“When you look at the Chanel logo, it talks to you. That’s why people buy Chanel: not because of my perfect, impeccable design but because Chanel talks to people. I enjoy going to my current wardrobe and feeling the fabric, the seams, the logo of the pants and shirts and collars. I enjoy licking my sunglasses. I enjoy eating the old ties I do not need anymore. No calories.” – Fake Karl
If you like blogs and fashion, you’ve probably heard of Karl Lagerfeld’s Guide To Life. Witty satire, written by the stern watcher of the démodé ones, made a big splash in the blogosphere with its bold statements. The URL, fakekarl.blogspot.com, makes no beans about the fact that the Karl you’re speaking to is not exactly real; but this doesn’t make the blog any less entertaining. After all, who could resist the dirt on Yves Saint Laurent, Anna Wintour and Olsen Twins interactions all rolled into one stylish, black and white package with a Victorian bow atop?
Fake Karl shocks us with revelations of what really happens to his skinny jeans, bedtime stories of The Very Hungry Model and his unmistakable speaking style, which includes words chic & démodé in every other sentence, and ends with a characteristic hmm? (watch YouTube interviews with Karl to see what I mean). But who is this mystery man/woman behind the Fake Karl? Read on to find out!
Dear Fake Karl, what inspired you to start this blog?
You know, people make fashion out to be so serious; there’s a lot of pretentiousness involved. There’s all these fashion people that appear to be discovering a cure for cancer or something; but in the end it’s just dresses. The best designers know that: Margiela does; Yohji does; Rei Kawakubo does. You can be intelligent without being a bore! Karl came out of the need for an antidote to the seriousness of fashion today.
Why Karl Lagerfeld, of all people?
He’s not pretentious! He doesn’t take fashion seriously! And he’s an icon! I mean, it’s a very Warholian image he creates; and it’s something you can build on: he’s identifiable. And to some extent, you can actually imagine Karl saying these things. I don’t know if you could imagine Rick Owens or whoever saying those things.
Karl‘s a great lens to satire fashion through. You know, I once was traveling in west Mexico on a ship driven by Captain Erab, and then one day Captain Erab got his great big telescope out– it was made of golden brass, and had the most amazing lens. And when he saw this giant fried octofish coming, well, he dropped that golden telescope and ran for bail. And that’s where I got this lens from.
How is your Karl different from real-life Karl?
Which Karl are we talking about? If it’s the public Karl, the difference is merely exaggeration. It’s his entire persona that’s been exaggerated, really.
Everyone’s wondering about your gender. My guess is… a girl??
Hah! I don’t know if I should say! My lover has the right answer! And this lover always thought I was this certain sex – we meet under the strangest circumstances, from the blog. On the other hand, many people have wrongly assumed that I am the gender I am not. I wonder what your readers think!
Are you a fashion insider, or just a fan?
Both, I guess. I’m an insider to some circles; but an outsider to others. An “outsider insider”?
Who are your readers and what sort of a reaction are you hoping to provoke?
Oh god, I don’t know who my readers are really. Apart from the people who comment, who are all lovely people; except the trolls who are lovely in that they provide fodder for Karl to make fun of. I mean, who trolls a non-existent person?!
I don’t think it should matter who my typical reader is — I’m going to write Karl regardless. I’ve heard that I’m writing exclusively for a family of all-star elves. On the other hand, I’ve heard that I’m writing for the little people that live in your TV. I’m not sure which is truer.
As for reaction… it depends on the entry. There’s entries I haven’t published and probably won’t publish for a long time because they’re not where the blog’s at right now… they’d provoke too strong a reaction.
I do want more of a reaction than just a laugh — not that Karl‘s a comedy blog – it’s a very serious blog, as regular readers will know! There’s a lot of complicated emotions that we feel about fashion – or at least emotions that I feel about fashion. So Karl‘s a way to diffuse all this emotion; to express it in some way.
Do you base your entries on what the real Karl does? Or do we, unwittingly, get a glimpse of your own persona sometimes?
Yeah, there’s a few of my personal experiences here and there; integrated with Real Karl‘s own. I guess Karl acts as a sort of stress-relief for me! I think it’d be hell to write say, a personal-style blog or something (though I’ve been told I should a few times). Because then you have to present this “real” persona; and to some extent you’re censored. I think I’d start worrying about how I look! And what people would say… I have a real admiration for those people who can style-blog; like Jane of Sea of Shoes and those sort of people. It requires balls; and an almost inhuman strength not to care what people think. I never want blogging to feel like a chore; or writing in general.
Karl allows me to be free, I suppose.
Fake Karl is known for his shocking, blunt statements on subjects that could be considered inappropriate and even rude (such as weight and self-image). Do they jibe with your personal beliefs or is it done simply as social satire?
What? You think Karl‘s satire?! But seriously, most of those comments are satire.
Do you think any big fashion players read your blog? If they do, what do you hope they’d take away from it?
Oh, a few. I don’t know if Karl reads it though. As long as they… find it humorous. If they can laugh at themselves, well, then at least the world’s semi-sane! :)
Bought into the Fake Karl craze? Get yourself a Demode t-shirt, available at the Fake Karl blog.
My homage to Karl: 3 Imaginary Dates & what I wore to them (guess who is one of the dates?!).
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