Karl Lagerfeld declared himself too famous to walk down the street during a conversation with Jessica Chastain Wednesday night at Lincoln Center.
The Chanel designer entertained an impeccably dressed crowd with his Karl-isms, part of an event by Harper’s Bazaar and Hearst to benefit the Lincoln Center Corporate Fund. He called red carpets “a little too much sometimes — especially when you see all those mermaids and fishtail gowns, going in to see movies about poor girls in Eastern Europe.” He confessed he hates retouching in magazines — “Everyone looks like they stepped out of a funeral parlor.”
He told a racy story about Marlene Dietrich and admitted he keeps his infamous cat, Choupette, because dogs are too much work: “You need a country house, and you need to walk them in the street. I cannot walk in the street anymore, I’m too easy to recognize. In the age of cellphones, it’s not a pleasant thing.”
Later, guests including Harper’s Bazaar’s Glenda Bailey, Ralph and Ricky Lauren, Carolina Herrera, uber-broker Dolly Lenz and Linda Fargo gathered for dinner.