A last bow to the designer who impacted contemporary aesthetics and pioneered the creative director part – Karl Lagerfeld at the Met Gala reduced to a cliché
The 2023 Met Gala. In the name of Karl
Karl Lagerfeld reigns over fashion codes and viral shows long after his passing away in 2019. This is why it only came naturally to have a Met exhibition dedicated to his line of work and impact on the industry. The Metropolitan Museum curator Andrew Bolton explained in an interview for Bof how this year’s show, themed Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty sees the designer’s working process as protagonist.
He also referred William Hogarth’s book published in 1753, The Analysis of Beauty, and Loïc Prigent’s documentation of Karl restlessly drawing his designs on a piece of paper. If the dressing code is surface level: In the Name of Karl, the exhibition takes a deeper dive through the German creator’s working process. It shows his versatility all while maintaining a recognizable allure.
The black and white, where white represents an eternal adoration for paper, the Walmart price yellow coat that welcomed Karl in the world of fashion, his punk outbursts against posh details – it’s a marriage of contradictions that became a tangible aesthetic. Andrew Bolton confessed he didn’t want a chronologic or brand-related compartization of Lagerfeld’s work.
He rather opted to zoom out and trace the common imprint left on each design – the way he sketched in ways that could be impeccably translated into three-dimensional garments. Nonetheless, there’s no intimacy or biographic storytelling. The man is completely deprived of his persona, seen through the prism of creative devotion. There are many ways in which we cast idols. With the excuse of his controversy, the fashion industry pushed him on a pedestal he never wished for. «Fashion does not belong in a museum».
Met Gala 2023: Celebrities against artists. Unrapping the zeitgeist
A foam white carpet wrapped in blue and red serpentine lines opened the catwalk for celebrities and IT artists, a reflection of the zeitgeist, of where the spectators’ gaze strikes most. The Met Gala becomes a veritable collection of stars, a thermostat for the hype. Or at least that’s what we are used to.
For Naomi Campbell, this was the 16th Met Gala, while Doja Cat and Ice Spice were honoring their first invitation. More than the exhibit itself, the evening fashion parade is a window for what the chosen theme (in this case Karl Lagerfeld’s work) can stir throughout the mondene world. Rihanna was an obvious choice, especially after this year’s Super Bowl performance.
The world of rappers came to the fore with Usher and Cardi B. But it’s only after the entrance of Michelle Yeoh and Nicole Kidman that we regain the sense of a certain status for the event. Call it pop culture extraordinaire, or mainstream fame, this year’s guest list didn’t personify any ongoing current.
Who was missing from this year’s gala
There was little cultural coverage which can arise doubts on the relevance the gala holds on the open market people continue to request today. But returning to the zeitgeist, there was no trace of the most awaited love triangle, Selena Gomez poping on the same list as Hailey and Justin Beiber, there were very few A-list actors, with only Margot Robbie and Marion Cotillard making a shy appearance.
Jenna Ortega embodied the attention given to new generations who went all over her screen presence since Wednesday. Pedro Pascal and Bad Bunny were there, but we didn’t get to see any of the House of the Dragon cast as well as Austin Butler or Harry Styles.
Something of the moment seemed off with Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet missing, two of the most followed artists. The world of sports saw Roger Federer as co-chairman, as well as Serena Williams, announcing her pregnancy. If intended to keep the social media conversations going, this year’s Met Gala missed the mark in delivering the most involving voices of the industry.
Karl’s long-time muses
The Chanel House for which Karl Lagerfeld worked for over two decades was about muses. It was about creating the woman, the rebel, the lover, and the fashion dream. He was always surrounded by models, actresses, by the feminine for whom he wished to create. For the Met Gala dedicated to his memory, none of the presenters were cast from Karl’s muses team. The last ambassador for the Chanel maison under Karl Lagerfeld was Margot Robie who made her appearance in a modest vintage black dress previously dressed by Cindy Crawford.
Nicole Kidman wore the same dress she presented in the 2003 Chanel Number 5 comercial. Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss followed the Lagerfeldian allure with personal hints, one recalling the Sari and the iconic slip dress that characterized the 90’ grunge era. Cara Delevingne, one of the closest models to Karl, the one who would always close the shows hand in hand with the designer – became a playful personification of the black and white uniform.
