WHAT IS THE THEME ?
The first May 2023 took place like every year the Met Gala organized by Anna Wintour (Editor in chief of Vogue). This year, the fashion event had as a theme “Karl Lagerfeld: A line of beauty”. The Met of 2023 was meant to pay tribute and honor Karl Lagerfeld’s fashion legacy.
In 2019 the iconic German designer passed away, aged 85 years ago and left behind an enormous impact in the fashion industry. Of course, for this Met, we expected unprecedented creations, archives from different shows and a lot of outfits from Karl Lagerfeld (his eponymous brand), Chloé, Chanel and Fendi, which are houses where Karl was artistic director. His best match was obviously with Chanel. I love the brand and loved their collaborations.
You can deny that the legendary designer made history, and we will remember of him as someone who knew how to have a modern and innovative creative direction in addition to an elegant and timeless vision and sophisticated designs.
WHY WAS THIS PROBLEMATIC FOR SOME PEOPLE ?
However, even though Karl Lagerfeld was a genius when it comes to fashion, he was not an unproblematic person. In fact, during his long career he had a few troublesome moments. Some controversies that the fashion industry (brands, designers, models, celebrities, ...) like to forget because it is so much easier to support someone who had controversial opinions on issues such as race, sexual orientation, weight or even sexual assault than to speak about it. To illustrate my words, here are quotes that show why Karl Largerfeld is describe as a despicable person for some.
1. "No one wants to see curvy women." for Focus Magazine in 2009
2. "I'm fed up with it (Me Too movement) ... What shocks me most in all of this are the starlets who have taken 20 years to remember what happened." for Numero in 2018
3. "One cannot – even if there are decades between them – kill millions of Jews so you can bring millions of their worst enemies in their place.” words about Germany's decision to open its borders for migrants.
4. "If you don't want your pants pulled about, don't become a model !" Karl Largerfeld defending the stylist Karl Templer accused of sexual assault.
MY FAVORITE OUTFITS:
I personally found Glenn's dress extremely elegant. The actress of Cruella de Vil wore a sequin dress colour eau de nil: the soft colour made the look even more refreshing. The two centerpieces of the outfit are obviously the necklace with the collar and the huge cape. The collar detail recalls Lagerfeld's signature uniform and the glamour cape was inspired by a look from the spring/summer 1983 Chanel couture collection wore by Devo Aoki.
2. Penelope Cruz in Chanel:
A Met Gala celebrating Karl Lagerfeld is not a Met Gala without wedding dresses. At the end of Chanel runway shows, they were much anticipated. The one that Penelope Cruz wears is from the spring-summer 1988 haute couture collection by Chanel worn by Karl's muse: Inès de la Fressange. One word: mesmerizing. This is one of my favorite Chanel wedding dress designed by Karl and Penelope looks fabulous. The hood-shaped veil adorned with rhinestones emphasises the beauty of the dress and remind me slightly traditional Spanish wedding dress.
3. Shai Gildeous Alexander in Thom Browne:
The basketball player was one of the most stylish men of the Met Gala. Thom Browne chose to design an outfit inspired by Karl signature look with tweed (emblematic Chanel material). Besides my love for the oversized coat with grosgrain ribbon, I'm captivated by the gun club check cardigan and skirt that are the main characters of the look.
4. Elle Fanning in Vivienne Westwood:
I feel like this outfit is surrounded by sentimental feelings. It tells a story. Elle Fanning wore a romantic white gown with as accessories a flower crown tied around her head with black ribbons and a bouquet of daisies. The memory behind the outfit is actually endearing. In fact, the 13 year-old actress (at the time) met for the first time Karl Lagerfeld during a photo shoot and the designer decided to place a daisy crown on her head and put a black jacket over the white dress. That's why Elle Fanning wanted to commend this unforgettable moment.
5. Alton Mason in Karl Lagerfeld:
The first Black male model to ever walk for a Chanel show wore a bridal look inspired by Karl Lagerfeld's vision on wedding dresses with a corset and a lace jumpsuit. Alton Mason came and it was showstopping. My favorite part of this look is the delicate veil covering his face elegantly. According to Hun Kim (artistic director of Karl Lagerfeld), the tribute to Karl's fashion legacy is breaking the boundaries of gender by wearing a bridal look. For Karl, fashion has to move forward (ironic for someone who hates models who are not skinny) and be innovative.
Thanks for reading my article <3
By Aya L.
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