Having It Both Ways : Lagerfeld’s Hemlines Go Up and Down at Fashion Benefit

Karl Lagerfeld’s widely publicized $160 Chanel ladies’ jockey shorts--coming soon to a store near you--were another subject for another day.

On Tuesday, the international fashion lord, here from Paris for one day, gave some attention to another of his children, his lesser-known Karl Lagerfeld line, shown that evening at a benefit party at Neiman Marcus. Besides his collection and his work for Chanel, he also designs for Fendi and is reviving Chloe.

Aside from a trip to Tower Records and a visit to a collector of original Chanel suits, the designer had spent most of the day in a very pink suite at the Hotel Bel-Air, soaking up L.A. as if it were a magazine photograph.

“In fact, I don’t want to see too much,” he said. “I like my movie version of L.A. seen from the Bel-Air. For me, California is a David Hockney painting. He gives the final optical vision of California. I don’t care what things are. I don’t want to know too much. I prefer to imagine.”

That evening, the ponytailed Lagerfeld, who is deep into the 18th Century, wore a cameo tie tack with his black Yamamoto suit and paraphrased Voltaire when it came to the collection that bears his name.

“Anything that needs an explanation isn’t worth an explanation,” he said.

“Look , “ he exhorted.

He’d brought along his entire weird, wonderful world--the spring / summer ’93 Karl Lagerfeld collection of fishnet bell-bottoms and matching babushkas, floating layers of black chiffon miniskirts over chiffon trousers and ankle-length skirts so tight they made hobblers out of half a dozen of the world’s most glorious models, including Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell and Marpessa.

Admiring it all, and seated stage center, was one of Lagerfeld’s best customers and closest friends, New Yorker Susan Gutfreund.

Wearing a Chanel couture gray boucle jacket and semi-sheer black pajama pants, Gutfreund explained the designer’s see-through theme:

“Karl understands the message of the times. People want a lighter feeling with everything going on in the world. The world is heavy, so you want to wear something light, don’t you think?”

The show and party, a benefit for SHARE (Share Happily and Reap Endlessly, a charity that serves children) attracted a diverse audience, from Sandra Bernhard (in leather) to Milton Berle (wool), no doubt Lagerfeld fans all.

“I think he’s the most innovative designer around,” said Linda Balahoutis, dressed in half Chanel, half Donna Karan. “A lot of designers try so hard to be different. He just is different.”

“Karl is a good buddy of mine,” said photographer Herb Ritts, who recently spent a week house-guesting at Lagerfeld’s place in Monte Carlo. “We just hit it off. It wasn’t like, see you for lunch. He said, ‘You must go to my house in Monte Carlo.’ ”

Esther Rosenfield, a co-founder of California Pizza Kitchen, was wearing a new Lagerfeld suit which she had shortened, guilt free, to several inches above the knee.

Lagerfeld, who was one of the first designers to give his seal of approval to long lengths, was philosophical and perhaps tired of defending the still-controversial hemline. “There’s not one answer. There’s 3 million questions,” he said.

“One can wear short and long, it depends on the legs,” he continued. “It depends on your ambitions, on your boyfriends’ ambitions or your husbands’ ambitions. It depends on the kind of person you want to impress.

“The key,” he explained, is “Be yourself.”