'Karl Lagerfeld: A Fashion History' Explores the Late Designer's Prolific Life

Marie Ottavi’s extraordinary authorized biography Karl Lagerfeld: A Fashion History offers a front-row seat to the legendary designer’s transformation, from him being a gym buff with a fondness for Slendertone ab workouts to an 18th-century dandy elder statesman.

Karl Lagerfeld is a storied figure not only in fashion history but culture at large, though his true interiority was left unknown during his lifetime. But in Ottavi's new Rizzoli-published biography of the legendary designer, the many facets of his vision and persona are unveiled through her intimate conversations with him in the two years leading up to his death in 2019.

These stories and memories from the man who fathered some of the most important moments in fashion going back to the 1950s are invaluable for those interested in the industry. With a career that took him from Chloe, Fendi, to his eponymous label, and, of course, a monumental run at Chanel, there is no one quite like Lagerfeld in fashion. And he's been given his flowers for it, both during his life and posthumously. Remember the 2023 Met Gala theme dedicated to him and his design legacy? "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty" brought in an epic roster of A-listers wearing his archival pieces, with some going as far as dressing up as his cat, Choupette.

Lagerfeld attracted a spectacular circle of friends and collaborators with names like Tom Ford, Alessandro Michele, Carine Roitfeld, and many more sprinkled throughout the book. Ottavi's one-of-a-kind biography chronicles Lagerfeld's wisdom and wit and includes details both romantic and deeply personal. Karl Lagerfeld: A Fashion History offers a look into Lagerfeld's world from behind his shades. The book will publish in hardcover on February 25, set to retail for $45 in the US.