Lest he appear gauche, Karl Lagerfeld is tightening his belt in These Economic Times. Just like us! Spiegel reports:

In an interview with the German weekly Die Zeit this week, the couturier says, "I have moved to a smaller house in Paris, and I don't fancy having so much staff now."

His domestic help won't all be unemployed, though. "The chambermaid, chauffeur and chef are still musts," he says, "around the clock."

One can't go completely without, after all. Karl's other "musts" include his three Hummers — he keeps two in Paris and one in Monte Carlo. "The Hummer is like a tank and gives me a feeling of security," the Kaiser said. "I don't want to drive at the same level as the others." And though he recently purchased a new home in Vermont, he points out that it wasn't flashy. "In fact it's almost Puritanical. For me it's a new form of modesty." That ought to make Vermont feel nice and special.

'New World' Good for Luxury [Spiegel]