Becoming Karl Lagerfeld Season 1 Review: A Story of Revenge and Wannabe Love

When watching Becoming Karl Lagerfeld Season 1, as the beginning of every episode tells us, one must remember that even though the story is based on real people, the show has fictionalized certain scenarios to make it more entertaining.

If, as an audience member, one turns to the show to learn more about Lagerfeld’s career as a designer, this might not be the right series. Even though we get glimpses of his rise to stardom, the show focuses mostly on the so-called love affair between him and Jacques de Bascher and the love triangles they formed with Yves Saint Laurent.

If, as viewers, we are looking for a soap opera-like story that dives into the intimate secrets of the designer’s love life (if one can even call it that), then this is the perfect show.

There are two very important themes that stand out throughout Becoming Karl Lagerfeld Season 1: revenge and love.

From the beginning of the series, we get the sense that Lagerfeld is desperately trying to prove himself. It seems he is doing it under his mother’s pressure and the desire to be taken seriously by those who belong to haute couture and turned his back on him.

The main focus of his revenge is proving he can be on the same level as Yves Saint Laurent, but most importantly, he can finally make Pierre Bergé take him seriously. One thing that stands out the most on the show is that he plans on doing this by working for other people and other brands.

Instead of going out there and creating the Karl Lagerfeld brand, he is always Chloé by Karl Lagerfeld or FENDI by Karl Lagerfeld. This makes us wonder if he ever believed in himself the way he pretended to do.

Lagerfeld presents himself as a confident man for those who see him, but it is a different story behind closed doors. Nevertheless, he never stops following his dream of revenge.

This is particularly showcased on the show during Paloma Picasso’s wedding. He says it straightforwardly to Jacques: this is his time for revenge. It is a chance to show everyone how far he has come and who he truly is, particularly if he can show up with Jacques by his side.

The first few episodes of Becoming Karl Lagerfeld Season 1 feel like a soap opera. The main focus of these episodes is to show the love triangle that formed between Lagerfeld, Jacques, and Yves. 

Lagerfeld is obsessed with everything Yves does. He desires to prove he can be better and do better than his designing enemy.

However, the obsession turns around when Yves falls for Jacques. He becomes obsessed with this younger man and what he does with Lagerfeld.

Jacques becomes the battle they are both trying to win. Even though he has more success professionally, Yves won’t be satisfied until he has Jacques. For Lagerfeld, getting to keep his relationship with Jacques is another sign of his success.

As the relationship between Jacques and Lagerfeld continues throughout the six episodes, as viewers, we begin to wonder if the relationship is about love or ownership and control.

Does Lagerfeld want to be with Jacques because he loves him, wants to have what Yves wants, or wants to have what led to Yves’s destruction?

Beyond the desire for revenge and the love that he may or may not have had for Jacques, Becoming Karl Lagerfeld shows Lagerfeld as a very lonely person. The one who dares to say it on the show is Pierre Bergé. However, the show makes it obvious at different times.

It becomes obvious when he sits alone at the club while his “friends” dance around. When he stands still in the middle of a room full of people. When he decides to stay home while everyone else goes out.

It is particularly obvious when he is home dancing alone and crying.

However, his loneliness and difficulty dealing with his emotions are evident in how Lagerfeld deals with food. Around others, he is only ever seen drinking Coke, except when he is frustrated and eating croissants in front of Gaby Aghion.

The only times we witness Lagerfeld eating are in the darkness of his room when he is biting desperately into sweets that no one will ever know he ate. Instead of talking about what he is feeling, he eats alone.

This happens all throughout the series until the final episode when he orders a salad but ends up eating the fries and sandwich Jacques orders. He feels things are going his way and allows himself to eat freely.

Becoming Karl Lagerfeld Season 1 isn’t about the designer but the person. By seeing his relationship with his mother, one can better understand why he behaves a certain way and why he becomes that kind of man.

The fashion bits of his story are always intertwined with the love story (if we could call it that). Every time there is something about fashion and his career, it gets interrupted by Jacques. Even when he isn’t present, he is still in Lagerfeld’s mind, as when he draws him during the voting.

However, the fashion does stand out in the show when it comes to the costume design. Every outfit worn by Lagerfeld and everyone around him perfectly describes the time and era of the moment.

Even though the first few episodes are a bit slow and repetitive, the end of Becoming Karl Lagerfeld Season 1 leaves viewers wanting to see more of his story after he accepts the job at Chanel.

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Becoming Karl Lagerfeld is available for streaming on Hulu.

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