Karl Gets Political, Calls French President’s Policies “Idiotic”

Whether you speak French fluently or can only just sing along with Lady Marmelade, you probably won't have a tough time guessing that Karl Lagerfeld isn't French President François Hollande's biggest fan: In this month's issue of Spanish Marie Claire, he called Hollande's fiscal policies, which involve a 75% income tax on those earning over a million euros a year, "imbécile."

To be clear, imbécile means idiotic as in "Hollande's policies are idiotic," and not "Hollande is an idiot," which many international news outlets mistranslated over the weekend (though an extrapolation from policy to policy creator isn't a huge mental leap). Editor in chief Joana Bonet asked Lagerfeld what he thought of the newly elected French President, and he replied, "He's disastrous. he wants to punish [the rich] and, of course, they're leaving. Nobody is investing. Foreigners don't want to invest any more in France — and this is not working. Besides, France — apart from fashion, jewelry, perfume, and wine — is not competitive. Nothing else sells. Who buys French cars? Not me."

Though Karl may not be a "salt of the Earth" type, he does know how to get himself involved with what sells. Fashion? Check. Jewelry? Check. Perfume? No.5 checks. So, we're thinking we should expect a Karl Cabernet Sauvignon in the future.... (WWD)