Lagerfeld's high-flying career began in 1954 after winning a Woolmark Prize for outerwear (Yves Saint Laurent won in the dress category). He was subsequently hired by judging panel member Pierre Balmain.
Between 2000 to 2001, Lagerfeld lost a reported 42kg. His goal? Fitting into Hedi Slimane's skinny-cut Dior Homme suits.
Chanel's runway sets have become fashion legend, even getting the documentary treatment in Netflix's 7 Days Out. Here, the SS06 backdrop that was among the earliest setups of truly epic proportions.
High-low collabs are a dime a dozen these days, but despite his rarefied credentials, Lagerfeld was one of the first major names to embrace H&M in 2004.
Long before the wider world fell under China's economic and cultural spell, Fendi staged a mind-blowing show on the Great Wall for SS08.
In Matt Tyrnauer's 2008 doco Valentino: The Last Emperor, Lagerfeld was filmed congratulating the titular, retiring designer — and throwing some delightfully grandiose shade at their successors.
Famously picky and unbending in matters of style, Lagerfeld made headlines in 2008 by wearing a gilet jaune in widely-publicised ads for road safety.
Lagerfeld was among the first fashion designers to recognise the power of personal image. His Steiff-made, limited-edition teddy bear doppelganger from 2008 was joined by a plush Choupette in 2017.
In 2011, Lagerfeld made peace with former muse Ines de la Fressange after almost 20 years of feuding, culminating in the model closing Chanel's SS11 show.
Lagerfeld sent out *two* finale brides for Chanel's SS13 Haute Couture show, as a statement of support for marriage equality.
He may not have been a digital native, but Lagerfeld shot his kitten Choupette to social media stardom in 2015 with anecdotes of the feline's lavish lifestyle.
Fendi's 2016 Haute Couture show took place *within* Rome's Trevi Fountain, after a multimillion-euro restoration effort by the brand – the perfect storm of heritage and newness.
Chanel presciently flew guests into Havana for its resort 2017 show, during a pivotal moment in Cuba's relationship with the wider world.
As one of Lagerfeld's most powerful and enduring supporters, Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour — with very few exceptions — reliably wore Chanel to the annual Met Gala.
Lagerfeld's final Chanel Haute Couture bride was Vittoria Ceretti in a bejewelled cutout swimsuit, and a swimcap with trailing veil for SS19 (the designer was absent from the show).
