At the end of January 1983, the highlight of Paris's haute couture spring-summer collections week was Karl Lagerfeld's debut show for Chanel. Since the death of its founder 12 years earlier, the Rue Cambon fashion house had been without artistic direction. The show concluded with a round of applause, marking the beginning of an adventure that would span nearly four decades. The 49-year-old German caused a sensation with his black and white silhouettes – an expression of strict austerity.

But Lagerfeld himself (who passed away in 2019) lived a life far less monastic and far more Monegasque. Since 1981, Lagerfelt had not been living in France, but in the sunny, tax-friendly Principality. His apartment, perched in a 27-story high-rise called Le Roccabella, was filled with colors and surprising forms: tables and chairs that looked like children's building toys, judo tatami instead of a conventional living room, a vanity lit like the marquee of an American movie theater and deconstructed bookshelves and dressers.

These pieces were designed by Ettore Sottsass, Michele De Lucchi, Matteo Thun and Marco Zanini. All members of a movement that caused a stir in Milan: Memphis. In 1981, led by Sottsass, they formed a joyful current that embraced form over function and eccentricity over restraint. Their inaugural exhibition, held at the Arc'74 gallery in Milan, made headlines – though it did not boost sales. Fashion editor Anna Piaggi brought her friend Karl to the show, who, enchanted by it, bought everything. That same year, a Socialist president was elected in France, and Lagrefeld had just acquired his Monaco apartment, being close to the princely family, especially Princess Caroline. The decor was a perfect fit.

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