Another Met Gala in the books, so how did they do on theme?
NEW YORK (AP) – Into a world of camellias inspired by vintage couture and Chanel. Dressed in pearls, chains and black ties, worn exclusively by the women, the A-list crowd at the Met Gala made a great pass at embracing Karl Lagerfeld on fashion’s biggest night.
majority of. not all. Over-the-top dressing isn’t dead on the first Monday in May. Misinterpreting or completely ignoring the night’s dress code is not a burial. But this time, there was an air of respectability, a nod to authenticity “in honor of Carl,” as requested by the visionary of the fundraising party, Anna Wintour.
“Because the theme was so distinctive, it practically demanded elegance, which is why the looks were so cool. But what was most surprising was how other designers paid homage to the master with riffs on his iconic trademark.” of,” said Hal Rubenstein, a fashion writer, designer and one of the founding editors of InStyle magazine.
Lagerfeld, the man, photographer, publisher, designer for hire at Chanel, Fendi, Chloé and others, died in February 2019 after 65 years in fashion. Some designers have made a profound cultural impact, particularly within the confines of furthering historical heritage legacies.
“They were all about elegance and craftsmanship,” said Rubenstein, adding that a total of 180 Met Balls from the Hollywood Parade were made over the years.
And Lagerfeld did it in his unique uniform: white powdered low ponytail, slim black pants and jacket, fingerless black gloves, high crisp white collar and black tie. and dark glasses. Always black glasses.
Other critics and fashion insiders agreed with Rubenstein. Let’s not forget the messy gala theme “Punk: Chaos to Couture” in 2013 with a fashion vibe that managed to offend actual punks, or the two galas last year and the year before that honored American fashion, In which there was a crowd of guests dressed in European and European clothes. Other non-US brands.
But some fashion watchers weren’t entirely fazed by this year’s stunt, many aimed at Lagerfeld’s beloved cat Choupette.
Jared Leto was a lovable human (sweaty) Choupette in a Disney-worthy outfit. Doja Cat was a real cat, thanks to facial prosthetics. Lil Nas X was, well, Lil Nas X, decked out in silver paint wearing a chunky pearl and studded cat face mask, thong and boots — and nothing else, thanks to makeup legend Pat McGrath and Dior Men.
And some fans of celebrities lucky enough to receive an invitation this year were often happy, regardless. “Last of Us” star Pedro Pascal sent his stash into a Valentino frenzy with his black short-shorts, high socks, fire engine red shirt and long matching overcoat. He got Lagerfeld’s signature black tie and combat boots just right.
“In general, celebrities and designers adhere very religiously to the theme, much more so than in recent years, the designer’s unwavering vision and signature design code – tweed, black and white, ribbon, bridal, rosette, Cats, sticking close to suit,” said InStyle and Byrdie news director Madeline Hirsch.
That said, there was a lot to play for.
Hirsch said, “He had a distinct vision and a special love for all things ‘fancy’ – and it was fun to see what everyone could do with a palette of black and white.”
Cassidy Clare, a fashion historian and host of the podcast “Dressed: The History of Fashion,” put it this way:
“While most of the guests were on theme, overall I would call this year’s red carpet beautiful but boring. Karl had such a broad and detailed design vocabulary to draw from and the breadth of his work was sorely absent. Most of the guests were Karl Lagerfeld Trop Trap fell into an era that was largely defined by Chanel and the Chanel aesthetic: black and white, camellias, tulips and pearls.
Chanel is not only a fashion house where Lagerfeld worked for 36 years, but also a sponsor of this year’s Met Gala. Claire said that Lagerfeld’s contribution to fashion history and the modern fashion lexicon was immense, although there were some notable exceptions to his criticism.
One of the highlights of the night was Nicole Kidman, Claire said, looking a vision in a 2004 Chanel No. 5 fashion short film directed by Baz Luhrmann in a pale pink feather and bejeweled gown. He said that it cost $33 million to make it in 180 seconds.
Other elegant vintage victories fueling the Chanel engine were: Penélope Cruz in an archival look from the spring 1998 haute couture collection and Jenny Kim in a vintage look from fall 1990.
The gala, which last year raised $17.4 million for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, is moderated each year by the museum’s spring exhibition, this time called “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty.”
As the show, sure to be a blockbuster, attests, Lagerfeld’s design lexicon extended well beyond his tenure at the channel. Yet Jean Patou, her years at Balmain and Chloé were barely or absent on the Grand Staircase of the museum.
The gala carpet would have been more colorful and vibrant, Claire said, if more guests had looked back at Lagerfeld’s years at Chloé, where he worked from 1963 to 1983 and again from 1992 to 1997.
Her work for Chloé was decidedly more playful, whimsical and surreal than her work at Chanel, as most famously by her 1983 shower dress and her 1984 violin dress, which were re-released by Chloé in 2013. was done,” she said.
Claire was delighted to see all three on the carpet, worn respectively by Vanessa Kirby, Margaret Zhang and Olivia Wilde.
Rubenstein applauded others who went directly to Lagerfeld-related sources: Kidman and Penélope Cruz in vintage Chanel, Naomi Campbell with a goddess pink Chanel look from 2010 and Cara Delevingne in a shirt dress from Lagerfeld’s eponymous brand.
And he was influenced by Lagerfeld symbols and silhouettes embodied by Vera Wang for Lily Collins, Loewe for Karlie Kloss, Gucci for Julia Garner, and Thom Browne for Jenna Ortega. Still, he said, there were moments that may have gripped Lagerfeld.
“I don’t think anyone was out to make fun of the night. No one came out to insult. But there were people who clearly didn’t make an effort to respect the designer’s parameters,” Rubenstein said. were also not overtly sexy. They rarely showed plunging necklines, backless dresses, lots of midriff, or skirts up to the hip. So did those who clearly posed with bare skin like Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Lopez, and Lil Nas X. Showed off, they looked oddly out of place.
Claire also looks to designers who did well by Lagerfeld, blending the honoree’s aesthetic with her own. Anne Hathaway is the shining star of the moment, she said, in a Chanel bouquet in custom Versace with founder Gianni’s famous safety pin.
The form-fitting pink boucle stunner from Sergio Hudson was worn by Kiki Palmer, Claire said, honoring the work of both Josephine Baker and Lagerfeld in the 1950s. Wang’s massive ballgown was less subtle for Collins, with “Carl” emblazoned across the train.
If Collins was less subtle, Jeremy Pope had a bullhorn in a 32-foot cape emblazoned with a black-and-white Lagerfeld portrait, thanks to Balmain’s Olivier Rousteing.
William Middleton, who wrote this year’s biography “Paradise Now: The Extraordinary Life of Karl Lagerfeld,” sees a deeper connection with his subject than meets the eye.
Kidman’s dress, for example: “One of the fittings for this dress at the Dorchester Hotel in London was one of the few times in Karlie’s life that she showed up on time.”
Note Rihanna and A$AP Rocky (who were 90 minutes late). “She wore a stunning evening gown by Pier Paolo Piccioli, who worked with Karl at Fendi, fusing his Valentino aesthetic with Karl’s, notably with the oversized camellias,” Middleton said. Jacket, by Gucci, like the one Karl wore in Tokyo in 2004.”
With fans going gaga over social media, they clearly found the pairing worth the wait.
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