Lagerfeld Confidential

Director Rodolphe Marconi follows celebrated fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld on his many travels, witnessing his lifestyle, his spirit, his thoughts on fashion and success, and of course the birth of his creations. Lagerfeld gradually feels free in his presence, and even accepts being filmed without his characteristic shades: a proof of trust, a literal “denouement” of the man behind the artist.

The film opens showing the designer’s house in Paris, and how he likes to collect a large number of the same item: rings, shirt collars, iPods.
Although normally collections are a praise of the past, for Lagerfeld it’s a way to have what he needs handy at any moment, because that same object might have no value in the future.
He follows a “carpe diem” policy on his life; a traditionally lay thought, deriving from Lagerfeld’s unusually liberal education: his mother is a hovering ghost whose free-thinking, free-loving nature inspired the designer to much of his creativity.
This also explains Lagerfeld’s extreme optimism towards the future and anti-nostalgia attitude: he finds his utmost realisation in the frenzy of designing new, fresh creations.
When he says that  “success annihilates”, it’s not for a moralistic reason: what he fears is immobility, the lack of change in time.
He is incredibly at ease in a world of ephemeral elements, which means both clothes and… partners. He loves to take pictures of his own models because he wants to be the one who freezes the moment, not to mourn its unrepeatable passing, but to celebrate its mere existence.
One might think, is there an “other side of the coin” to his lavish lifestyle?
And, is it mirrored by the fact that he never forged long-lasting commitments with anyone?
The designer refuses this tragic vision: “Now don’t start with those things about loneliness! Loneliness is a victory to me!”, he jokes.
Despite Lagerfeld insisting :  -  that his innermost personality remains unknown, this documentary is exhaustive and gives a complete picture of an extraordinary man. 


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