EMPEROR -FASHION- LAGERFELD

ICONIC fashion designer Lagerfeld dies

PARIS : The fashion world was plunged into mourning on Tuesday by the death of the legendary designer Karl Lagerfeld, the rapier-witted dandy who ruled over the industry for half a century.

Chanel,  the iconic  French fashion house he led for nealy four decades, confirmed his  passing at the age of  85 , prompting an unprecedented outpouring of emotion from designers and celebrities.

Speculation about his state of health of the man they called the ''Kaiser'' had been rife since he missed Channel's Paris haute couture week show last month, with the world's richest brand saying he ''was tired''.

Lagerfeld left many younger creators in the dust well into his 80s, turning out collections season after season for Fendi and his own label, as well as Chanel - the world's richest brand.

With his powdered white pony tail, black sunglasses and starched  high-collared white shirts, Lagerfeld was instantly recognizable as his celebrity clients.

Lagerfeld's friend, supermodel Linda Evangelista, said she was heartbroken, calling him the  ''great love of my life''.

In recent years the prolific German had visibly weakened, even if his extraordinary creative stamina showed little signs of  flagging on the catwalk for the three brands he led.

Friends has always said that the creator would die with a pencil in his hand, and just last week his own fashion line Karl Lagerfeld was still announcing new design collaborations. [AFP]