Inside the Karl Lagerfeld-themed Met Gala

In 2017, when the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute presented its monographic exhibition on Japanese fashion designer Rei Kawakubo, celebrities notoriously struggled to interpret the theme on the red carpet at the company’s fundraising party. institution, the Met Gala. Many attendees completely ignored the avant-garde vision of the founder of Comme des Garçons in favor of sultry dresses with classic silhouettes. Given that the subject of this year’s exhibition and gala is Karl Lagerfeld, adhering to the theme would be a whole other story.

With his crisp suits and ties, sunglasses, mittens and white ponytail, the late German designer was arguably even more recognizable than his stunning designs for Chanel, Fendi, Chloé and his namesake brand, all of which are celebrated through approximately 200 objects in Karl Lagerfeld: a beauty line (May 5-July 16). Although many have questioned the Met’s decision to feature the work of a man who has made many problematic comments on race, religion and body type – and whose family ties to the German Nazi Party came more fully to light posthumously – the A-listers had nothing but praise for Lagerfeld, which they continually gushed about vogueLive broadcast of the Met Gala from the red carpet.

While last year”Golden glamor” theme was intrinsically linked to money and class, resulting in political fashion statements on the red carpet, this year’s evening felt like a decidedly lighter tribute to a sartorial genius whose fashions have remained highly coveted for more half a century. Just like the exhibition Karl Lagerfeld: a beauty line, which is largely structured around the dichotomies present in Lagerfeld’s creations – masculine versus feminine, historical versus futuristic, etc. variety. Black and white was unquestionably the palette of the day.

It seems like more celebrities than ever are choosing to revive old clothes. Nicole Kidman donned an ethereal pale pink dress she wore in a Chanel No. 5 film Baz Luhrmann directed with Lagerfeld two decades ago, while Gisele Bündchen chose a shimmering white dress from Chanel Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2007 that she previously wore in an editorial. Met Gala co-chair Dua Lipa wore one of Chanel’s most iconic archival looks, the 1992 Chanel Couture wedding dress originally worn by Claudia Schiffer. Blackpink’s Naomi Campbell, Margot Robbie, Kristen Stewart and Jennie Kim were among those wearing vintage Chanel, while Kate Moss’ daughter Lila wore Fendi Couture Fall 2018, designed by Lagerfeld.

Many male guests accessorized their costumes with Lagerfeld-style brooches and leather gloves, with standouts including photographer Tyler Mitchell’s Bode number adorned with lace and fringe and Bad Bunny’s all-white Jacquemus suit and cape adorned with camellias, Chanel’s signature flower. Women, too, experimented with their own versions of the designer’s favorite uniform. Exaggerated sleeves were the common denominator of Michelle Yeoh’s sleek look from Lagerfeld’s eponymous label and Kendall Jenner’s leggy Marc Jacobs bodysuit. Yeah Everything everywhere all at once co-star Stephanie Hsu stunned in a bespoke black sequin-embroidered Valentino dress that contrasted with a demure white shirt and black tie. Also at Valentino, Priyanka Chopra Jonas paired her black and white dress with a Bulgari High Jewelery necklace featuring an 11.6-carat Fancy Vivid Blue Diamond that is expected to sell for over $25 million during Sotheby’s Luxury Week. auctions in Geneva later this month.

South Korean model Sora Choi, Jenny Ortega and Janelle Monáe (this year’s mid-mat quick-change expert) led Thom Browne’s bespoke troupe, who deftly blended chanel-isms with proportion play and characteristic asymmetry of the American designer. Anna Hathaway’s custom Versace ensemble, combining tweed, camellias, pearls and gold buttons with the Italian house’s famous safety pin dress, also struck the perfect balance between legendary European designers.

Almost as popular as the looks evoking Lagerfeld’s wardrobe were those inspired by his Chanel wives. Since the 1940s, it has been a tradition for designers to conclude their Haute Couture shows with a bridal look that embodies the virtuoso savoir-faire of the house. Chanel brides have become a staple of the House, and an unspoken status symbol for the model chosen to wear them. Rihanna in Valentino, Elle Fanning in Vivienne Westwood and Alton Mason (who in 2018 became the first black model to walk for Chanel) in personalized Karl Lagerfeld all channeled their best wedding day.

Kim Kardashian was one of countless participants dripping in pearls — her custom Schiaparelli was just as bare, though far less controversial, as she Marilyn Monroe stunt 2022. Working with Loewe’s Jonathan Anderson, Karlie Kloss perfectly demonstrated how to pay homage to an iconic garment without posing curatorial risks, while debuting her baby bump in the process. Riffing at her “Blur” garments, where a print is blown into a hazy abstraction, Anderson enhanced the trompe-l’oeil effect of the layered gold chain by adding crisp pearl necklaces reminiscent of the 1983 Chanel dress, made famous by Anna Wintour.

Fashion mogul Diane von Furstenberg wore a dress featuring a crossword puzzle with Lagerfeld’s name filled in, capturing the German designer’s sense of humor and whimsy. Lily Collins and Vera Wang wore matching dresses whose trains were adorned with “Karl,” but the prize for the most dramatic train goes to actor Jeremy Pope, whose 30ft custom Balmain cape featured a portrait of Lagerfeld, who worked for the French house at the start of his career.

Although many expected Choupette, Lagerfeld’s beloved Birman cat, to make an appearance at the Met Gala, crowds had to settle for tributes from Doja Cat in personalized Oscar de la Renta and feline facial prostheses; Lil Nas X wearing a Dior thong, all-silver body paint and Swarovski crystals and pearls; and Jared Leto, who opted for a mascot representation of the fluffy feline. Surprisingly, it’s not quite the weirdest Met Gala outfit the actor wore.

In a sea of ​​monochrome looks that mostly paid homage to Lagerfeld’s Chanel heritage, some of the night’s most memorable, palette-the cleaning stars were dressed by Chloé, where Lagerfeld worked from 1966 to 1983 and again from 1992 to 1997. Gabriela Hearst (Creative Director of Chloé since 2021), Maude Apatow and Vanessa Kirby in the Chloé archive designed by Lagerfeld walked together on the carpet. Olivia Wilde also wore a custom rendition of a Chloé dress from the same Spring 1983 collection as Kirby’s iconic “Shower” dress.

Additional iterations of these trompe l’oeil Chloé creations are featured in Karl Lagerfeld: a beauty line. While visitors will find many parallels to red carpet looks, art lovers will particularly revel in dozens of lesser-known creations, such as those inspired by modern masters like Sonia Delaunay and Kazimir Malevich, which further warrant consideration. Lagerfeld as an artist. in its own right.