Karl Lagerfeld apologized for saying that Adele was “a little too fat, but she has a beautiful face and a divine voice.”

His apology was two-part: first he repeated his praise for her voice, but removed any reference to her appearance.  So far, so good:

“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…She is my favorite singer and I am a great admirer of her,” he said.

Then his apology got a bit stranger: “Lagerfeld said he had lost more than 30 kilos (66 lbs) 10 years ago. “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.”

In an unusual tactic, Karl blamed the press for criticizing people’s appearances.  But the press wasn’t mean to her here… they were just repeating what he said!  He was actually the one that was mean to Adele in regards to her appearance.  In any case, he does sound like a genuine fan and remorseful that he said something hurtful about one of his favorite artists.

Meanwhile, Adele will be the cover story for People Magazine on Friday, where she says that she doesn’t care what people say about her body.

“I’ve never wanted to look like models on the cover of magazines,” she says. “I represent the majority of women and I’m very proud of that.”

Imagine that: a singer focused on singing.  What’s next?