Karl Lagerfeld and Paris’s Most Pampered Pussycat

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Karl Lagerfeld and Paris’s Most Pampered Pussycat
In the wake of iconic fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld’s death, there is a glamorously dressed heiress poised to inherit millions of euros of profits from his Chanel, Fendi and own-label empires. She has a penchant for pearls, caviar, foie gras, antique lace bed-sheets and four-figure designer handbags – yet this is no mistress and those luxurious bags are not storage spaces but rather somewhere convenient to take a nap. Welcome to the surreal world of Paris’s most pampered pussycat – Choupette. Lagerfeld raised the perfectly arched eyebrows of every fashion model on his catwalk when he – hopefully jokingly – announced that he wanted to marry his cat. Yet what is the story behind the seven-year-old Birman, who pre-dates even Grumpy Cat? Originally the pet of male fashion model Baptiste Giabiconi, Lagerfeld laid claim to her after a short stay at his home and then refused to part with her when he left. “I’m sorry,” he recalled saying to her bewildered owner, “but Choupette is mine!”           View this post on Instagram                       A post shared by Choupette Lagerfeld (@choupettesdiary) on Aug 7, 2017 at 9:53am PDT Her adoptive “daddy” then set about making her an internet star, with her own website, fashion merchandise and makeup collaborations. Naturally, she does not actually wear the mascara she markets, although rumor has it that beauty treatments for the pampered puss have included dying her whiskers to exactly match the color of her fur. Clearly, Choupette has diva credentials. She eats only gourmet food, travels exclusively by private jet and has her own trust fund, not to mention stars in a book devoted to her – Choupette: The Private Life of A High-Flying Fashion Cat. Plus while, in his lifetime, Lagerfeld boasted a personal library of over 100,000 books, his feline friend acquired roughly two Instagram followers for every title in his collection. Despite being a social media star, the photos that exist of this kitty go far beyond the 737 on her account – in fact, Lagerfeld had been accustomed to receiving hourly picture updates throughout the day from one of her two designated maids. View this post on Instagram

Lead photo credit : Photo: Official Leweb Photos, Flickr

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Chloe Govan is an award-winning writer and channel-hopping Francophile with a penchant for Parisian life. After achieving degrees in Psychology and Magazine Journalism and working as a travel editor and columnist, she developed her freelance career, during which she authored 11 books. Whether she is sleeping in a bubble under the stars in the forests around Marseille or horse-back riding with the chateaux of the Loire Valley as a backdrop, her heart can often be found somewhere in France.

Comments

  • Bear Kosik
    2019-03-22 07:37:17
    Bear Kosik
    Such a lovely piece and informative as well. Monsieur Lagerfeld's acquisition method gives a whole new meaning to catnapping.

    REPLY

  • Lily
    2019-03-21 23:36:30
    Lily
    Chloe, you are absolutely stunning!

    REPLY