It isn’t often that we get a glimpse into the lives of the inaccessible, always vying for a chance to truly understand the icons that dominate our cultural landscape. Hulu’s Becoming Karl Lagerfeld, gives us just that, a taste of the life of a divine figurehead of fashion, while still maintaining an element of mystery.
Becoming Karl Lagerfeld, a French biopic based on author Raphaelle Bacque’s Kaiser Karl, aired June 7 on Hulu. The short series follows the early days of German designer Lagerfeld’s career before becoming Chanel’s creative director and his rivalry — and friendship — with iconic French designer Yves Saint-Laurent (Arnaud Valois). Exploring the love triangle between Saint-Laurent, Lagerfeld and playboy Jacques de Bascher (Théodore Pellerin), the show delves into the turbulent nature of the 70s fashion world.
Daniel Brühl expertly depicts the angsty, loner Lagerfeld as he desperately tries to establish his name as a titan of fashion. Despite criticisms of Lagerfeld for his history of racist and sexist comments, the show depicts Lagerfeld in a sympathetic light, portraying him as ambitious, yet highly reclusive and intuitive. In fact, he is almost enigmatic, with both the audience and characters, especially his lover Jacques de Bascher, often not able to penetrate his impregnable exterior.
The show focuses on Lagerfeld, but also delves into the lives of Saint-Laurent and Bascher, displaying the characters’ struggles to navigate the chaotic and ever-competitive world of Parisian fashion. Flush with scenes of drugs, parties and often violent sex, the show explores the dark side of fashion, and the duality between striving for immortality while clinging to your own humanity.
Lagerfeld is often highly self-motivated, doing anything in the name of self-preservation. However, largely due to Brühl’s performance, it is difficult to not root for him. At times, he appears conniving and cruel, especially in his tumultuous relationship with rival and friend Saint-Laurent, but also deeply anguished in his pursuit to make a name for himself.
The desperate depiction of Lagerfeld’s turmoil unveils him as someone almost relatable: a man overwhelmed with ambition, who is willing to do anything to establish himself, often to his own detriment. Though the impressively bold scenes of Parisan drug-filled parties, crazy sex clubs and of course incredible couture seem to be the show’s real draw, the most masterful aspect, its definitive quality, is its characters.
Yves Saint-Laurent’s portrayal is in line of many uber-successful icons, whose fame and fortune lead to self-destruction and loneliness. His relationship with Bascher, though often deeply disturbing, gives audiences a peek into the solitary life of fame. Bascher’s character is also brilliantly explored in the series, often sharing glaring similarities with Lagerfeld: desperate to be included, willing to make countless sacrifices and deeply conflicted.
It is not often that TV shows are able to define their central characters as well as Hulu’s Becoming Karl Lagerfeld. For those not remotely interested in couture, the show still offers an incredible deep dive into the psyche of these cultural icons. Though the glamour of the show is mesmerizing, its true beauty lies in the humanity of these cultural icons, unraveling their fabulously dressed facades.
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