After a fashion
‘Where’s Karl?’ is a stylish spoof on the ‘Where’s Waldo?’ books
Between his global superstar status and signature powder white ponytail, fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld stands out in a crowd.
“Where’s Karl?,” a cheeky book out Tuesday, plays with that idea by copycatting the wildly popular “Where’s Waldo?” kids’ book series about the plucky bespectacled world traveler who always wears red-and-white.
This knockoff subtitled “A Fashion-Forward Parody” challenges readers to find the style czar of Chanel and Fendi fame, who’s dressed, as ever, in a black suit, fingerless gloves and sunglasses and hidden in deliciously detailed fashioncentric illustrations of different cities around the globe.
“The inspiration for the book came about two years ago,” says Ajiri A. Aki, 35, a fashion video producer from Texas based in Paris, who co-wrote the book with friend Stacey Caldwell, 34. “Stacey and I met in a cafe in the Marais in Paris and were talking about Karl. We don’t know him personally but we think he’s wonderful.”
They’re not alone. Caldwell, an exec for American fashion designer Thakoon, recalls how she’d frequently spot ecstatic fans approach the 82-year-old fashion Pope, as though they were gifted with a special sight.
“They’d be so excited to see Karl,” says Aki. “And the same thing would happen every two minutes. We thought, ‘Forget “Where’s Waldo?,” Where’s Karl?’ Fashion can be quite serious. We wanted to approach the industry from a fun angle.”
The book follows fictional style blogger Florence de la Sabine, aka Fleur, as she tails the style lord, along with his entourage that includes muses Keira Knightley, Diane Kruger and his cat Choupette, plus the international and entertainment fashion set (like Anna Wintour and designers Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen) through 15 cities and fashion-centric scenes.
Each scene was drawn from countless reference photos the co-authors shared on Pinterest boards with illustrator Michelle Baron. Drawings blend fact, fiction and fashion.
At the Met Gala in New York, Tina Fey gets a piggy-back ride from fellow “30 Rock”-er Alec Baldwin. Meanwhile, Barack Obama dances while disguised as Michael Jackson. Anderson Cooper, Jimmy Fallon and Andy Cohen do that thing they do — tape interviews.
In Tulum, the hot winter escape on the Caribbean coast of Mexico, Beyoncé and daughter Blue Ivy chill with Solange Knowles, Miley Cyrus flies a kite, Cameron Diaz boogie boards and Michael Kors juggles. “Michael is a businessman who keeps all the balls in the air,” says Aki. “As with everyone, we wanted his illustration to capture his essence.”
Like they did with the always “Happy” Pharrell Williams, who paints at a fab Fendi party in the book’s Milan spread. He’s in good company. Jeremy Scott appears to serve Rihanna McDonald’s and Sean “Diddy” Combs steps out of a black car.
At the Chanel show in Paris, Fleur notes, Kendall Jenner “is walking again and stealing the scene from Kris, Kimye, and North....”
Checklists in the book guide readers to who’s in each picture. But you’ll get no help on spotting Lord Lagerfeld. “We moved him around as much as possible,” says Aki. “We didn’t want to be in the same location on the page or doing the same thing. Part of the fun is the searching for him.”
The writers don’t know the answer to another relevant question: What does Karl think of the book? “We sent it out,” says Aki. “We haven’t heard his official response.”
“Where’s Karl?” (Potter Style; $15.99) is on sale Tuesday.