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Karl Lagerfeld has passed away at the age of 85, multiple outlets report. The iconic fashion designer was the creative director for Chanel and Fendi.
News of his death comes one month after Lagerfeld was missing from Chanel’s Paris Fashion Week shows. While celebs Kristen Stewart, Tessa Thompson, Tilda Swinton, Marion Cotillard, Pharrell Williams and Sofia Coppola were all in attendance at the presentation, Lagerfeld was nowhere to be found when it came time for his final bow.
According to the fashion house, Lagerfeld was “feeling tired” and asked Virginie Viard to step in for him.
“CHANEL presented its Spring-Summer 2019 Haute Couture collection this morning at the Grand Palais, in a Mediterranean garden setting,” Chanel told E! News in a statement in January. “The collection, designed by Karl Lagerfeld, is inspired by his favorite period, the eighteenth century.”
“For the traditional greeting at the end of the show, Mr Lagerfeld, Artistic Director of CHANEL, who was feeling tired, asked Virginie Viard, Director of the Creative Studio of the House, to represent him and greet the guests alongside the bride,” the statement continued. “Virginie Viard as Creative Studio Director and Eric Pfrunder as CHANEL’s Director of Image continue to work with him and follow through with the brand’s collections and image campaigns.”
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Diane Kruger was among the stars to post a tribute to Lagerfeld on Tuesday morning.
“Karl…..I cannot tell you how much you meant to me and how much I will miss you,” she wrote on Instagram. “I will never forget your kindness towards me, your laughs, your imagination ♥️ I came to France to see you this week and introduce you to my daughter…I’m heartbroken I was too late ♥️ Rest In Peace, I adore you.”