Legendary fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld almost upstaged his Chanel haute couture show Tuesday when he turned up sporting a wispy white beard.
The first radical change in the Kaiser’s image in nearly two decades, since he shed 41kg to squeeze into Hedi Slimane’s skinny black jeans, set tongues wagging.
Much to the horror of many style watchers, the 84-year-old designer wore his beard rather unkempt, with Harper’s Bazaar saying it made him look “surprisingly (intentionally, we’re sure) scruffy”.
Social media were typically crueller. “Karl Lagerfeld growing out his beard. He looks like goth Santa Claus,” one person commented on Twitter.
Most thought it was very definitely a fashion faux pas.
Lagerfeld first appeared with the growth at the Dior men’s show on Saturday but many assumed he had not had time to shave amid the frantic preparations for the Chanel show, traditionally the highlight of the week.
But when he turned up with it again Tuesday it was clear it was there to stay.
“It makes him look old,” another Twitter user said of the octogenarian who is frequently accused of lying about his age.
While the reaction among fashionistas has been less than overwhelming, Lagerfeld’s friend, legendary Vogue critic Suzy Menkes, jumped to his defence.
“So Karl has an exciting new facial accessory. But TRAGICALLY I cannot copy it,” she wrote on Instagram.
Highly groomed beards have become a vintage and street style trend in recent years, but the untrimmed look is rarer.
There was nothing shabby about Lagerfeld’s uber-girly and very pink collection, however, which pushed pretty until it squeaked.
Lagerfeld took the label’s founder Coco Chanel’s classic silhouettes and turned the femininity dial up to sugar plum fairy levels.
