Karl Lagerfeld's ponytail and sunglasses made up his signature look. A shirt with a high collar, coat and tie, leather gloves and up to 30 rings on his fingers were just as indispensable. His unmistakable silhouette adorns the logo of his eponymous fashion label.

"I just can't stop buying books," Lagerfeld once said. They were all over his home. His bed was surrounded by towers of book and shelves line the walls, leaving little room for pictures. Lagerfeld's collection included about 300,000 books, mainly illustrated books on fashion and art, history and philosophy as well as essays and poems. The latter were his favorite.

Fashion, books — and then there was his third great passion: his cat, Choupette. The famous "cat who refuses to eat from the floor" has her own staff, Facebook and Twitter accounts and inspired two Chanel collections. "There is something unforgettable about her," Lagerfeld said. "She is an inspiration for elegance, for posture."

Choupette was by no means Lagerfeld's only muse. Beginning in 1990, he boosted the international top model career of Claudia Schiffer (photo). Baptiste Giabiconi was another source of inspiration. Lagerfeld photographed the young French model himself, and presented the results in illustrated books and exhibitions.

In 1987, Lagerfeld took over some of the camerawork for his agency because the advertising campaigns for Chanel didn't always meet his high aesthetic standards. He shot numerous Chanel campaigns, photographed stars including Nicole Kidman, did fashion portraits for Vogue and made short films for Fendi and other fashion houses. In the above photo, Choupette stars in a campaign for Opel.

Sweatpants are a sign of defeat, Lagerfeld famously claimed. People lose control of their lives and "go out on the street in sweatpants," he added. That was probably not true for the Chanel variety he designed in 2014 as part of a campaign targeting "leisure activities with a professional background," which was, in fact, how Lagerfeld described his job. "Standing on an assembly line, that's work."

Lagerfeld's looks, his quick tongue, his muses and the cult surrounding his Burmese cat were enough to make him a brand in his own right. But first and foremost, he was the soul of the house of Chanel. He had been creating haute couture and pret-a-porter collections up throughout his life. He died on February 19, 2019, at the age of 85.

For Chanel's presentation at the Paris Fashion Week, the Grand Palais was transformed into a ski resort, complete with mock Swiss chalets and artificial snow. The presentation featured Lagerfeld's final collection for the label, the Fall/Winter 2019-2020 women's ready-to-wear line. The location, with its spectacular dome, has often featured the label's awe-inspiring sets.

Penelope Cruz joined the Chanel family last autumn, but this was the actor's catwalk debut. Wearing a fluffy skirt and a ruffled top, Cruz held a white rose in her hand, a tribute to her close friend who died on February 19. "There will always be a place in my heart for you, my dear Karl," she wrote on Instagram after his death.

The white rose was also a motif among the collection's romantic and feminine hair accessories, as shown here. The black bow was a fashion element the label's founder, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, would often use herself. Feathers and brooches were other trends featured in the latest Chanel collection.

Lagerfeld was renowned as the "master of reinvention," revisiting the codes first established by Coco Chanel, whose quilted handbag remains an absolute classic. Colorful, furry versions of it made a remarkable appearance at the latest Paris Fashion Week show.

But it wasn't only a black-and-white show of mourning, as these models demonstrate. Along with colorful overcoats in primary colors, the collection featured belt pouches with Chanel's iconic double-C logo and furry winter boots.

One of Lagerfeld's muses, German model Claudia Schiffer was among the stars attending the Chanel show. It was thanks to the designer that she became a supermodel in the 1990s: "Karl was my magic dust, he transformed me from a shy German girl into a supermodel," she wrote about him after his death.

Virginie Viard, shown here alongside Lagerfeld at the Chanel show in 2018, was given equal credit with the late designer for the latest collection. As the designer's longtime "right and left hand," she is taking over the creative direction of the label.

Cara Delevingne (left), one of Lagerfeld's most recent muses, opened the show with a tweed black and white winter outfit, with a revealing V-neck covered with jewelry. She's shown here leading the way as models return for a final bow at the end of the presentation. As they saluted the creator who had such an impact on their lives, many of them struggled to hold back their tears.