A Look Back At Designer Karl Lagerfeld's Iconic Fashion Career In Photos

Lagerfeld was widely known for his work at Chanel, but he also led the helm at Fendi, his eponymous label, and did stints at Chloé.
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The fashion world suffered a huge loss on Tuesday when it was announced that Karl Lagerfeld died at the age of 85. The house of Chanel, of which Lagerfeld was creative director, confirmed the news.

Upon hearing of the designer’s death, members of the fashion industry reacted on social media, mourning his loss and sharing fond memories.

Lagerfeld, with his signature white ponytail and dark sunglasses, was considered one of the hardest-working people in fashion. While the designer was most widely known for his work at Chanel, he was also the creative director at Fendi and his eponymous Karl Lagerfeld label; he held all three jobs simultaneously. Lagerfeld was an accomplished fashion photographer as well and even shot a number of the campaigns for the labels he led.

Karl Lagerfeld fits one of his designs on top model Ines de la Fressange at Chloe's Paris studio in 1983.
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Karl Lagerfeld fits one of his designs on top model Ines de la Fressange at Chloe's Paris studio in 1983.

The designer was born in Hamburg, Germany. He got his first taste of fashion praise in 1954 when he won a contest organized by the International Wool Association, as noted on the Karl Lagerfeld website. The designer submitted a sketch of a coat, which ultimately caught the eye of fashion great Pierre Balmain, who offered the then-17-year-old Lagerfeld a job as his assistant.

By the 1960s, Lagerfeld was freelancing within the fashion industry, working between France, Italy, England and Germany. In 1964, he started working for Chloé, becoming the brand’s creative lead in 1974 and again in 1992. While working at Chloé, Lagerfeld also began working with Fendi, and held the position of creative director there until his death. In 1983 he was named art director at Chanel, where he stayed for 36 years until he died, and in 1984 he launched his own eponymous fashion house.

Lagerfeld photographed in front of his sketches at Chanel in 1984, the year after he was appointed as the brand's creative director.
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Lagerfeld photographed in front of his sketches at Chanel in 1984, the year after he was appointed as the brand's creative director.

Lagerfeld was a master of his craft, whose go-to black and white aesthetic was often reflected in his work. He was an outspoken character in the fashion industry who stirred controversy on a number of occasions thanks to his often outdated opinions on everything from Adele’s weight to the Me Too movement.

Throughout his career, he designed countless garments ― and epic fashion show sets ― that will go down as some of the most memorable in fashion history. From the beaded guitar dress at Chloé to the furry Karlito keychains at Fendi, and the many tweed suits and couture bridal gowns at Chanel, take a look back at the designer’s fashion legacy in photos:

