The World According to Karl

Karl Lagerfeld's quick wit and silver tongue are as notorious as Chanel's quilted handbag. This book is a cornucopia of his Karlisms: cultivated, unpredictable, provocative, sometimes shocking, but always impossible to ignore. Karl Lagerfeld is a modern master of couture. While simultaneously running Chanel, Fendi, and his own eponymous fashion house, he has consistently re-invented trends on the catwalk and in the street for half a century. His wise, surprising statements pop up like offbeat news flashes and are regularly seized upon by fashionistas, acolytes, and sages the world over. Here, in his own deadpan words, are his exacting opinions on everything-from fashion, style, women, and Chanel to fame, life, and books. This is the ultimate repertoire of wit and wisdom from fashion's sharpest pin. "I only know how to play one role: me." "Think pink. But don't wear it." "I like everything to be washable, myself included." "Change is the healthiest way to survive." "I don't recommend myself as a guest." "There is one thing I love on earth: to learn."

Patrick Mauries, editor and author, has written more than thirty books including Jewelry by Chanel (2012). He has known Karl Lagerfeld since the beginning of his literary career. Jean-Christophe Napias is an author, translator, and editor of books on dandyism, dance music, camp culture, and Paris. Sandrine Gulbenkian is director of the French publisher Parigramme. Charles Ameline is a graphic designer and co-founder of Teto, a producer of textiles printed with original designs from contemporary illustrators.