She wore her hair short and spiced up the length of the oversized tuxedo shirt styled with hilled boots above the knees. Carla Bruni and Penelope Cruz shared their moments spent alongside the German designer, both resurfacing a warm grace through vintage Chanel gowns. Kristen Stewart was more masculine than ever in a black and white loose tuxedo. In all the celebrity haze, muses seemed a dated concept, with only their memory to set off inspiration.
Valentino and Thom Browne for the 2023 Met Gala
We don’t always know how the Met gala guests choose their gowns and outfits. More than often is the work of stylists and designers pick their best work. However, with all the months of preparation, we witnessed a more breathtaking sight with the Vogue shooting by Annie Leibovitz dedicated to Karl Lagerfeld than the actual red carpet.
Artists were free to pick from the archives or collaborate with designers that would imagine a custom-made sensation. Chairwoman Dua Lipa picked the famous 1992 bride dress first worn by Claudia Schiffer accessorized by a Tiffany necklace. Gisele opted for the personal archives with a sumptuous white dress previously worn in a 2007 editorial for Vogue.
Valentino’s reinterpretations conquered the scene with Rihanna’s oversized camelia filled coat and Florence Pugh’s idyllic gown paired with a feathered crown. The most symbolic moment was, however, Janelle Monae in Thom Browne.
The macro-dimensional coat was accessorized with a signature bag taking the shape of Choupette, the late designer’s heir. Underneath the outfit a glittered bikini popped with a see-through crinoline structured over the whole body, a reference to Karl’s long-lasting inspiration and obsession with the 18th-century dress codes – it become a way of subverting cage alike dresses while recognizing their scenographic effect.
Best dressed. No sophistication without caricature
To counterpart the dedication to firm sensuality and feminine tendencies, Jared Leto and Doja Cat made a caricature of themselves dressed as mascots that remind of Karl’s cat in an attempt to steal the show – something that would only remain witness to the deterioration of style even in the highest realms.
While no one mistook the theme, the lack of imagination made its presence, with references such as the first logo t-shirt on the luxury market (for Chanel no 5) and the pastel color palette Karl loved so much marginalized to extinction. There’s something about taking fashion literally that prohibited this year’s Met Gala from delivering memorable style exercises.
Designing with Karl Lagerfeld’s codes
This year’s Met Gala became an opportunity to borrow design leitmotifs, to be contaminated with the Lagerfeldian sartorial language in an attempt to recreate his signature looks. From tweeds, camelias, and pearls, the designers participating in the look composition navigated much of the same themes.
Schiaparelli remained true to itself but with a custom second-skin dress for Michaela made with over 1300 diamonds and personalized with micro Chanel and Karl charms. Versace kept its legendary pined silhouette but relied on white tweed to emphasize Anne Hateway’s appearance.
Simone Rocha’s first custom made dress
One of the most unexpected while sophisticated looks came from Gigi Hadid who wore Matthew William’s Givenchy design with subtle tulle insertion, a black corset, and see-through finger-length gloves. This marriage of styles perfectly fits the theme just as Thom Browne’s assembles. Miu Miu kept the atmosphere feminine while Simone Rocha made his first costume dress for Billie Eilish. The surprise of the evening – Bode for Russel.
Putting together the exhibition
To gracefully put together the 2023 Fashion Institute exhibition, Andrew Bolton looked at 10.000 objects just to pick a selection of one hundred pieces. There’s no Karl Lagerfeld portrait or interview, only him sketching or laughing. Still an enigma for the industry, he was always mistakingly taken for someone detached from his persona, a mask to himself.
He used fashion as a shield, and his favorite items such as the black shades and gloves were a protective shelf. But with his father a businessman and his mother a politician daughter and independent worker, Lagerfeld approached fashion as a businessman and merchant, as someone who could sell his skills in order to overcome privilege and marginalization. Fashion doesn’t want to present itself as pure commerce. In a way, the Met Gala mirrors Karl’s vision of the industry, a tireless parade of beauty.
Why is the Met Gala still relevant?
It feels like the cultural context has emerged into something more corpulent, in need of more substance and action. If the Met Gala event was Eleanor Lambert’s initiative, it became a true manifestation after Diana Vreepand’s inauguration The World of Balenciaga theme in 1973- it was at that moment that fashion started celebrating its religion with gods and goddesses.
The gala celebrates the past, the nostalgia as well as the change, the shifts that came through each impactful design. It represents a moment when you need to stop and acknowledge change, the ending of a fashion that no longer holds power over society.
