To "KARL" or not to "KARL"...?

Ready, set, blast off. The "KARL" line by Karl Lagerfeld officially launched this morning! There is no denying Karl Lagerfeld's legendary genius. He is "THE KING" among poppers in the fashion world. I have studied and watched his every move for over a decade now, so naturally the anticipation of his new line "KARL" has been intense for me. I hypothesized to myself... "Is he going to go the uber cheap and less quality route to reach mass markets?", "Will he go over the top with design and overprice it?", or "Will he label it with K's in an effort to separate himself from the Coco Chanel house name?".  I truly was hoping that this line would be collectively androgynous and timeless. That way if I were to... indulge.. in a piece or two (insert grinchy smirk here)... I could wear it with versatility for years to come. 

Fun tidbit about the launch of KARL: There was some controversy about Net-a-Porter's site crashing at the moment of launch this morning due to the immense amount of web traffic. A spokesperson from Net-a-Porter actually released a quote to reassure people that they had taken measures to be sure that this would not occur:

"We pride ourselves on meeting tremendous demand on a daily basis. Introducing a brand like KARL is likely to generate unprecedented traffic so we have strengthened the measures we take to protect against lapses in service and have high hopes that we will be able to provide a seamless customer experience for all those wishing to buy from the collection."

How insane is that?! After reading that quote this morning, I tried to relax, make my pot of coffee, bundle up on the couch with my MacBook, and calmly hop onto Net-a-Porter to check out the launch of the new KARL line. Not like another rabid dog like those you see in the scary lines at H&M when a designer collaboration launches.  Load, load, load. Boom, there it was... like a story being told... I was looking at  beautifully constructed pieces of art. I was pleasantly surprised that Karl designed right up my ally! Just for the record, my page loaded smoothly. Bravo to Net-a-Porter's tech team. 


My break down of the KARL line is this: The pieces are not too "label-y" and I don't feel like he got too wrapped up in branding every single piece of his collection. The designs are playful and feminine with a clear deliverance of a punk tomboy twist. He plays exactly to my style using soft silhouettes while incorporating leather, PVC and harder materials that inherently edge up the over all look. Presto chango... he got my everyday aesthetic down pat. I passed over some of the dresses, bags and tops with his illustrations on them as they were too faddish for my taste, but the more basic pieces I seriously lived for. My top picks are below. If there is one way to describe my recent choice color palette, I'd say: "black, white, and sequin." And well, that is pretty much the premise of the whole KARL line so I am drooling on my computer here while I write up this review. I am thrilled to see Karl make a straightforward, palpable line outside of Chanel and apart from the celebrity campaigns. It ignites the devotee of fashion in me to see one of my icons design a simple cohesive collection that evokes his talent for creating clean constructive garments. To me, this line embodies Karl's personal everyday tuxedo wear, mixed with biker chic, a splash of Michael Jackson's 80's sequins, and 90's unisex punk skater wear. All these things are my go-to's anyway! So to "KARL" or not to "KARL" ? I say yes.

x. juliana



Sabine Sequined Shorts: $270

Blanca PVC-front Cotton Poplin Shirt: $240 

If there is one piece I will be grabbing, it's this Blanca top. It so epitomizes my idea of the perfect white collared shirt. I am screaming inside. It's so sexy, edgy and classy all at once. I would wear this top with trousers like above, with biker shorts and high tops for a tomboy look, with a white lace skirt and nude pumps for an elegant lady like look, with distressed jean shorts and Lanvin flats in the summer for a lived in day look, or with leather pants to go for a full biker chic look. The ensemble options are literally limitless with this top. This is a must have for my wardrobe.

Sachi Pleated Faux Leather Skirt: $160

Sequined Poplin Collar: $175. Yep, I am gonna need all three of these.

Printed Cotton Poplin Cameo Collar: $95

Printed Faux Leather Collar: $120

Sless Denim Biker Vest: $540 First thought, I said to myself,  "Hmm.. a little Easter Bunny, meets biker, meets Pepto Bismol trimmed in leather? But I weirdly love this construction?" Then I scrolled to the image of the back of the vest and I died everywhere over the genius incorporation of leather. This piece is too full of personality to not love. I adore that Karl plays on the young juvenile side of femininity while still infusing some tomboy. I need this piece.

Sequined Legging-Style Pants: $335 (duh)

Sabine PVC Shorts: $135

Jeren Cotton-Terry and PVC Sweater: $160 

Eh, you either love PVC or you hate it. I became a PVC-aholic back when I bought my first pair of  Les Chiffoniers pants in 09' (the year the line debuted). My other two icons, Christophe Decarnin for Balmain and Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy made massive waves in the fashion world with their 08' and 09' Spring and Fall RTW collections. They both paved the road for a new way to incorporate these materials into a wardrobe without making an ensemble look trashy or cheap.  PVC, latex and leather started trickling it's way down into stores soon after in 2010 with the help of Christophe and Riccardo inspiring designers everywhere. Now we see it in Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, etc. Since I had always been attracted to tougher materials mixed with softer silhouettes, I jumped right into this "iffy" trend back in 09'. I am happy to report that it's here to stay now with Karl's reinforcement.