Karl Lagerfeld Just Might Get Sued By The Kardashians

By Jenna Sauers | December 8, 2011 | 6:30pm

Latest

Karl Lagerfeld, finding himself insufficiently occupied by running Chanel, designing for Fendi, and bringing the Magnum ice cream to America, is relaunching the namesake clothing brand he suspended a few seasons back. Karl Lagerfeld’s new Karl collection will be sold exclusively online. Here’s a brief ad to give you an idea of what we’re in for. Naturally, there are detachable leather collars, each printed with the message, “I only wear the latest thing, it’s my job.” The press materials make extensive use of the replace-a-C-with-a-K trope, touting the clothes as “ironiK, artistiK, aKcessible,” which has us a little worried that Kris Kardashian‘s krack legal team is preparing even as we speak to descend on old Karl with a cease-and-desist. [WWD]

On the topic of H&M‘s uncanny CGI models, a brand strategist thinks they’re bad for business. “To put unrelatable, uncanny, or cringe-worthy women (real or fake) in those clothes only distances women from the shopping experience and from the clothes themselves,” explains Farrah Bostic. “These uncanny valley thinspiration models are clearly a distraction from the clothes, and make it harder — not easier — to imagine yourself in them. And that, quite simply, doesn’t sell.” We would also add that H&M is doing women no favors by showing them a computer illustration of a woman’s body with drawn-on clothes: that’s about as useful an experience on which to base shopping as a paper doll. [Fox]

Most Popular

Mario “A.C. Slater” Lopez is launching an underwear collection. [WWD]

Suno just unveiled these $65 printed sneakers. They’re made in Kenya, and a portion of the proceeds goes to orphaned baby elephants and rhinos. [The Cut]

For Chanel‘s recent pre-fall show, the audience was seated at a long table. Around the table zoomed a tiny Chanel model train. [@JimShi809]

Former Vogue Paris editor Joan Juliet Buck models diamond jewelry in the new issue of WSJ. Also in the spread are gallerist Clarissa Dalrymple, architect Gisue Hariri, and Dale Larocca, a tutor for students with disabilities. [WSJ]

Women’s Wear Daily‘s Man Of The Week is Newt Gingrich. And he gets a C- for, among other things, wearing a short-sleeved dress shirt. [WWD]

This is a bicycle Gucci is selling for $14,000. [WSJ]

In this video, André Leon Talley and Oscar De La Renta tour the new exhibition they curated at the Queen Sofia Spanish Institute Museum in New York, “Joaquín Sorolla And The Glory Of Spanish Dress.” Sorolla acquired many of the garments that his subjects wore in his paintings, and Talley and De La Renta managed to track them down for the show. If you like Sorolla and live in New York, you must also visit the Hispanic Society of America museum, which has on display his extraordinary cycle inspired by Spanish regional culture, Vision of Spain. The 14 enormous paintings are mounted in one big room. Also, the HSOA has Goya‘s Portrait of the Duchess of Alba, the one where she’s written “Solo Goya” in the dust with her toe, in the hallway. And best of all, entry is free. [The Cut]

China is reportedly considering new “green taxes” that would discourage pollution. China is struggling to meet the limits on greenhouse gas emission that it set for itself as goals for 2015. The textile industry is one of the leading polluters in China, especially of rivers and lakes. [Ecouterre]
Something big happened at the Hearst offices the other night: Angelina Jolie and some of the cast of In The Land Of Blood And Honey came to a private screening in the Marie Claire offices. “You could hear a pin drop — and a thousand camera flashes — when Angelina entered the building,” reports one breathless staffer. “If it’s possible, she’s even more beautiful in person than on screen.” [DFR]
There’s a “rumor” according to “a source” that Nicole Richie is going to do something with Halston, perhaps model for the brand. [ShowbizSpy]
The deal announced yesterday between Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and J. C. Penney, both underperforming companies, already has some analysts scratching their heads. Penney’s took a minority stake in MSLO, and in return Martha Stewart will retail her various tchotchkes at J. C. Penney once her current Macy’s deal expires.
“I find the deal with Penney’s highly questionable, just looking at the math,” said Allen Questrom, the former chairman and CEO of Penney’s and earlier Federated Department Stores Inc., which became Macy’s. “Macy’s is a $26 billion company and Penney’s is an $18 billion company and Macy’s has a higher-income customer, on average $15,000 to $20,000 more than Penney’s. So she’s going to have to trade her products down with lower price points,” which, Questrom noted, could lead to a reduction in quality and sales volume once the business goes to Penney’s.
[WWD]
Liv Tyler is going to sing in a Givenchy ad. [WWD]
You’ve always wanted to see Karl Lagerfeld on a German gameshow, haven’t you? [DFR]
Janice Dickinson says that America’s Next Top Model is rigged, and that CoverGirl — “not any of the judges, not what Tyra says” — decides who wins. Dickinson hasn’t been a judge on the show since Cycle 4. [Fashionista]
The modeling agency Elite is planning to open offices in Shanghai, Beijing, and Guanzhou within the next few years. Elite just held its Elite Model Look feeder competition in China; a 15-year-old Swede named Julia Schneider won. [WWD]
Bear Grylls, the improbably named Man Vs. Wild guy, is the new face of Dockers. [WWD]
Turtlenecks back, says Times trend piece. Remember, ladies, Mitch Hedberg‘s timeless fashion advice: “Wearing a turtleneck is like being strangled by a really weak guy, all day.” [NYTimes]
Oscar De La Renta is launching a children’s collection. [WWD]
An Hermès Exceptional Collection Shiny Rouge H Porosus Crocodile 30 cm Birkin Bag with Solid 18K White Gold & Diamond Hardware sold at auction in Texas for $203,150, the highest price ever paid for a handbag at an auction. [WWD]
And now, a moment with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. HM Revenue and Customs, do you have a message for fashion brands that rely on young, unpaid interns to produce their fashion shows, or even their collections *cough* Kanye West *cough*?
“Non-payment of the national minimum wage is not an option. Our message is clear: don’t wait for us to come knocking on your door; put things right now and avoid a penalty and possible prosecution.”
[Telegraph]