each day and night time, getting shot three times, for Vogue Germany with Linda Evangelista (we all agree that the main star of that cover is not Linda, don't we?) and W Magazine.
V. Die Wallfahrt (The Pilgrimage)
The couture show, the highest echelon of fashion, is bluntly discussed, including the number of guests invited to the show. There is also a very interesting (and crazy) story. VOX has involved a buyer of a boutique in Düsseldorf, named Marcel Bisigio, who's like everybody else, his dream is to attend the couture show. They send him to a couture show without invitation, and challenge him to get himself in, pursuing most influential people in fashion from couture clients to Suzy Menkes (who couldn't help) to bring him along. Oh you gotta watch it to see the end. I will not spoil the ending.
VI. Die Ikone (The Icon)
Ines de la Fressange, long-time muse and friend of Karl, is about to attend a Chanel show (the globe show), and on the way to she show in the car, she tells all what she's wearing (HM spotted!).
After the show, Ines expresses how she loves the show, since there were so many marine blue which she loves appeared on runway.
"It's good, but you will find it in HM or so", says Karl. Then Ines shows him the t-shirt she's wearing, telling Karl that it's HM, worn beneath Chanel cardigan and necklaces.
VII. Die Bibel (The Bibel)
Many people say that the relationship of Karl and Vogue people are extremely close, and I believe, that no Vogue people is as close as Christiane Arp, the editor in chief of Vogue Germany. "The magazine, the Vogue, The Bible, The Vogue". Couldn't agree more, Christiane.
Here you can see that Vogue Germany is waaaayyy far from the paradigm of Vogue as cold and authoritarian place . Christiane says, "I listen to my team. When someone says, 'Oh, this should be in', but I don't think so, sometimes I put it in eventually. Here is very democratic". So when you ask for opinion, you better listen and sometimes follow it. More or less like that.
VIII. Die Feld-Studie (The Field Study)
It's been an unsolved mystery how people like Karl can be so creative. Here, he reveals his experience in working at Jean Patou ("in technique it's better than Balmain")
"People should not analyse. People should not ask 'why'". I think maybe it's like Nike. Just do it.
Here you also will see Christiane Arp does photo-shooting with Karl in Hamburg during winter time (where neither Karl nor Christiane was born in--They were born in Schleswig-Holstein and Niedersachsen respectively, but both spent many years in that ubercool city). I never knew that Christiane sometimes styles the models herself, putting on belts and adjusting jackets. Spoiler: Christiane doesn't afraid to embrace Nike sport shoes. I suppose it's more comfy than Manolo strappy sandals.
IX. Mutter Oberin (The Matron)
All you need to know about the preparation of the infamous Chanel resort show in Singapore. Virginia Ward has a lot of roles to play there.
X. Das Paradies (The Paradise)
And recalling that it's a German documentary, done by German channel, you can expect thoroughness. As the title is Mode Als Religion, Fashion As Religion, VOX did some research of finding connection between fashion and religion; the strong devotion. Here VOX team brilliantly comes up with idea of CT scan of a pastor and Marcel Bisigio, a buyer and blogger. The juxtaposition of the neuroimaging of both persons is eye-opening.
XI. Die Hölle (The Hell)
Karl and Suzy Menkes are talking about the dark side of fashion world, the tragedy. And an inevitable topic of the death of Alexander McQueen and John Galliano's anti-Semitism scandal.
XII. Karls Glaube (Karl's Belief)
What is Karl's religion? And what does he believe?
Oh and A LOT MORE. The first Karl Lagerfeld shop development. The man behind the heart-throbbing music of every Chanel show, what Karl thinks about exclusivity ("Alles ist Quatsch!"), Karl's addiction of taking pictures with his iPhone (hello, Choupette!). It needs a whole dedicated blog if you want to write everything about it.
Signorfandi, wir bedanken uns, Kaiser!