EDITOR’S LETTER
I ONLY MET KARL LAGERFELD ONCE. It was fleeting. He had just shown his spring 2011 couture collection for Chanel and I’d joined the throng of fashion media and VIP guests jostling to congratulate him on another extraordinary presentation. The most sanctified of fashion seasons, haute couture, traditionally elevates design well beyond the reach of the street. Lagerfeld, however, had worked with the master craftspeople of his ateliers to team his neat tweed suits and beaded confections with jeans. Skinny jeans. In the palest pastels and rock-ready sequins. And then he added flats. A consummate rule breaker, he knew that to move fashion forward, you had to first give it a shake-up.
As I write this on my way to Paris to view his final collection for the house, the moments I vividly remember reaffirm the vision that marked a near 65-year career (54 of those spent at Fendi, 36 at Chanel) led by an insatiable curiosity for life. There was the time he transformed Paris’s Grand Palais into a mega market for Chanel’s AW14 show, the customlabelled merchandise that lined the shelves setting off a frenzied re-enactment of Supermarket Sweep among well-shod guests. There was the launch of The Little
Black Jacket exhibition and book, which I was lucky enough to attend years ago in Tokyo, showcasing the house classic worn by his most devoted (and high profile) friends – all painstakingly directed, photographed and curated by Lagerfeld himself. Or 2017’s rocket ship show that literally saw fashion propelled into the future. Because that’s what Karl did, invent the future. Whether you agreed with him or not, whether you appreciate his clothes or not, he was a true visionary in every sense. We will miss the humour, joy and imagination he brought to fashion and watch eagerly as Virginie Viard, his long-time collaborator, continues the legacy at Chanel.
Vision, the kind that sees ordinary people like you and me achieve great things, is at the core of the issue this month. Reading about the game-changers who are smashing the STEM industries (p66), disciplines that haven’t always been kind or welcoming to women, it occurred to me, as it probably will you, that to have an idea, to believe in it wholeheartedly, and to work hard in order to bring that dream to reality is within all of our grasps. What’s not, perhaps, within our reach (let’s be honest), is the kind of fame our cover star Emilia Clarke has experienced thanks almost single-handedly to her leading role on a little series you may have heard of called Game Of
Thrones. As we prepare for the imminent arrival of the eighth and final season of the phenomenally successful HBO series, Clarke talks about the incredible ride she’s been on for the last seven years and how being honest and open about her own weaknesses and difficulties has given her a platform that will only grow as she moves into championing strong female roles on the big screen.
For travel inspiration set to spark the idealist within, there’s our guide to three out-of-the-way destinations you may not have considered but are sure to love (p160). And Megan Ziems, a visionary in her own home, walks us through how she brought the adventurous plans for her beautiful Palm Beach home on the Gold Coast to life (anyone who can tackle a knock-down-rebuild has my undying respect). All this is in addition to our edit of the most covetable accessories of the season. We’ve done the hard yards for you so all that’s left to do is decide how your style is going to evolve this year. Will it be a belt bag that’s going to transform almost everything you own? Or a pair of platforms that will give you a welcome boost? Whatever your inclination, make sure you read Grace O’neill’s piece on the circulation fashion movement that’s set to revolutionise the way you shop (p52). Because, remember, the future is yours to create.
@GENEVRA_LEEK