Last night The Feast got a first look at the Karl Lagerfeld collection for Macy’s, slated to hit 235 Macy’s stores (and Macys.com) nationwide on August 31.
The 45-piece collection has signature Karl touches: crisp white blouses with high, Lagerfeld-esque; necklines, updated tweeds and sharp pin-tucking and tailoring. In addition to the dresses, leather shorts and separates shown above, there’s also an assortment of cozy sweaters and casual bottoms. But this is Karl for Macy’s, so prices hover comfortably in the range of $50–$170.
In a release Lagerfeld said:
“To me, Macy’s is the perfect department store in the U.S. where everybody can find what they’re looking for without ruining their budget.”
Some might be shocked to learn Lagerfeld signed on to do this collaboration in the first place. Back in November 2004, he designed a capsule collection for H&M, that ended with the designer airing grievances against the Swedish fast fashion brand because they produced minimal numbers of his designs. He had this to say to the German magazine Stern:
“It was great to work with the people at H&M as we all helped each other to make it a success. But the incomprehensible decisions of the management in Stockholm have taken away any desire to do it again. They did not make the clothes in sufficient quantities. I find it embarrassing that H&M let down so many people…I don’t think that is very kind, especially for people in small towns and countries in eastern Europe. It is snobbery created by anti-snobbery.”
Lagerfeld also took issue with H&M producing his designs in larger sizes.
“What I designed was fashion for slender and slim people.”
Let’s hope this collaboration ends on a better note. [The Feast]