Welcome to this week’s instalment of Amanda Zips It Up.
It sounds random, but in this issue we start off with news about the world’s richest and most fashionable CAT… (not mine I hasten to add), owned by the late legendary German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. We’re talking Chopette, the blue-cream tortie-Birman moggie, who inherited $1.5 million when Karl passed away in 2019 at the age of 85.
The logistics of leaving loads of cash to a pet is a grey area in France, where Choupette resides in her own Parisian penthouse overlooking the Arc De Triomphe.
Karl could have left all his money to a caretaker or a non-profit foundation who would care for Choupette , but he didn’t. Choupette got the lot and it’s not known exactly how the feline will spend her inheritance.
It turns out that it has become increasingly popular for the ultra-wealthy to leave behind their millions to their pets.
Choupette is now richer than most people on the planet. She eats out of designer bowls, her diet mainly consisting of Kibble – the world’s most expensive catfood – and sleeps in the softest of beds – all whilst gazing at the Paris skyline..
If she has to travel, she’s held in a Louis Vuitton Cat Carrier and flies on private jets ONLY. Most recently, she was flown to the exclusive MET GALA fashion event in NYC but opted for a nap throughout – although the event referenced her presence many times. Actor Jared Leto even dressed as Choupette.
I won’t get involved further with the legalities of wealth inheritance, suffice to say I’m not that interested (even where cats are involved). But what fascinated me this week was a story about the former Editor of French Vogue Carine Roitfeld, who claims Choupette ‘attacked her’ – perhaps in search of some kind of legal payout, following on from Kim Kardashian. Kim wanted to take Choupette to The Met Gala as her date (perhaps on a “rebound date” following her divorce from Kanye West) but Choupette took a clawed swipe at her, and the media reports that Kim is claiming millions of dollars in damages. Kim says she just ‘wanted to get to know the cat’ but Choupette simply wasn’t interested. There was a lot of ‘hissing’ involved.
Whilst Karl was alive, he tried to investigate the possibility of ‘marrying’ his beloved pet but unfortunately French law doesn’t allow it.
As ever, fashion never fails to shock.
Onto this week…
