Karl Lagerfeld Threw Shade at Adele, Princess Diana and Other Celebs Before Meryl Streep

The German head designer and creative director of Chanel has been outspoken about his negative thoughts about some of the most famous women in the world

By Corinne Heller Feb 24, 2017 6:06 PMTags

Meryl Streep isn't the only celebrity Karl Lagerfeld dissed publicly.

The outspoken German head designer and creative director of Chanel, known for his white hair and dark sunglasses, recently told WWD just before Sunday's 2017 Oscars that the Oscar-winning actress, who is nominated for the 20th time this year, had ordered a custom-made gown from his most recent couture collection.

He said that after his people began to work on it, her camp later canceled the order, saying, "We found somebody who will pay us." Lagerfeld said Chanel has a policy of not paying people who wear its designs, adding, "A genius actress, but cheapness also, no?"

Streep's rep said the story was "completely untrue," adding that the star "would NEVER wear anything in exchange for payment."

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Karl Lagerfeld's Most Outrageous Quotes
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Check out some of the other celebs Lagerfeld has thrown shade at over the years:

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Adele: In 2012, Lagerfeld served as a guest editor for Metro at the newspaper's Paris office. He was asked his thoughts on singer Lana del Rey.

"I prefer Adele and Florence Welch," he said. "But as a modern singer she is not bad. The thing at the moment is Adele. She is a little too fat, but she has a beautiful face and a divine voice."

Following a backlash over his comments, including criticism from Madonna, the designer apologized.

He later told Metro, "I'd like to say to Adele that I am your biggest admirer. Sometimes when you take a sentence out of the article it changes the meaning of the thought."

"What I said was in relation to Lana Del Rey and the sentence has since been taken out of context from how it was originally published," he said. "I actually prefer Adele, she is my favorite singer and I am a great admirer of her. I lost over 30 kilos over 10 years ago and have kept it off. I know how it feels when the press is mean to you in regards to your appearance. Adele is a beautiful girl. She is the best. And I can't wait for her next CD."

In 2013, Lagerfeld told CNN, "I never said that she was fat, I said that she was a little roundish; a little roundish is not fat. But for such a beautiful girl, after that she lost eight kilo [17.6 pounds] so I think the message was not that bad."

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Lana Del Rey: "Lana Del Rey is not bad at all," Lagerfeld told Metro. "She looks very much like a modern-time singer. In her photos, she is beautiful. Is she a construct with all her implants? She's not alone with implants."

Del Rey has never confirmed getting any implants. It is often speculated she has used lip fillers.

"I haven't had anything done at all," she told Complex in 2011. "Anyone who's known me will tell you that. I'm sorry, but I was living in a trailer park for a few years. I didn't even have enough money to buy Cocoa Puffs. It's not like I crawled from under the bridge and got surgery. I'm quite pouty. That's just how I look when I sing."

The singer told The New York TimesT magazine in 2012, "They're real lips, I mean. In real life my lips don't look that big. I think because I cartoonized the footage of myself in the video for "Video Games," things look exaggerated."

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Pippa Middleton: "Kate Middleton has a nice silhouette and she is the right girl for that boy [Prince William]. I like that kind of woman, I like romantic beauties. On the other hand, the sister struggles," The Sun quoted Lagerfeld as saying in 2012.

 "I don't like the sister's face," the designer continued. "She should only show her back."

He later clarified his remarks, telling Grazia, "'I didn't mean that! I only meant I don't think her make-up is right; she has a roundish face and round eyes and she should pick another make-up for the eyes."

Kate Middleton: "I think Carole [Middleton] is very sexy. I think the mother is sexier than the daughters," Lagerfeld continued.

In 2013, he told CNN, when asked if he does not like Pippa's face, "No, I think her sister looks better."

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Princess Diana: Oh yes he did.

"She was pretty and she was sweet, but she was stupid," Lagerfeld told New York Magazine in 2006 about the beloved late princess, mother of Kate's husband.

Lagerfeld had met Diana before her 1997 death and had also attended her funeral.

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The Best Royal Wedding Dresses of All Time
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Heidi Klum: "I don't know Heidi Klum. She was never known in France," Lagerfeld told GQ Germany in 2009.

"I don't know why [Lagerfeld] said that," Klum told Page Six magazine. "Maybe he wanted to be in the paper? Maybe he doesn't understand what I do? It's bizarre to me that he says he doesn't know who I am because he's dressed me in the past. I've worn Karl Lagerfeld."

"People can say whatever they want to say," the model added. "You can't please everybody, and you can't live your life wanting to please everybody either."

Three years later, Klum and the designer hung out together at amfAR's Cinema Against AIDS event.

Seal: Also in 2009, The Sun quoted Lagerfeld as saying about Klum' then-husband, "I am no dermatologist but I wouldn't want his skin. Mine looks better than his. He is covered in craters."

The Kiss From a Rose singer suffers from discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE), a chronic skin condition.

Lagerfeld has, however, said nice things about stars.

In 2015, he told The New York TimesT magazine that his ideal of the perfect woman was actress Julianne Moore.

"I just think she's great. Her whole life; the way she is in life," he said. "And Jessica Chastain—she's great, too. Of the younger generation, I love Kristen Stewart. She is gifted. She looks tough but in fact she's the nicest person in the world."