9 months of work, 2000 fittings and a dizzying challenge! How were the costumes created for Becoming Karl Lagerfeld?

“I didn’t realize how much work was involved in such an important series.However, Pascaline Chavan is not his first project. Nominated twelve times for a César – with two awards, for Renoir and Jacques – he is one of the most sought-after costume designers in French cinema.

Therefore, it was quite natural for him that the Gaumont company approached him to design clothes for the Becoming Karl Lagerfeld series.

This biopic tells the story of the early days of the famous German fashion designer – Daniel Bruhl – and more specifically his meeting with the dandy Jacques de Bascher – played by Theodore Pellerin.

This is the first time that Pascaline Chavan participates in the series. “This is another exercisehe says. Everything has to be faster, there are different directors in several ways, and there are more people to talk to as producers.“

Before becoming Karl Lagerfeld, the costume designer gave himself a rule: “I will never make a biopic about the creatorR.” Lupe. But according to a professional, the series is not so much a work of fashion as the birth of Jacques de Bascher, a figure of Parisian social nights.

Difficulties of working on the series

Cinema and TV series are two different worlds. for the small screen, “We don’t have scripts right awayPascaline Chavan explains. Just from the first episode. They provide us with information about the rest. You have to keep an open mind and be able to bounce back at short notice.”

In this particular case, the difficulty is that becomes Karl Lagerfeld Interested in the creator’s little-known past. The creator, who is very concerned about his image, has deleted many archives about his past life. So she had to get creative with her look.

In a study, Pascaline Chavan speaks of it as “The work of an archaeologist“, produced with Géraldine Sommier, director of heritage at the house of Chloé – where Karl Lagerfeld started. She had access to textile and iconographic archives to create the series’ garments.

Advantage of a costume designer? “We feel that we become subject matter experts in no timeHe is glad. Today I know everything about Karl Lagerfeld. Maybe in one year I will forget everything.”

Talking about numbers

Work on costumes for the series began in November 2022, and filming will begin in March 2023. In research, Pascaline Chavan speaks “Nine months of work“Prepare”short“But compensation with a large number of design artists. There were up to forty people working on the project.

“It’s a delicate situation for the series, because we have fabrics made and it’s impossible to compress these deadlines“- he claims. Two very different workshops were created: one for women’s costumes, the other for men.

In total:

• 2000 fittings for the series
• 370 fittings For additions only
• 50 different looks For Karl Lagerfeld
• 45 different looks For Jacques de Bascher

To give you an idea? The record for costumes worn by actress Elizabeth Taylor Joseph L. Cleopatra is occupied in Mankiewicz’s film. On screen he wears 65!

Commentary collected by Thomas Desroches, Paris, July 2023.

Become Karl Lagerfeld is available on Disney+.