Claudia Schiffer mentored by Karl

Claudia Schiffer believes fellow German Karl Lagerfeld is her mentor because they "worked together so much".

Claudia Schiffer thinks of Karl Lagerfeld as her mentor.

The German supermodel admits the eccentric designer - famed for wearing only black and white - was great to work with as it meant she got to wear plenty of Chanel clothes, which she loved as it was "over the top and fun".

She said: "I would say Karl Lagerfeld [was my mentor], especially as we worked together so much.

"I had a lot of Chanel clothes, so was able to play around with a lot of Chanel looks. At one event, I wore a Chanel biker jacket over a very short mini dress, a gold belt with charms hanging off it, fishnet tights and loads of make-up - it was all really over the top and fun. I went to a lot of events in Paris and it encouraged me to experiment."

However, she admits experimenting was not always so easy because she stood out so much when she was younger.

She told Stylist magazine: "When I was growing up, clothes for me were all about being invisible.

"I lived in a small town in Germany, where everyone knew everyone else, and I stood out because I was tall and skinny. I was incredibly shy and just wanted to disappear."