Rebirth of the Fashion King

In Karl Lagerfeld's private apartment.

Anna Wintour was already seated on the sofa, with Karl Lagerfeld opposite her.

In reality, Karl Lagerfeld and Anna Wintour's friendship spanned nearly half a century. The two were top-tier fashion buddies who were both mentors and friends and shared a common career.

Their friendship began in the 1970s and lasted for nearly 50 years.

This is not an ordinary social friendship within the industry; it is a close friendship based on mutual endorsement of industry power, a high degree of spiritual compatibility, and a gentle yet steadfast bond in private. Both are extremely self-disciplined, forward-thinking, and fashion dictators who live within their own rules. They are always calm and assertive in public, but only reveal their relaxed and private side to each other.

Their close friendship began in the 70s when Anna was an editor at Vogue.

At that time, Karl Lagerfeld had just taken over Chanel and was making sweeping changes to the old brand style, which drew constant criticism from the industry.

Anna had already demonstrated a strong voice in the industry at that time, and was one of the top media figures who were among the first to firmly support Karl Lagerfeld's redesign of Chanel.

Unlike other editors who only chase after trending items, Anna Wintour understood Karl Lagerfeld's vision of making haute couture into everyday wear for modern women. She continued to feature Chanel collections prominently in American Vogue, helping Karl solidify his position in the revamped Chanel brand.

Moreover, Anna Wintour was Karl's most loyal and influential media supporter throughout his life: for decades, at top occasions such as the Met Gala, White House dinners, and royal awards ceremonies, Anna Wintour almost exclusively wore custom-made Chanel haute couture gowns by Karl, many of which were designed specifically for her, making her a walking embodiment of the top luxury brand GG.

Karl Lagerfeld, on the other hand, always prioritized Vogue's photo shoot invitations, personally directing the shots, providing exclusive collections, reserving prime seats in the front row of shows, and giving Anna Wintour absolute industry respect.

The two joined forces and laid the foundation for the top-level rules of the European and American fashion industry for the next thirty years.

The two also established rules that would remain unchanged for decades.

Every season on the first Sunday of Paris Fashion Week, they have a private dinner, usually just the two of them. The dinner has an ironclad rule: never talk about work, fashion, or brands, only about literature, history, art, tennis, travel, and personal life, completely detached from the utilitarian atmosphere of the fashion industry.

Anna Wintour later recalled that the time she spent chatting at the dinner table with Karl Lagerfeld was the luckiest and most healing moment of her editorial career.

……

"First of all, I have something very interesting to tell you: Rhine is preparing for next year's ready-to-wear show."

Anna stopped taking off her sunglasses.

Her hand froze in mid-air for a moment, then she took off her sunglasses completely, folded them, and placed them on the coffee table.

Say it again.

"He's preparing for next year's ready-to-wear show, Chanel's."

"Fall/Winter 2010?"

"Yes, in September."

"Oh my god, but you should know this isn't normal."

Anna looked at him.

The two have known each other for over thirty years.

Anna Wintour has been sitting in the front row at Chanel shows since the 1980s.

  Remember us, 101kanshu.com

She had witnessed Karl Lagerfeld's most glorious moments, and she had also seen him sweep everything around him to the ground before the show started because the cuff of a jacket was not right.

Do you think he can do it well?

"It's not a question of whether I can do it well or not; he's already told me that he has to do it."

"You agree."

"I have no objection."

Anna Wintour understood what this meant.

The absence of objection is an expression of agreement. When Karl said it, "no objection" was a more solemn statement than "agreement."

"When did he start wanting to have a big fashion show?" she asked.

"This year, I don't know the exact time."

"There's less than a year until next year's big show."

"There are still almost ten months left, which should be enough for him."

"That's enough for you. You put on a big show in just two months."

"That's not the same thing," Karl Lagerfeld said, shaking his head.

"That time it was an emergency, this time it's creation. He wants a complete collection, from design concept to individual pieces to accessories, and he wants to handle every single one himself."

"They have big ambitions."

"A person without ambition will not stay at Chanel, nor will they appear by my side."

……

The 5th arrondissement of Paris.

Liu Xiaoli came out of the kitchen with a cup of coffee and saw Liu Yifei standing in front of the full-length mirror in the living room, already changing into her third outfit.

A Dior floral dress lay on the sofa, a beige knitted cardigan was draped over the back of the chair, and a pair of dark blue jeans and a striped T-shirt were spread out next to the coffee table.

Liu Yifei herself was wearing a light gray silk shirt, looking at herself in the mirror from the side, her brows furrowed, clearly dissatisfied.

Liu Xiaoli leaned against the door frame and took a sip of coffee.

What are you doing?

"Change your clothes." Liu Yifei didn't even turn her head and started unbuttoning her shirt.

"I can tell you're changing clothes," Liu Xiaoli said, her tone puzzled.

"I'm asking why you're changing so many clothes, and where are you going?"

Liu Yifei paused for a moment, then took off her silk shirt, folded it, and placed it on the sofa armrest. She then turned and went to the dressing room to pick out a printed short-sleeved dress.

"Let's go to Café de Flore."

Liu Xiaoli thought she had misheard: "Where?"

"Café de Flore." Liu Yifei held the dress up against herself. "Café de Flore, over on Boulevard Saint-Germain."

"I know where the Café de Flore is." Liu Xiaoli put down her coffee cup, walked to the sofa, moved the pile of clothes aside, and sat down.

"You got up early this morning and changed four outfits just to go get a cup of coffee?"

"The fifth outfit." Liu Yifei corrected her, then went into the dressing room. When she came out, she had changed into the printed short-sleeved dress and was carrying a pair of flat ballet flats.

"How about this one?"

Liu Xiaoli looked it over. It was so simple that it had almost no design. It was very plain, but in Paris at this time, this simplicity seemed just right than any complicated style.

"It looks good," Liu Xiaoli said honestly, "but Xixi, you haven't answered my question yet."

Liu Yifei sat on a low stool in the entryway, changing her shoes slowly, as if she was delaying her answer.

"Just going to get a cup of coffee."

"You usually wear jeans when you go out for coffee."

"I want to dress up nicely today."

"Why?"

Liu Yifei put on her left shoe and started putting on her right shoe.

"He said he goes there every Wednesday afternoon when he has time." Her voice was very soft, as if she were talking to herself.

"If I run into him today, it means... it means we're very destined to meet."

Liu Xiaoli remained silent for three seconds.

"So you're going to try your luck."

"Um."

"What if he's not here?"

Liu Yifei stood up, took her shoulder bag from the hook in the entryway, slung it over her shoulder, and turned to look at her mother.

"If he's not here, he's not here. I need to find a place to read too."

"Do you know how many cafes there are in Paris?" Liu Xiaoli asked with a smile.

"Know."

"Do you know how many reasons a Chanel designer might not show up at Café de Flore on a Wednesday afternoon?"

"Know."

"Are you still going?"

Liu Yifei stood at the door, remained quiet for a moment, and then said three words.

"Yes, I'm going."