Karl Lagerfeld officially ended New York Fashion Week for fall 2006 with his debut of the brand new line - Karl Lagerfeld, at Cedar Lake, a club on 10 th avenue and 26 th street.

But the clothes for men and women are not as much club clothes, (though of course, being predominantly black, brown, and gray) and versatile, they can certainly be worn that way. More than anything, the layered knits (many if which feature ‘holes’ on purpose), maxi coats, knitted waistcoats, slouch trenches, pea jackets, military inspired outerwear, exaggeratedly full menswear inspired trousers, skinny pants, dark indigo jeans, cashmere and jersey knitwear, and dresses, seem to be made for the fast paced urban life. Every length, proportion, and silhouette was suggested.

Manufactured by the Tommy Hilfiger Corporation and priced at $475 for a dress, $275 for jeans and $155 for a T-shirt, it was described by Karl as “a collection about tailoring, sculpting, shape making and mixing proportions with different influences and moods. That can also happen because we mix ‘Karl Lagerfeld’ with ‘Lagerfeld Collection’ from Paris”. Indeed black wool fur cuffs, brown fur cuffs, fur jackets with quilted sleeves, tulle belts, black wool tank dresses, etc. from the higher price line were worked into the less expensive line.

It was styled by Melanie Ward, the Bazaar editor who is a longtime friend, muse and collaborator of Helmut Lang, (hence a similar streetwise, no nonsense vibe). There was nothing sweet or ‘pretty’ (in that traditional sense) about the clothes - black leather boots on a chunky heel helped ground everything, including the more delicate pink copper evening dresses (both long and short), which were comprised of a fabric that had the appearance of being put in a washer and dryer. There were unfinished, raw edges, and stitched edges, throughout. It was all meant to look modern, unselfconscious, and ready for anything.

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