Karl Lagerfeld claims COCO CHANEL was out of touch towards the end of her career.

The flamboyant designer - who is the creative director for Chanel - insists he is a huge fan of the late fashion legend but admits she did make mistakes and didn't leave as much as legacy as people believe.

He said: "Coco did a lot but not as much as people think or as much she herself thought at the end of her career. She survived them all - she could pretend things people like Madame Vionnet couldn't because they were not around and they didn't have the personality to say the things Chanel did. She wasn't only a designer - she was a woman of her time.

"Her first mistake was when she said 'Not one man I have spoken to likes a woman in mini skirts'. I think no one dared to tell this 86-year-old lady that miniskirts are great and really sexy. Number two was when she decided blue jeans were horrible. This was The Fashion of the world at that particular moment - it was the 60s. No one wanted to be told by an old lady that miniskirts and jeans weren't chic. The result was that she lost her power and in the end no one cared about what she did."

Karl also says he uses the French label's key components for his designs but adds his own twist to them.

He is quoted by vogue.com as saying: "I play with Chanel's elements like a musician plays with notes. You don't have to make the same music if you are a decent musician."