Karl Lagerfeld's quick wit and silver tongue are as notorious as Chanel's quilted handbag. This book is a cornucopia of his Karlisms: cultivated, unpredictable, provocative, sometimes shocking, but always impossible to ignore. Karl Lagerfeld is a modern master of couture.

While simultaneously running Chanel, Fendi, and his own eponymous fashion house, he has consistently re-invented trends on the catwalk and in the street for half a century. His wise, surprising statements pop up like offbeat news flashes and are regularly seized upon by fashionistas, acolytes, and sages the world over. Here, in his own deadpan words, are his exacting opinions on everything-from fashion, style, women, and Chanel to fame, life, and books.

This is the ultimate repertoire of wit and wisdom from fashion's sharpest pin.

"I only know how to play one role: me."
"Think pink. But don't wear it."
"I like everything to be washable, myself included."
"Change is the healthiest way to survive."
"I don't recommend myself as a guest."
"There is one thing I love on earth: to learn."