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Karl Lagerfeld presents Chloé's spring-summer ready-to-wear collection In Paris, France, In October 1981.
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A model wears Lagerfeld's iconic Chloé guitar dress on the runway in 1981.
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Karl Lagerfeld fits one of his designs on top model Inès de la Fressange at Chloé's Paris studio in the '80s.
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Lagerfeld walks the runway with model Inès de la Fressange during a Chanel show in July 1987 in Paris.
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Model Emma Sojberg walks the runway at the Chanel spring/summer couture show in January 1991 in Paris.
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Model Karen Mulder walks the runway during the Chanel fall/winter 1991 couture show in Paris.
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A model walks the runway at Chloé's fall/winter 1994 show.
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Model Naomi Campbell displays a creation by Karl Lagerfeld for Chloé as part of his spring/summer ready-to-wear collection on Oct. 11, 1994, in Paris.
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Model Nadja Auermann displays a creation designed by Lagerfeld for Chanel's fall/winter 1994 show on July 19, 1994, in Paris.
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Campbell models an outfit by Lagerfeld for Fendi's ready-to-wear collection during the spring/summer 1992 fashion show in Milan.
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Model Linda Evangelista models an outfit by Lagerfeld for Fendi's ready-to-wear collection during the spring/summer 1992 fashion show in Milan.
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Top model Claudia Schiffer wears a design from the Chanel spring/summer 1991 couture collection, on Jan. 24, 1995, in Paris.
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Lagerfeld with models during Chanel's fall/winter 1995 couture show.
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A model wears the iconic Chanel bikini from the spring/summer 1996 show.
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A model wears an outfit from Lagerfeld's spring/summer 2002 ready-to-wear fashion collection for Chanel, Oct. 10, 2001, in Paris.
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A model wears a design from the Chanel fall/winter 2001 couture show.
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Models walk the runway with Lagerfeld at the Chanel spring/summer 2003 couture show on Jan. 21, 2003.
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A model walks on the catwalk as she displays an outfit from Fendi's spring/summer collection, shown in Milan on Oct. 4, 2003.
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Sudanese model Alek Wek wears a creation by Lagerfeld for Chanel as part of the spring/summer 2004 couture show in Paris, Jan. 20, 2004.
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A model walks down the catwalk during the Fendi spring/summer 2007 fashion show in Milan on Sept. 28, 2006.
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Lagerfeld walks the runway with a model during the Chanel fall/winter 2007 couture show in Paris on July 3, 2007.
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A model presents a creation during the Fendi fashion show on the Great Wall of China at Badaling, Oct. 19, 2007.
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Models walk the runway during the Fendi fashion show on the Great Wall of China at Badaling, Oct. 19, 2007.
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A model holds a bag with Lagerfeld's face on it during the Karl Lagerfeld spring/summer 2009 ready-to-wear collection show in Paris, on Oct. 1, 2008.
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A model wears a creation by Lagerfeld for Chanel during the spring/summer 2009 couture show on Jan. 27, 2009, in Paris.
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A model presents a creation from Lagerfeld's eponymous collection's fall/winter 2009 show in Paris on March 8, 2009.
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A model presents an outfit by Lagerfeld for Chanel during the label's fall/winter 2009 show in Paris on March 10, 2009.
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Lagerfeld walks the runway during the Chanel Cruise 2010 show on May 14, 2009, in Venice, Italy.
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Models wear designs by Lagerfeld for Chanel during the spring/summer 2010 haute couture collection show on Jan. 26, 2010, in Paris.
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A model walks the runway during the Fendi fall/winter womenswear show on Feb. 25, 2010, in Milan.
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Lagerfeld and models walk the runway at the Karl Lagerfeld fall/winter 2010 ready-to-wear show on March 7, 2010, in Paris.
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A model walks the runway during the Chanel fall/winter 2010 ready-to-wear collection shown in Tokyo on June 23, 2010.
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A model walks the runway during the Fendi's fall/winter 2011 show on Feb. 24, 2011, in Milan.
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A model walks the runway during the Fendi's fall/winter 2012 show on Feb. 23, 2012, in Milan.
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Model Lindsey Wixson and Lagerfeld walk the runway during the Chanel fall/winter 2012 couture show in Paris on July 3, 2012.
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A model walks with the iconic hula hoop bag at the Chanel spring/summer 2013 ready-to-wear show on Oct. 2, 2012.
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Models walk the runway at the Chanel spring/summer 2013 fashion show during Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on Jan. 22, 2013 in Paris.
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A model walks the runway during Chanel spring/summer 2014 show on Oct. 1, 2013 in Paris.
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Cara Delevingne, as the couture bride, walks the runway during the Chanel spring/summer 2014 couture show in Paris, Jan. 21, 2014.
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Lagerfeld and model Ashleigh Good acknowledge the applause of the audience after the Chanel fall/winter 2014 couture show in Paris, July 8, 2014.
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Delevingne walks the runway at the Fendi fall/winter 2014 fashion show during Milan Fashion Week on Feb. 20, 2014, in Milan.
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Delevingne and Lagerfeld walk the runway during the Chanel fall/winter 2014 show on March 4, 2014 in Paris.
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A model walks the runway at the Chanel spring/summer 2015 couture show in Paris, on Jan. 27, 2015.
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Model Kendall Jenner walks the runway during the Chanel spring/summer 2017 couture show in Paris on Jan. 24, 2017.
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Lily-Rose Depp and Lagerfeld walk the runway during the Chanel spring/summer 2017 couture show in Paris on Jan. 24, 2017.
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A model walks the runway during the Chanel spring/summer ready-to-wear collection on Oct. 2, 2019 in Paris.
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Model Luna Bijl walks the runway during the Chanel spring/summer 2019 couture show on Jan. 22, 2019, in Paris, France.
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Vittoria Ceretti walks the runway during the Chanel spring/summer 2019 couture show on Jan. 22, 2019, in Paris, France.

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