Karl Lagerfeld: A Fashion Journal
Visual Reference Collectible Art Book Cultural Studies Biography & Memoir Art & Culture Fashion History Costume Design
First-edition hardcover of Karl Lagerfeld: A Fashion Journal—the 1986 illustrated chronicle that captured the Kaiser’s most explosive decade. Anna Piaggi, the legendary Italian fashion editor and Lagerfeld’s close collaborator, produced this 192-page visual diary long before Instagram existed; today it is one of the scarcest and most sought-after Lagerfeld titles on the secondary market. Every spread is packed with Piaggi’s witty handwritten notes, Polaroids, sketches, and backstage photographs that show the birth of the Chanel reboot, the Fendi “Fun Furs,” and the couture collections that re-defined 1980s power-dressing. The book is a textbook-reference hybrid, so it doubles as both a collectible art object and a primary-source research tool for fashion students, stylists, and cultural historians.
What makes this copy especially appealing is that it is the true first printing—complete with the original dust jacket whose iconic Karl silhouette is instantly recognizable on any design shelf. The pages are clean and tight, preserving the saturated color plates that printers in the mid-80s still ran on heavy enameled stock. A small gift inscription on the front flyleaf adds a personal touch without detracting from the overall rarity; the jacket shows only the light edge scuffing typical of a book that has been carefully read once and then shelved. For collectors, vintage fashion enthusiasts, or anyone hunting the perfect visual companion to the current Lagerfeld documentary boom, this edition offers both tactile nostalgia and enduring design inspiration at a fraction of auction prices.
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