Beth Ditto Blasts Karl Lagerfeld For Fat Comments
Note to Karl Lagerfeld: You might want to send a truckload of Chanel handbags to Beth Ditto too.
The feisty Gossip singer is none too impressed with the designer's comment about Adele being "a little too fat," which he later apologized for by sending the Grammy winner a stash of designer bags.
In a new interview with The Cut, Ditto takes Lagerfeld to task for his insensitive remarks. Brace yourself, Karl.
"First of all, Karl Lagerfeld is not even sane," she says. "Second of all, he’s not the end-all, be-all of what he does. He’s really talented, but that doesn’t mean he’s right. Third, Karl Lagerfeld used to be this really fat, eccentric dude. He always had that fat kid fan with him, too. To me, only a person who was fat could get away with saying something like that."
Drama! Ditto—who says her fashion icon is "literally, a drag queen who ate dog s**t" (aka Divine in John Waters' Pink Flamingos—also opens up about her goal of creating a new plus-size line following her past collaboration with British retailer Evans.
"I wish there was more control in that line, but there wasn’t," she says of the Evans experience. "It was really fun, but the things that I really wanted couldn’t be turned around in time. It was made in India, which caused a lot of conflict for me. I really want to do my own line that’s ethically made, and I can do whatever the fuck I want with it.
"I also want to start an online vintage store, kind of like Re/Dress [a now-closed plus-size retailer]. I want to do a 'buy the outfit' function, and I want to show how outfits look on all kinds of different body types, even boys and butches. It’s high concept, and I don’t have time. I’d need to find someone to work with me on it, but I’m also very controlling about this, just like I am with Gossip stuff."
In terms of the designs, Ditto says she'd veer away from the kooky domino prints she did for Evans.
"It wouldn’t be crazy designs—it would be simple," she insists. "I want to make the IKEA of clothes for fat girls and boys. Cheap, affordable, basic—but ethically made. Basics, you know? Like Spanx—I’m still confused as to why retailers haven’t ripped them off yet and done it well. It’s because they don’t understand the basics behind it. I love Spanx. I’m wearing ‘em right now!"
Oh, and for anyone wondering how to wear Spanx comfortably, Ditto has this insider tip: Buy a size larger.
Gutsy and genius? Love it.
