Becoming Karl Lagerfeld

Karl Lagerfeld was an enigma and an immense talent who led a breathtaking life. 2024 is the year of big fashion series: after the fantastic Balenciaga and the unwatchable The new look (Binoche as Chanel was the only highlight and Apple's decision to have Australian and American actors play French characters in English is unforgivable), Becoming Karl Lagerfeld is another huge success for Hulu/ Disney. The series only focuses on Karl's early years as the designer for hire and his relationship with Jaques de Bascher in the 70s. He was already quite successful designing for the Fendi sisters, Chloe, Jourdan etc. But these were formative years before climbing Chanel's throne in the 80s. The series is excellent, witty, sexy, exciting and so so good. Highly recommended and hats off to Daniel Brühl for pulling this off!

I wish it was more about Karl and his work instead of the love triangle with the twink gigolo. A LOT of unnecessery scenes. I don't think the late Karl Lagerfeld would've liked the series... He spent his whole life doing everything for his work and the fashion industry and now he is being portraied as a sugar daddy with no feelings...

The acting was good though, Daniel did an amazing job as always. You could tell he studied the character, although Karl was a private person. What I liked most is how real and authentic (most) characters felt. The atmosphere the series created was also great. I wish I saw more fashion and less romantic drama.

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..

It is immersive, & beautiful. It is a 6x52 of cinema.

Becoming Karl Lagerfeld is a captivating mini-series that immerses viewers in the world of Karl Lagerfeld, revealing the genius and enigmatic personality behind his iconic creations. The beautifully crafted series features outstanding performances by Daniel Brühl (Karl Lagerfeld), Théodore Pellerin (Jacques de Bascher), and Arnaud Valois (Yves Saint Laurent), among others. The soundtrack, composed by Evgueni and Sacha Galperine, enhances the experience with original scores and iconic songs like "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones and "Heart of Glass" by Blondie. Celebrating creativity, innovation, and an endless quest for perfection, "Becoming Karl Lagerfeld" captures the essence of what made Lagerfeld unique and inspiring.

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.