Karl Lagerfeld’s Bodyguard Has Written a Book About Him
DEAR KARL: Among the first books out about the late, great Karl Lagerfeld is a Flammarion tome by Sébastien Jondeau, who was like a son to the legendary couturier.
Lagerfeld’s longtime bodyguard and personal assistant, Jondeau announced its release date to his 44,300 followers on Instagram. “?a va, cher Karl?” (How are you, dear Karl? in English) is out on Jan. 27 for 19.90 euros.
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French fashion journalist Virginie Mouzat, best known for her stints at Vanity Fair France and as Le Figaro’s chief fashion critic, assisted Jondeau in writing the 220-page book and calls it “a story of fight, love, admiration and resilience.”
She posted the cover on her personal Instagram feed.
Never far from Lagerfeld’s elbow and a dashing figure in figure-hugging suits, Jondeau had his first brush with the famous designer as a 15-year-old from a rough-and-tumble Paris neighborhood conscripted to move some 18th-century furniture.
He would go on to strut his stuff in Chanel fashion shows and pose for Karl Lagerfeld men’s wear campaigns. An avid kickboxer who has fought professionally and trains intensively daily, the strapping Jondeau remains an ambassador for the Lagerfeld brand and a contributor to Fendi, where Lagerfeld designed ready-to-wear and furs for more than half a century.
His book unfurls as a series of non-chronological recollections over a span of almost three decades. Jondeau has a keen memory for details, and shares some painful moments when he discovers Lagerfeld’s health troubles, which started in June 2015, known to very few.
Several books are in the works about Lagerfeld, who died in February 2019 after an illustrious fashion career that turned him into a global icon.
See also:
Karl Lagerfeld CEO Pier Paolo Righi on Continuing After Karl
Sébastien Jondeau: From Bodyguard to Fashion Model
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