Designer Karl Lagerfeld is a fashion industry giant. The designer stands at the helm of not one, but three major fashion houses and consistently sends 8 collections down the runway each year. At 76 years old, one has to wonder when enough will be too much for the German icon. Every now and then the question flares up of what will happen with the legendary house of Chanel when Lagerfeld retires. The label consistently responds that they are not even thinking about a successor and that ol' Karl has a long-term contract. That might be decent PR for the brand, but it's hard to believe that they haven't at least given it a thought or two. How could they not? The latest rumors name Lanvin's Alber Elbaz as the next master of Chanel. It would be interesting to see how Elbaz would marry his style with the Chanel aesthetic, but according to label reps it's not to be. "Retirement is not one of the topics with which I deal," Lagerfeld said last year.

By Mary Egbula, www.eightyjane.com

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