The walls of the Grand Palais were framed with 56 towering portraits of Lagerfeld photographed throughout his life by some of the most famed photographers. Two Steinway pianos, three giant LED screens and a center main stage for speakers and performances decorated the exhibition space, all tied together by touches of black, white and red, Lagerfeld’s favorite colors.
Christine Yeh with Marchon Eyewear’s Thomas Burkhardt and Nicola Zotta
A film homage with documentary footage of Lagerfeld throughout his life with testimonials from influential people in his career and those close to him were interspersed with live performances inspired by the designer’s love for literature, music and the performing arts. The range of performers included recording artist Pharrell Williams, celebrated pianist Lang Lang (playing Chopin on the grand piano designed by Karl Lagerfeld for the 150th anniversary of Steinway), violinist Charlie Siem, Jookin dancer Lil Buck and Argentinian choreographer German Cornejo, accompanied by his troupe of 17 tango dancers and his seven-piece orchestra from Buenos Aires. Actresses Tilda Swinton, Fanny Ardant, Cara Delevingne and Helen Mirren—all friends of Lagerfeld, recited and read excerpts from works from his favorite authors such as Virginia Woolf, Stephane Mallarme, Colette and Edith Sitwell. Designed, directed and staged by Robert Carsen, the tribute was a moving reflection of the designer’s multifaceted life—a spectacular exhibition for the 2,500 guests including VIPs such as Anna Wintour, Ralph Lauren, Valentino Garavani, Tommy Hilfiger, Gigi Hadid, Stella McCartney and first lady of France Brigitte Macron.
As guests of Marchon Eyewear and Karl Lagerfeld Eyewear, 20/20 is honored to have attended this iconic celebration of Lagerfeld’s legacy. While all the performances struck a chord, one particular instance that stood out the most to me from the film was during a candid moment when Lagerfeld was shown reading a document and caught himself without his trademark sunglasses on. He immediately put them on in a slight panic and said, “I’m reading without my glasses. I don’t want to be filmed without my glasses.” This is who Karl Lagerfeld is—an intriguing, mysterious and sometimes irreverent personality who may “hide” behind his glasses but opened the world’s eyes to his remarkable passion and creativity in fashion and beyond.
–Christine Yeh
