Becoming Karl Lagerfeld

I was really looking forward to this series .......... But - to me - it was a bait and switch. It was the story of Jacques de Bascher, not Lagerfeld. And, frankly, I didn't care for Jacques.

This is a very sad story of two men who were brilliant designers, Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent and the man who reeked havoc in both their lives (rather who they let into their lives) - Jacques de Bascher.

Had this been advertised in a different way, it would have been excellent - the actors were all brilliant. But I did not learn a whole lot about Lagerfeld becoming a designer and that was why I watched it. As it was, I came away depressed for what both Lagerfeld and Saint Laurent endured (willingly!) at the hands of a young man who knew his power and abused it with glee.

As in all things, to each his own.

All in all, I really liked the series, with only one flaw: the fashion theme doesn't get enough attention.

But from the beginning. At first I was hesitant to watch the series at all. When I read that Damiel Brühl, a German, had been cast in the lead role, I thought I was in for the worst. But I was proved wrong! The half-Spanish Brühl has probably taken the lead here and managed to mirror Lagerfeld's character in a very interesting way. Together with his dandyishly agile colleague Théodore Pellerin, it works brilliantly. And so the series is actually more about the relationship between the two and their relationship with Yves Saint Laurent than about Lagerfeld's fashion creations. That's a shame. A great shame, in fact. That said, the series is lavishly produced and does an excellent job of capturing the mood of the times. All in all, a definite recommendation, although I would like to see a second season in which Lagerfeld's fashion creations receive a little more attention.

Daniel Brühl makes an honest effort, but is unfortunately completely miscast as Karl Lagerfeld. Not that he doesn't look like him. The problem is more that he doesn't radiate the slightest charisma. He appears lenient, opportunistic, dull and boring, just the contrary of the real Karl Lagerfeld. The characters around him are much more interesting and way more colorful. Maybe that's why the makers decided to edit him out of the show, more or less. They must have realized what a terrible mistake they made and decided to focus the show on the more interesting side characters.

That could put a real dent in his career.

They should have renamed the show.

From the point of view of production values, Becoming Karl Lagerfeld cannot be faulted. Beautifully designed, costumed and filmed, it is worth your time for those alone. But ultimately it is a depressing tale of mismatched lovers - Lagerfeld, an ageing, sexually frigid German workaholic whose only pleasure is food, and a spoiled, promiscuous French party boy twenty years younger. Karl's attachment to Jacques seemed to be partly parental, and an idealisation of his youth and putative beauty. Jacques clearly had daddy issues and couldn't survive without the ongoing financial support. Yet each in his own way loved the other and was addicted to their dysfunctional relationship. And knowing of Jacques eventual death at 38 of AIDS made it all the sadder..

The 1970s and 80s were golden days of fashion and Karl was smack dab in the middle of it all. A designer and an icon, his vulnerabilities are on full display in this insightful series.

I dig anything set in this time period. I also love watching fashion stories. This did not disappoint. The clothing alone! Watching Lagerfeld and his paramour Jacques dress in the most fabulous suits, with their perfect hair, jewelry and accessories was a treat indeed. I also adored the sketch scenes!

I do wish there was more - even a written epitaph before the credits would have sufficed. Of course, I did my due diligence and will be ordering the book for more details.

If you like fashion, haute couture, lifestyles of rich and famous, tragic love stories, fabulous interiors and locales, you will like this series.

I thought the acting was very fine- I didn't know any of the actors beforehand.