In the wake of Karl Lagerfeld’s passing, Minnie Muse sat down with the feline heir to the late designer’s hefty fortune. Read highlights from our fantasy interview with fashion’s famed kitty cat, where we discussed Choupette’s strict diet, her Zaha Hadid cat tree, how she learned to use an iPad, and which asset she has most to thank for her slew of notable endorsement deals...
Name: Choupette Lagerfeld
Owner: Karl Lagerfeld
Age: 7 Years old
Breed: Birman
Karl Lagerteld and Choupette, 2018
Minnie Muse: What is your zodiac sign?
Choupette Lagerfeld: I was born on August 19, 2011 and I am the quintessential Leo – I love the limelight, crave attention and exude an air of royalty
MM: Where do you sleep?
CL: When mon père first brought me home I was immediately drawn to the sleek curves of his Zaha Hadid Moon System Sofa. I loved it so much that he commissioned her design a custom cat tree for me that looks like a miniature spaceship. It sits prominently in its own room at home with views overlooking the Seine.
Zaha Hadid
Moon System Sofa, 2007
Karl Lagerfeld and Zaha Hadid
In the Chanel Mobile Art container, 2008
MM: What are your favorite toys?
CL: When I was very young mon père taught me how to use an iPad. He downloaded a variety of viewing material for me, my favorite being the 1970s animated film The Aristocats. I model my life after the main character Duchess, played by Hungarian-American actress, singer, and socialite, Eva Gabor.
MM: When you are not watching movies, do you enjoy reading?
CL: I published a book in 2014 called ‘Choupette: The Private Life of a High-Flying Cat’. I referrer to it often and have gifted it to all of my closest friends and companions.
MM: Do you have a favorite work of art?
CL: I recently went on a weekend trip to Madrid and spent the afternoon at the Prado. Las Meninas by Velázquez is the painting that I most strongly resonate with – I very much am the Infanta in the center wearing white, with everyone fussing around her.
Choupette Lagerfeld
Using an iPad
The Aristocats, 1970
Choupette: The Private Life of a High-Flying Cat, 2014
Diego Velázquez
Las Meninas, 1656-1657
MM: Out of what type of bowl do you eat?
CL: I eat lunch and dinner at the table off of Goyard silver plates.
MM: What is your current diet?
CL: I have maintained my ideal weight of 3.5 kilos since reaching my adult size. I am very body conscious and have four dishes prepared for me daily made from the freshest of ingredients or else I get bloated, tired and temperamental.
MM: When no eating at home, where is your favorite place to dine out?
CL: Café de Flore is my home-away-from-home for late night meals when we leave the Chanel atelier. I have a set order called the 'deconstructed Choupette club sandwich,’ which they serve to me on individual plates.
Choupette Eating
Goyard
Hard Case Food Bowl
MM: Do you have a cat carrier?
CL: I travel around Paris in a retrofit Louis Vuitton cat carrier, and a similar style by Goyard for longer trips to match mon père’s custom trunks.
MM: Being the cat of a famous designer, do you have a favorite pair of shoes?
CL: Classic Chanel two-tone slingbacks. Coco Chanel first introduced the shoe style in 1957, originally designed in beige with a black toe, in order to elongate the woman’s leg and make the foot appear smaller. Mon père made me miniature versions in white and black to match the color of my hair.
Choupette
Goyard
Cat Accessories
Chanel
Two-Tone Slingbacks
MM: Do you wear Jewelry?
CL: Of course, for my first birthday mon père surprised me with a vintage Cartier gold Sardine Tin pendant from the 1970s, inscribed with my initials.
MM: And what about perfume?
CL: I wear Chanel N°5. After learning that the late Isabella Blow would wash her desk down at Vogue with Chanel N°5 everyday before leaving the office, I instructed my staff to do the same with my bowls and toys. I live the life of a kept woman.
Cartier
Sardine Necklace
Chanel N°5
Perfume
MM: What is your favorite mode of transportation?
CL: As an ambassador for the German automobile manufacturer Opel, a subsidiary of General Motors, I’m inclined to say the Opel Corsa in classic black; its miniature design makes for the purrrfect city car.
MM: How do you unwind?
CL: Every season following the Chanel show Mon père arranges for me to go on a Parisian ‘staycation’ to the Choupette Room at the Hôtel de Crillon. Their personalized Choupette pillows are the perfect size and stuffed with the ideal ratio of feathers and down to support my delicate head.
Choupette
On an Opel Corsa
The Choupette Room
At the Hôtel de Crillon, Paris
MM: What is your favorite downtime activity?
CL: I have two personal maids who take turns routinely brushing me four times a day.
MM: Do you have a cat-sitter?
CL: I originally belonged to French model Baptiste Giabiconi before mon père adopted me on Christmas in 2011 when I was six months old. Baptiste is one of the few people whose company I enjoy.
MM: What do you consider your best asset?
CL: I have been told that my eyes are the most opulent shade of sky blue that they have inspired both a Chanel collection and an entire range of makeup for cosmetics brand Shu Uemura.
