Fashion mæstro Karl Lagerfeld himself launched an exclusive, dedicated space for his brand at Selfridges on Tuesday, featuring two of his collections: Karl Man + Woman and the premium line, Karl Lagerfeld Paris Man. Selfridges will also feature Team Karl, a third, capsule collection commemorating the London Olympics.
   The pop-up store is on the third floor, within Selfridges’ contemporary womenswear department.
   The autumn–winter 2012–13 Karl collection is the more casual line, achieving what this magazine has always dubbed ‘accessible luxury’. The collection, says Selfridges, ‘offers the wearer sharp tailoring and fresh silhouettes without compromising great fabrics and durability.’
   Karl Lagerfeld Paris Man is a luxury line featuring innovative design and tailoring.
   Team Karl is an exclusive capsule collection that captures ‘the energy and celebrations around the Olympic Games’.
   The space will also feature artistic T-shirts created in collaboration with London design agency I Love Dust.
   Lagerfeld says the collection’s inspiration is himself: ‘It’s me. I have to be careful not to get too much into it, because I don’t expect everyone to dress like me. That’s why I like this collection with the T-shirts, to make a joke about me, because I think I’m a cartoon.
   ‘Inspiration is a muscle. This muscle has to be used all the time. The more you do, the more ideas you have. I don’t believe in waiting for inspiration on beaches.’
   Selfridges’ creative director Alannah Weston says, ‘To have someone like Karl Lagerfeld working with a store like Selfridges really just shows two meetings of the minds. We both are irreverent as brands, and we really try to work with people who see the lighter side of things.’
   VIPs Daphne Guinness, Hilary Alexander (who said Lagerfeld’s presence lent a ‘savoir-faire to the whole kind of idea of Olympic fashion’), Poppy Delevingne, Dudley O’Shaughnessy, Asif Khan, Rosario Dawson, Tallulah Harlech, Harley Viera Newton, Alison Mosshart, also feature in the video.
   Selfridges presently has dedicated Karl Lagerfeld windows at its main entrance.