Iconic fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld passed away at the age of 85 on Tuesday, and the fashion world is paying their respects. Vogue editor-in-chief called him a “giant among men,” while Chanel CEO Alain Wertheimer said Lagerfeld was “ahead of his time.”
But an outside-the-box tribute posted by journalist Svenja O’Donnell, might just be the tribute of all tributes. At seven-years-old, O’Donnell collaborated with Lagerfeld on a rebellious, rule-breaking outfit. O’Donnell posted her memory on Twitter.
I have a very fond memory of @karllagerfeld which I’d like to share. As a child, I was invited to a 7th birthday party in one of Paris’s chicest neighbourhoods. The theme was fancy dress. Now, Paris is a place where people start dressing competitively from their infancy.— Svenja O’Donnell (@SvenjaODonnell) February 19, 2019
Choosing an outfit was no light-hearted matter; my mother fretted over it for days. My godmother, who was then working for Karl, whom she had known for many years, offered to help. She soon produced a beautiful yellow silk princess dress, sourced from offcuts from Chloe.— Svenja O’Donnell (@SvenjaODonnell) February 19, 2019
It was yellow, with jewels sewn into the edges of the collar and very beautiful. The problem was that, aged 7, I was a complete tomboy. I flatly refused to wear it. You see, I’d already set my heart on my outfit. I was going to go to this party dressed as a box.— Svenja O’Donnell (@SvenjaODonnell) February 19, 2019
I’m not entirely sure how the idea of the box came about. But when I was presented with my princess dress at my godmother’s workplace, I started to cry.— Svenja O’Donnell (@SvenjaODonnell) February 19, 2019
Faced with such monstrous ingratitude, my godmother calmly suggested I step in to Karl Lagerfeld’s office, so he could explain why I should not pass up the chance, aged 7, to wear a Chloe-designed princess dress.— Svenja O’Donnell (@SvenjaODonnell) February 19, 2019
Most busy, high flying people in this situation would probably have told me not to be brat, but he did no such thing. Instead, Karl got up from his desk and came to sit down on the floor beside me. He asked what I wanted to wear. “A box,” I said mutinously.— Svenja O’Donnell (@SvenjaODonnell) February 19, 2019
He sprang up and clapped his hands. “A wonderful idea!” he replied, beaming, and he really meant it. Within minutes, he’d got his assistant to bring a selection of boxes from the storeroom. We found one big enough to cover me and he helped me cut out holes for my head and arms.— Svenja O’Donnell (@SvenjaODonnell) February 19, 2019
I still remember what it looked like: it had a Lagerfeld fan on the front. We completed the outfit with a pair of red socks and white trainers.— Svenja O’Donnell (@SvenjaODonnell) February 19, 2019
I’ll always it as the day one of the world’s greatest designers, himself no stranger to tantrums, took an hour of his time to indulge the creativity of a child. It still gives me the courage, thirty years later, to have confidence in my ideas. Thanks again Karl; the box was a hit— Svenja O’Donnell (@SvenjaODonnell) February 19, 2019
Lagerfeld once referred to himself as “very much down to Earth. Just not this earth.” In the 1980s, the iconic fashion designer reinvented Chanel when he became the brand’s creative director. He was also the creative director of Fendi and founded his own Lagerfeld label. Lagerfeld’s style has been described as blend of “high fashion and high camp.” He is survived by his equally-iconic white cat Choupette.
Reddit user Girlfriendhatesmefor’s three-year-old pitbull, Otis, had recently become overprotective of his wife. So he asked the online community if they knew what might be wrong with the dog.
“A week or two ago, my wife got some sort of stomach bug,” the Reddit user wrote under the subreddit /r/dogs. “She was really nauseous and ill for about a week. Otis is very in tune with her emotions (we once got in a fight and she was upset, I swear he was staring daggers at me lol) and during this time didn’t even want to leave her to go on walks. We thought it was adorable!”
His wife soon felt better, butthe dog’s behavior didn’t change.
Girlfriendhatesmefor began to fear that Otis’ behavior may be an early sign of an aggression issue or an indication that the dog was hurt or sick.
So he threw a question out to fellow Reddit users: “Has anyone else’s dog suddenly developed attachment/aggression issues? Any and all advice appreciated, even if it’s that we’re being paranoid!”
The most popular response to his thread was by ZZBC.
Any chance your wife is pregnant?
ZZBC | Reddit
The potential news hit Girlfriendhatesmefor like a ton of bricks. A few days later, Girlfriendhatesmefor posted an update and ZZBC was right!
“The wifey is pregnant!” the father-to-be wrote. “Otis is still being overprotective but it all makes sense now! Thanks for all the advice and kind words! Sorry for the delayed reply, I didn’t check back until just now!”
Redditors responded with similar experiences.
Anecdotal I know but I swear my dog knew I was pregnant before I was. He was super clingy (more than normal) and was always resting his head on my belly.
realityisworse | Reddit
So why do dogs get overprotective when someone is pregnant?
Jeff Werber, PhD, president and chief veterinarian of the Century Veterinary Group in Los Angeles, told Health.com that “dogs can also smell the hormonal changes going on in a woman’s body at that time.” He added the dog may “not understand that this new scent of your skin and breath is caused by a developing baby, but they will know that something is different with you—which might cause them to be more curious or attentive.”
The big lesson here is to listen to your pets and to ask questions when their behavior abruptly changes. They may be trying to tell you something, and the news may be life-changing.
Throughout history, women have stood up and fought to break down barriers imposed on them from stereotypes and societal expectations. The trailblazers in these photos made history and redefined what a woman could be. In doing so, they paved the way for future generations to stand up and continue to fight for equality.
While conspiracy theories are not limited to any topic, there is one type of event that seems particularly likely to spark them: mass shootings, typically defined as attacks in which a shooter kills at least four other people.
When one person kills many others in a single incident, particularly when it seems random, people naturally seek out answers for why the tragedy happened. After all, if a mass shooting is random, anyone can be a target.
