Karl Lagerfeld’s Fashions For Macy’s

He’s gone high-end with Chanel and low-end with H&M, but can Karl Lagerfeld produce a fashion collection that appeals to middle Americans? We’ll find out August 31.

SAVE ON CHIC | It’s kind of funny to think that Karl Lagerfeld, one of the most influential fashion designers in modern history, the face of Chanel, a man defined by his elitism and snobbery, most likely invented diffusion fashion—clothing lines by top fashion designers for inexpensive off-the-rack shops. Lagerfeld’s groundbreaking 2004 collection for low-end fashion house H&M, every piece of which sold out worldwide in under 60 minutes, unleashed an army of copycat courtiers itching to collaborate with mass-market retailers on low-cost apparel lines, starting a trend that continues unabated.

Dressing Middle America

With his latest collab- oration, a 45-piece capsule collection for Macy’s, America’s favourite mainstream department store, Lagerfeld takes on the challenge of dressing Middle America. If the fashion photos are any kind of predictor, it looks like both Lagerfeld and Macy’s have a winner on their hands.

The Lagerfeld/ Macy’s collabo scores particularly well on two levels: price point ($50 to $170) and range: there’s something pretty and interesting for almost any occasion, from tailored dresses for work and fancier ones for evening, to faux leather pants and tees (with Lagerfeld’s face on the front) for hanging out. While fashion pundits suggest that the collection is more “Karl than Chanel” overall (think crisp white high-collared shirts—the one above is $99—and tailored black jackets), it definitely has a few Chanel moments, like the elegant black dress seen here, which is $124 (the pink blush dress is $99). CLICK HERE to see the complete collection up close on Fabsugar. —Annabel Lee

Karl Lagerfeld’s collection for Macy’s will be available online and in 235 stores on August 31. Check www.macys.com for details.

Photos: courtesy Macy’s