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Karl Lagerfeld Ushers in the Era of the ‘It’ Helmet

The most striking accessories on the runway in Paris for Karl Lagerfeld’s namesake collection were giant helmets, some of which came covered in mink. After their surprising showing in last month’s magazines, helmets are shaping up to be the hot new accessory for fall, maybe spring, which will make all those outdoor activities we’re looking forward to (and actually really do for real), like skateboarding, rock climbing, and cycling, safe and chic. So brace yourself for the era of the “It” helmet.

The Kaiser collaborated with luxury French helmet-maker (so those exist) Les Ateliers Ruby, and Apple Computer, on the helmets. They come complete with full carbon-fiber shells, ultra-soft nappa-lambskin linings, and an iPod hookup so you can pipe music to the earpieces. As France’s official road-safety advocate, the helmets are a natural step of Karl’s design evolution. At first these made us think of snowboarding helmets. But they are actually intended for scooter users. Luxist reports:

Apparently the haute helmets are Lagerfeld’s comment on the recessed economy. “Now everyone is on scooters, even chic women, so we had to do the helmet,” he explained. No word yet on when the helmets might be made available for sale or what their price would be.


And with that, Anna Wintour whizzed out of the building on her Chanel Segway. One or two egg-throwing PETA members may have been harmed, but Anna’s fur accessories — bob-concealing helmet included — remained yolk free.

Lagerfeld Debuts Mink-Covered iPod Helmets [Luxist]

See a slideshow of the complete fall 2009 Karl Lagerfeld collection.

Karl Lagerfeld Ushers in the Era of the ‘It’ Helmet