Fashion, book, movie and music addicts!

Unless you had been living in a cave somewhere for the past 10 years, the names Karl Lagerfeld and Yves St. Laurent are undoubtedly not unfamiliar. They are arguably two of the most influential names in fashion, notwithstanding the fact the Yves St. Laurent, has been retired since 2002 and has recently passed away. They are also the centerpiece of one of the most fascinating books I’ve had the pleasure of reading in recent memory.

The Beautiful Fall (Fashion, Genius and Glorious Excess in 1970s Paris) by Alicia Drake paints in vivid and rich details the respective careers of Lagerfeld and St. Laurent from their auspicious beginnings, to their full blown unrelenting rivalry against the backdrop of 70s Paris until the emergence of Lagerfeld at the head of Chanel. In the hands of Drake, we also read about Paris almost as the third central character, as it emerged from the restrained post war years mood to a more exuberant, even reckless mood. There is no shortage of controversial details in the book. But such controversial facts never distract from what is clearly a well researched portrait of two figures who couldn’t be more different from the other. Drake paints in careful brushstrokes the heady parties, the excessive relationships and the simmering jealousies that surrounded Lagerfeld and St. Laurent and you come away with a sense of being immersed in a completely different world, one that is normally off limits to mortals like you and I. Equally intriguing are the stories behind seemingly well known facts about various famous personages. Just one example would be what we learn about Pierre Bergé who emerges as a much more sympathetic figure. This book contains a list of veritable who’s who in the fashion world. Unfortunately, the picture Drake paints is not always the most flattering especially for the main protagonists, which could be why Lagerfeld sued to prevent the publication of the book! Luckily for us, he lost the case.

But more than just being a gossipy book, this is a must for fashionistas as it tells the story of the immense leaps and bounds fashion took in the hands of St. Laurent and Lagerfeld. Women now take for granted the ease of the trouser suit but this was a highly daring and innovative move when St. Laurent first debuted the “le smoking” in the late 60s. Nor should we underestimate how Lagerfeld changed the way people viewed fashion by nimbly adapting trends even before people knew what they wanted. More importantly, he was the first to realize the almost global impact that fashion could have. As a master of endless reinvention, Lagerfeld is the best and Madonna is not fit to holds candle to him.