Meryl Streep has hit out at designer Karl Lagerfeld after he accused her of rejecting one of his dresses for the Oscars because another designer was willing to pay her. The Chanel creative director later said he had 'misunderstood' the situation, but the actress has not accepted his apology.
In a statement, Streep said she did not take the matter lightly and that Lagerfeld's 'generic statement' of regret was not an apology. She also criticised fashion website WWD, which originally reported his comments. 'He lied, they printed the lie, and I am still waiting,' she said.
The dispute began when WWD published an interview in which Lagerfeld claimed he had started work on a dress for Streep to wear to the Academy Awards but was told by one of her representatives that they had found someone who would pay her. He referred to Streep as 'a genius actress, but cheapness also, no?'
Lagerfeld later issued a statement admitting he had 'misunderstood' and regretted the controversy. However, Streep, who received her 20th Oscar nomination this year for Florence Foster Jenkins, said the designer had defamed her, her stylist, and the designer whose dress she chose.
She added that the story had overwhelmed her appearance at the Oscars and eclipsed her record-breaking nomination in the eyes of the media, her colleagues, and the audience.
