Choupette: The Fabulous Life of Karl Lagerfeld's Famous Cat

Fashion-inspired illustration celebrating Choupette, Karl Lagerfeld's famous blue-eyed cat

CHOU PETTE: THE FABULOUS FELINE MUSE OF KARL LAGERFELD

Some cats live ordinary lives.
And then there was Choupette.
With her fluffy cream-colored coat, enormous blue eyes and unmistakably regal expression, Choupette became one of the most famous cats in the world.
But she wasn't simply an internet-famous pet.
Choupette belonged to legendary fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, and during their years together she became his companion, his muse and a celebrity in her own right.
Her life included private jets, professional photo shoots, beauty collaborations, personal caretakers and meals served in a manner considerably more sophisticated than the average cat's dinner bowl.
In other words, Choupette was fabulous.
And I absolutely love her story.

WHO IS CHOUPETTE?
Choupette is a Birman, a beautiful breed known for its blue eyes, silky coat and pointed coloring.
Her relationship with Karl Lagerfeld began almost accidentally.
Choupette originally belonged to French model Baptiste Giabiconi. Lagerfeld looked after her while Giabiconi was traveling, and apparently the arrangement worked a little too well.
Lagerfeld fell in love with her.
Choupette ultimately remained with him, and an extraordinary relationship began.
The story has been widely recounted in fashion coverage of Lagerfeld's life, including accounts published after his death.

THE CAT WHO STOLE KARL LAGERFELD'S HEART
Karl Lagerfeld wasn't exactly known for being sentimental.
He cultivated an instantly recognizable public image: dark sunglasses, white hair pulled into a ponytail, high collars and fingerless gloves.
Behind closed doors, however, Choupette apparently had him completely wrapped around her little paw.
She lived with Lagerfeld in Paris and became a constant presence in his private life. In one of his later interviews about his home, Lagerfeld casually described the enormous studio-like space where he read, sketched — and where Choupette lived with him.
For someone who famously valued his privacy and independence, his attachment to this little cat was rather sweet.
He spoke about her frequently in interviews, and the fashion world became fascinated with her.

A VERY, VERY PAMPERED CAT
Calling Choupette spoiled might be an understatement.
Reports about her lifestyle became almost legendary.
She had caretakers. She traveled with Lagerfeld. She was photographed professionally. And according to people who actually knew her, she didn't simply eat her dinner from a bowl sitting on the kitchen floor.
Vogue reported in 2014 that Choupette had two nannies and did not eat from the floor.
Even some of the objects associated with her eventually became pieces of fashion history. When Lagerfeld's belongings were prepared for auction after his death, Vogue noted that the collection included the dishes from which Choupette had been served her food.
I can't help but appreciate a cat with her own tableware.

FROM PET TO FASHION MUSE
Choupette didn't remain simply Karl Lagerfeld's beloved pet.
She became part of his creative world.
Perhaps the perfect example came in 2014, when Japanese cosmetics company Shu Uemura created a holiday makeup collection inspired by her.
The collaboration was called Shupette.
Yes, a cat inspired an actual beauty collection.
The products and promotional world surrounding the collection transformed Choupette into a glamorous feline beauty muse, complete with Lagerfeld's own illustrations.
For a cat lover who also loves makeup and fashion, it really doesn't get much better than that.

CHOUPETTE BECOMES A CELEBRITY
Before long, Choupette had developed a public identity completely separate from simply being "Karl Lagerfeld's cat."
She appeared in fashion photography and advertising and even became the subject of a book.
She accumulated a huge following online.
Fashion magazines wrote about her.
Brands wanted to work with her.
And the combination was irresistible: one of the world's most famous fashion designers paired with an extraordinarily photogenic blue-eyed cat who seemed perfectly comfortable with luxury.
She wasn't just accompanying Lagerfeld's glamorous life.
She had become part of the mythology surrounding it.

DID CHOUPETTE REALLY INHERIT KARL LAGERFELD'S FORTUNE?
This is probably the most famous Choupette story of all.
After Lagerfeld died in 2019, rumors circulated that Choupette had inherited an enormous fortune from him.
You'll still see headlines describing her as one of the richest cats in the world.
The reality is considerably less clear.
The idea that Choupette inherited Lagerfeld's fortune has been widely reported as a rumor rather than an established fact. Even Vogue, when discussing her in connection with the 2023 Met Gala, described her as having been rumored to inherit his wealth.
So while it's fun to imagine Choupette sitting in a Paris apartment reviewing her investment portfolio between naps, I wouldn't treat the enormous-inheritance stories as confirmed fact.
She did, however, become commercially successful in her own right through appearances and collaborations during Lagerfeld's lifetime.

LIFE AFTER KARL
Karl Lagerfeld died on February 19, 2019.
The fashion world lost one of its most influential figures, but there was also an immediate question among Choupette's many fans:
What would happen to his beloved cat?
She continued to be cared for after his death and remained an enduring symbol of the more personal side of Lagerfeld's extraordinary life.
When the fashion world gathered in Paris for Lagerfeld's memorial, Choupette was represented in the celebration. Cara Delevingne participated in a tribute specifically honoring Lagerfeld's love for his Birman companion.

CHOUPETTE TAKES OVER THE MET GALA
Then came one of my favorite chapters.
The 2023 Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute exhibition celebrated Karl Lagerfeld's extraordinary career.
Naturally, Choupette couldn't be ignored.
At the accompanying Met Gala, several celebrities interpreted Lagerfeld's famous cat in spectacular fashion.
Doja Cat transformed herself into a glamorous feline-inspired version of Choupette.
Jared Leto went in a considerably less subtle direction and arrived wearing an enormous furry cat costume.
Lil Nas X also incorporated feline imagery into his look.
Among all the couture gowns and Lagerfeld references, somehow the cat managed to steal the show. Again.

WHY I LOVE CHOUPETTE'S STORY
Of course I love looking at Choupette because she is beautiful.
But that's not really why I find her story so charming.
What I love is what she seems to reveal about the relationship people can have with animals.
Karl Lagerfeld inhabited an extraordinary world of couture, photography, art, books, celebrities and luxury.
He worked with some of the most beautiful and famous people in the world.
And yet, when he went home, there was a fluffy blue-eyed cat waiting for him.
Vogue's accounts of his later years describe Choupette living alongside him among his books and the tools of his work.
There is something wonderfully human about that.
Cats don't care how important you are.
They don't care which celebrities you know, what you're wearing or whether the rest of the world thinks you're a genius.
To your cat, you're simply their person.
Maybe that's part of what made Choupette so special to Karl Lagerfeld.
And perhaps that's also why, after all the fashion collections, photographs, runway shows and extravagant stories, people still remember the great designer and his beautiful little cat.
Choupette wasn't merely an accessory to his fabulous life.
She was family.
And in true Choupette fashion, she became an icon along the way.
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- With love from Kittenberry Castle 🏰🐾