Nothing but love. Kristen Stewart complimented outspoken fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, calling him a “compulsive and obsessive artist” in a V magazine interview published days after he made headlines for his public tussle with Meryl Streep.
“Karl has always, from the beginning, made me feel like being myself was the right thing to do,” Stewart, 26, told the fashion magazine; the chat took place prior to the headline-making Oscar dress debacle. “And in [the fashion] world, that is a rarity. He’s a compulsive and obsessive artist and it’s contagious. And he’s kind. He is who he is for a reason. I feel so lucky to be in his space so often.”
The Twilight alum has had a good working relationship with Lagerfeld in recent years. In 2016, she was named the face of Chanel’s makeup and fashion campaigns, and in 2015, she starred in an 11-minute short film as the titular character in Once and Forever, a biopic of Coco Chanel. (Stewart even attended the Chanel and Charles Finch 9th Annual Pre-Oscar dinner on Saturday, February 25. ) Lagerfeld hasn’t always been seen in such a favorable light, however.
Lagerfeld, 83, made headlines last week after he told Women’s Wear Daily that Oscar-winner Streep, 67, allegedly dropped Chanel in favor of another brand that would pay her to wear its design. (He later apologized for his candor, insisting that he “misunderstood” the situation.)
The Florence Foster Jenkins star refuted Lagerfeld’s claims in a scathing statement on Saturday, accusing the German designer of defamation and refusing to accept his apology.
“Karl Lagerfeld, a prominent designer, defamed me, my stylist, and the illustrious designer whose dress I chose to wear, in an important industry publication,” Streep said in a statement to Us Weekly. “That publication printed this defamation, unchecked. Subsequently, the story was picked up globally, and continues globally, to overwhelm my appearance at the Oscars, on the occasion of my record-breaking 20th nomination, and to eclipse this honor in the eyes of the media, my colleagues and the audience.”
Streep opted to wear a stunning off-shoulder, deep blue Elie Saab gown to Hollywood’s biggest night.
Lagerfeld’s public feud with Streep isn’t the first time he’s made controversial statements about some of today’s biggest names. In recent years, the opinionated designer has also deemed Adele “a little too fat” and called Heidi Klum “irrelevant.” In 2012, he criticized the hype around Kate Middleton’s younger sister, Pippa Middleton, telling U.K. paper The Sun, “I don’t like the sister’s face. She should only show her back.”
