Eccentricity permeates The Mysterious Mr Lagerfeld, a new documentary about the fashion icon which focuses largely on figuring out who the heir is to his £150m fortune. Given that Karl Lagerfeld’s will remains legally unresolved, the question of his estate is mostly met with variations of the same vague and non-committal answer. An amusing prime candidate to benefit is Choupette, Lagerfeld’s breathtakingly beautiful Birman cat, but perhaps too much airtime is given to teasing out this suggestion to no avail. Nevertheless, it does intriguingly emerge that 33-year-old model Baptiste Giabiconi (former face of the fashion brand who Lagerfeld wanted to adopt as his son) will be a leading beneficiary. 

Through archival footage, we get to know a Lagerfeld who is captivating, quick-witted and capable of deep, unconventional attachments with his collaborators. We meet the people who were profoundly touched by his creativity and vast generosity, including his models and employees. On a less intimate level, an interview with Lagerfeld’s nosy yet likeable Parisian neighbour demonstrates the immense intrigue surrounding the fashion legend, though it does little to drive the programme forward. 

Beyond the question of that estate, the documentary gleans that Lagerfeld was not without his controversies, dedicating time to examine his fatphobia but not his disrespect toward the #MeToo movement. It amounts to an enjoyable Sunday afternoon watch rather than a detailed exploration of the man behind the sunglasses.

Available now on BBC iPlayer.