22 of the Most Outrageous Things Karl Lagerfeld Has Ever Said

"When I was four, I asked my mother for a valet for my birthday. I wanted my clothes prepared so I could wear anything I wanted at any time of the day. I was a clothes freak. And I was mad for dressing differently at least four times a day."

— in WWD Profiles

"I worked out when I was very young and then one day I was bored to death by it. I did it before other people did it. I did it in the '60s and late '50s."

— in Vice

"Because in the old protocol, it is impolite to say hello to somebody who is wearing gloves. And you know I cannot sketch if I have leather here [on my fingertips]. It also makes the arm longer. And you know what it means in French to have a long arm? It means you are influential."

— in M Magazine

"With my hairdo, I can't wear hoods."

— in M Magazine

"I don't believe in lifetime achievement. For me it is all about the next collection."

— in 2002 CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award

"You were never told that Saint-Tropez is paradise?"

— in singer Jean-Roch's music video "Saint-Tropez," where he plays an all-white-clad heavenly father

"I'm very much down to earth, just not this earth."

"There is no marriage, yet, for human beings and animals. I never thought that I would fall in love like this with a cat."

— in an interview with CNN's Alina Cho

"Those social networks, there's something sad about them . . . It's like a talkative mirror where people talk to themselves. And what I hate most in life is selfies."

— in WWD

"I am sort of a vampire, taking the blood of other people."

— in Vogue UK

"The most important piece in the house is the garbage can."

— in Vogue

"They grow so fast, and having adult children makes you look 100 years old. I don't want that."

— in Vogue UK

"If someone gives me a to-do list, I say 'thank you, this is nice.' One needs things to throw in the wastebasket."

— on his site

"I think tattoos are horrible. It's like living in a Pucci dress full time. If you're young and tight, maybe it's OK, but . . ."

— in Vogue UK

"Normally, I don't recommend me for wedding dresses — they all get a divorce."

— in Vogue UK

"I design like I breathe. You don't ask to breathe. It just happens."

— in a behind-the-scenes collaboration video