Becoming Karl Lagerfeld

I was really looking forward to this series .......... But - to me - it was a bait and switch. It was the story of Jacques de Bascher, not Lagerfeld. And, frankly, I didn't care for Jacques.

This is a very sad story of two men who were brilliant designers, Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent and the man who reeked havoc in both their lives (rather who they let into their lives) - Jacques de Bascher.

Had this been advertised in a different way, it would have been excellent - the actors were all brilliant. But I did not learn a whole lot about Lagerfeld becoming a designer and that was why I watched it. As it was, I came away depressed for what both Lagerfeld and Saint Laurent endured (willingly!) at the hands of a young man who knew his power and abused it with glee.

As in all things, to each his own.

I randomly watched this series with no expectations. I had watched a documentary about Lagerfeld, and found he was an interesting character. Anyway this series is a really easy watch and I found myself binge watching it. I have really enjoyed the era, the scenery and costume design, it's a lot of fun. I think the storyline and the weaving of the character relationships is so intriguing and really well done. I feel it has been done tastefully and with respect. I haven't had something to watch like this in a while, that wasn't too stressful or draining. If you want a watchable programme that will keep you entertained, check it out. It's fun, emotional, and interesting.

As many people already said here - it's just a scratch on the surface, that's not about Karl it's about Jacques,...

I agree, it's just a scratch on the surface, but it's not a mistake, it's just a different perspective on Karl's life. Maybe it was different, maybe not, but who knows?

As his Daniel said - He never lost touch with the pulse. A time of revolution, of sexual liberation and then there's that anachronistic lement to it because Karl Lagerfeld very often lived in his ntellectual realm and in his fantasy and with the money that he had earned was capable of creating these cerebral worlds, these fairytale paradises, especially for the love of his life. He bought a castle and everything within the castle had to be perfect down to the candles. To play someone who does that with so much dedication and obsession and precision was fascinating.

I really like the way of acting, Daniel is experienced actor and great choice for Karl. Théodore is same age as me, he exactly knew, what to do and I do not agree with others, his acting may be different, but not childish or boring. Visuals are great, so don't judge a book by it's cover and give it a try.

From the point of view of production values, Becoming Karl Lagerfeld cannot be faulted. Beautifully designed, costumed and filmed, it is worth your time for those alone. But ultimately it is a depressing tale of mismatched lovers - Lagerfeld, an ageing, sexually frigid German workaholic whose only pleasure is food, and a spoiled, promiscuous French party boy twenty years younger. Karl's attachment to Jacques seemed to be partly parental, and an idealisation of his youth and putative beauty. Jacques clearly had daddy issues and couldn't survive without the ongoing financial support. Yet each in his own way loved the other and was addicted to their dysfunctional relationship. And knowing of Jacques eventual death at 38 of AIDS made it all the sadder..

All in all, I really liked the series, with only one flaw: the fashion theme doesn't get enough attention.

But from the beginning. At first I was hesitant to watch the series at all. When I read that Damiel Brühl, a German, had been cast in the lead role, I thought I was in for the worst. But I was proved wrong! The half-Spanish Brühl has probably taken the lead here and managed to mirror Lagerfeld's character in a very interesting way. Together with his dandyishly agile colleague Théodore Pellerin, it works brilliantly. And so the series is actually more about the relationship between the two and their relationship with Yves Saint Laurent than about Lagerfeld's fashion creations. That's a shame. A great shame, in fact. That said, the series is lavishly produced and does an excellent job of capturing the mood of the times. All in all, a definite recommendation, although I would like to see a second season in which Lagerfeld's fashion creations receive a little more attention.