Karl Lagerfeld, the iconic creative director of Chanel, who died yesterday at the age of 85, was many things to many people. To some, he was a creative genius who made Chanel relevant again. To others, he was a problematic genius with crap views on real fur (he liked it) and plus size models (he didn’t like ’em, though it’s worth noting that he co-designed a plus size line last year, around the same time that Chanel announced it would no longer use real fur and exotic animal skins). Either way, we can all agree Karl was a proper indie kid. Wait – what?
Well, yeah. Turns out Karl Lagerfeld was the oldest indie kid since Pete’n’Carl. In 2006 he co-released a CD entitled ‘Vogue Presents Karl Lagerfeld: My Favorite Songs’, and it is well indie, mate. Looking at Karl Lagerfeld, with his stately appearance, with that shock of white hair, black blazers and leather gloves, you might imagine him pottering about the house to the ‘Imperial Death March’, but he really loved The Pipettes.
‘Vogue Presents Karl Lagerfeld: My Favorite Songs’ features LCD Soundsystem’s understated banger ‘Too Much Love’ (an eccentric choice, perhaps, but Karl was never much of a normie), Souxsie and the Banshees’ eerie post-punk classic ‘Spellbound’ and, yeah, mid-noughties’ heroes The Pipettes’ retro-pop-tastic ‘Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me’.
Gonna be honest with you: hadn’t expected Bighton indie-poppers The Pipettes’ ‘Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me’ to be one of 85-year-old fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld’s favourite songs in the history of the entire world, but perhaps that’s why I’m not a mercurial creative genius. (I am). Also gracing the album: Goldfrapp, Caribou, The Fiery Furnaces, Planningtorock, Devendra Banhart, The Boy Least Likely To and Super Furry Animals.
Here’s the full tracklist:
Disc one
Disc two
You can buy the CD on Amazon for the low, low price of £110. Or you could just stream this Spotify version someone’s knocked together.