Karl Lagerfeld is survived by his cat

Condolences to Choupette

Karl Lagerfeld and his cat Choupette.
(Image credit: Fashion illustrations / Alamy Stock Photo)

Luxury fashion is not possible without a little bit of wizardry. What else could elevate the names of those storied houses — Balmain, Gucci, Dior — if not a dash of magic? It takes believing in card tricks to be impressed by a magician; so too does it take belief in a brand's mythological designers to find them worthy of their clothes' price tags. For some 60-plus years of his life, Karl Lagerfeld, who died at the age of 85 on Tuesday, worked his magic as the famous creative director who revived Chanel and Fendi, in addition to launching dozens of other notable projects and collaborations and creating an instantly-recognizable public persona.

And naturally, just as with every great magician, Lagerfeld had a trusty animal companion to assist in his performance.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.