To wrap up my week of designer picks, I'm going to choose Karl Lagerfeld as my final choice.  As well as being the designer for the Chanel label, he also has his own line of clothing.  I am a huge fan of Chanel designs (started obviously many years ago by the much talented Coco Chanel), and love the way the styles have evolved over the years yet kept true to it's original feminine and classy style.  When Karl Lagerfeld joined the fashion house he breathed new life back into the designs.  For more on Mr. Lagerfeld, read on.

Karl Lagerfeld was born in 1938 in Hamburg, Germany to a wealthy family.  He went to Paris in 1952, where he studied informally, with the ambition to be a fashion designer, until he won a prize for a wool coat from the Wool Secretariat in 1954.

Lagerfeld first worked for Pierre Balmain (1954-57), then in 1958 he moved to House of Patou.  For a while, he freelanced at Krizia.  He worked for Chloe in 1959-78, during which time he began designing furs for Fendi (in 1965) and also launched his company, Parfums Lagerfeld (in 1975).  He designed independently from 1978 to 1982 when he began designing haute couture at the House of Chanel.  In 1983, with the help of Gilles de Four, he added Chanel ready-to-wear garments to his list of responsibilities.

Although he continued to design for Chanel, Lagerfeld established his own design business in 1984 and resumed designing for Chloe in 1992.  The engagement with Chloe ended in 1997, when design at Chloe was took over by ex-Beatle Paul's daughter Stella McCartney.  Lagerfeld currently designs for three companies: his own label, Chanel, and furs for Fendi of Italy.

His signature line, which is developed from sketches, features very structural and dramatic women's wear, mostly in black and white.  He featured the "Wunderbra" and the "Wundercorset" in 1994.

As an avid photographer, Lagerfeld often shoots his own press photos, and is sometimes called "Kaiser Karl" by the press.  His personal trademarks include a fan, a long ponytail for his powder-white hair, and sunglasses.  He is a uniquely confident man and speaks fluent German, French, and Italian.

Please enjoy these pics of these amazing and classic Chanel clothes......