Adele 'too fat' says fashion mogul Karl Lagerfeld

He's the toast of the catwalk, but when it comes to dishing out compliments, outspoken fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld is no silver-tongued charmer.

The Chanel supremo, who's been known to dispense with an opinion or two, served as the guest editor of Paris' Metro newspaper on Monday and offered up his opinions on the news of the day.

Asked what he thought of American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey, who's been notching up some serious column inches of late, Lagerfeld, 78, had some not so flattering things to say about soul chanteuse Adele.

"I prefer Adele and Florence Welch. But as a modern singer she is not bad," he said of Del Rey, who was recently lampooned on Saturday Night Live after her much maligned performance on the show three weeks ago.

"The thing at the moment is Adele," Lagerfeld said, while adding, "She is a little too fat, but she has a beautiful face and a divine voice."

Talk about a barbed, backhanded compliment.

"Lana Del Rey is not bad at all," he continued. "She looks very much like a modern-time singer. In her photos she is beautiful. Is she a construct with all her implants? She's not alone with implants."

Eh?

Largefeld, who once famously said, "No one wants to see curvy women", also chimed in on the buzz following naughty hip-hop star MIA's birdie-flipping at the Super Bowl.

"Nowadays people give the middle finger quite quickly - it's not the best behaviour," he opined. "Everybody does that, what's new about that? It's just become a bad habit. People in magazines are 50 per cent bimbo and 50 per cent pregnant women."

And he didn't stop there. He also shared his thoughts on Russian men. He's not so keen.

"If I was a woman in Russia I would be a lesbian, as the men are very ugly," he remarked. "There are a few handsome ones, like Naomi Campbell's boyfriend [billionaire Vladimir Doronin], but there you see the most beautiful women and the most horrible men."

On the Greek economic crisis: "Greece needs to work on a cleaner image. It's a big problem, as [Greeks] have this reputation of being so corrupt.

"You can't be sure the money will go where it's supposed to go. They need to build trust, and that takes time too. Nobody wants Greece to disappear, but they have really disgusting habits - Italy as well."

On being politically correct: "Be politically correct, but don't become a bore for that. People should be sensitive in these matters, but not make so much noise. Be politically correct, but do we have to know your opinion?"

On the Obamas, and Barack's recent comments that he deserves re-election: "Yes he does [deserve to be re-elected], especially because of Mrs. Obama," he said.

"I'm a big fan of Mrs. Obama - and her face, I think, is magical. He would not be there without her. Mrs. Obama is not a fashion statement, but she has other things to do."

He continued: "My favourite thing about Mrs. Obama was when she was asked if her skirt was not too tight and she answered 'Why you don't like my big black a**?' I want [Barack] Obama to win because there is nothing better anyway, and especially because of her."

Incidentally, "Mrs. Obama never made that statement," says Kristina Schake, Michelle Obama's director of communications, according to the Huffington Post.

On never voting: "I never voted in my life. I will never vote. I know too much about politics from what's going on backstage. To vote you have to believe all that garbage that they promise you, and they can't keep those promises. If someone gave me an Obama pin, I would just put it on."

Adele has previously said she is comfortable with her fuller figure and maintains a positive self-image.

She told Vogue last year: "I enjoy being me; I always have done. I've seen people where it rules their lives, you know, who want to be thinner or have bigger boobs, and how it wears them down. And I just don't want that in my life.

"It's just never been an issue, at least, I've never hung out with the sort of horrible people who make it an issue.

"I have insecurities of course, but I don't hang out with anyone who points them out to me."

In related Adele news ...

Former Oasis star Noel Gallagher isn't convinced the Grammy award-winning songbird's success will last.

He tells Live magazine (via Metro UK), "I feel sorry for girls in the music industry. They do have a very short shelf life. For instance, Duffy: who? Gone. She was massive. And I don't doubt for a second that the same thing will happen to Adele."

Adele's second album, 21, was the top-selling album of 2011 in both the UK and US.

The British belter is set to perform at this Sunday's Grammys, following a period of vocal rest after her recent throat surgery. She's up for a total of six awards on the big night.

She said on Twitter of her return behind the mic: "Ima be, Ima be singing at the Grammys. It's been so long I started to forget I was a singer! I can't wait, speak soon xx."

Watch Adele perform Set Fire to the Rain below:

Update: Lagerfeld backpedals on Adele remarks. He tells Metro:

"I'd like to say to Adele that I am your biggest admirer. Sometimes when you take a sentence out of the article it changes the meaning of the thought. What I said was in relation to Lana Del Rey and the sentence has since been taken out of context from how it was originally published.

"I actually prefer Adele, she is my favourite singer and I am a great admirer of her. I lost over 30 kilos over 10 years ago and have kept it off. I know how it feels when the press is mean to you in regards to your appearance.

"Adele is a beautiful girl. She is the best. And I can't wait for her next CD."

What do you think of Lagerfeld's comments? Share your thoughts below.

Blogger's briefs

And finally ... feast your peepers on this lot:

* Madonna "livid" with MIA after her one finger salute at Sunday's Super Bowl. 'Course she is.

* Beyonce makes first post-baby appearance. While bub Blue Ivy Carter's nannies (all six of them) are knee-deep in nappies.

* Playing it coy: "I didn't know where to look!" says shy David Beckham when his flesh-flashing tight whites commercial aired during the Super Bowl.

* Kylie Minogue calls cops on "deluded weirdo" from Twitter.

* Kris Humphries hits back at critics of Kim Kardashian marriage. "To me it was real," the New Jersey Nets player says. "I would never go through something or do something that wasn't real or I didn't believe in, so I can really only speak for myself in terms of that."

He's looking at you, KK.

* Justin Bieber's bodyguard fights pushy paparazzo.

* New Spider-Man extended trailer hits the net. Check out the 3D reboot of the web-slinging franchise below:

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