On the Podcast: Amanda Harlech Recalls Her Close Friendship With Karl Lagerfeld (And Their Very Fancy TV Dinners)

This year’s Costume Institute exhibition, curated by Andrew Bolton, is “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” exploring the work of designer Karl Lagerfeld over six decades. In this week’s episode of The Run-Through, however, we were interested in exploring Karl Lagerfeld, the man. Who was the person behind the signature sunglasses, powdered ponytail, and starched collar? Lady Amanda Harlech, Lagerfeld’s longtime muse, confidante, and second pair of eyes on many of his collections for Chanel and Fendi, joined us in the studio this week to talk all things Karl.

Harlech told us about taking dance classes organized by Lagerfeld with Hedi Slimane, Stephen Gan, and Princess Caroline of Monaco, where they would all practice the foxtrot and cha-cha together with a pair of French ballroom dancing instructors. She spent most nights in Paris dining with Lagerfeld—their version of a TV dinner was a catered meal in front of a giant flatscreen tuned to French soap operas—and vacationed at his house in Biarritz. When she and her children were learning how to surf at the beach, Lagerfeld was often in the middle of his daily two-hour dressing ritual, and sometimes would not emerge until 9 p.m. for dinner. That is, except for the one time they ran into each other in the hallway in pajamas and never spoke of it again…until now!