The Met Gala, held every year at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, is known for its extravagant fashion and celebrity guest list, which includes the elites of the worlds of fashion, entertainment, politics, and recently even influencers, who all come together to celebrate the fashion industry. Known for its notable – and at times questionable – themes, chosen with the expectation of inspiring the fashion choices of attendees and eventually the masses, the Costume Institute’s theme for 2023 is “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty.”
The moment that Vogue announced the theme, excitement was clear for all fashion aficionados, but one questions remains: will it save the identity of the Met Gala? The exhibition, curated by Andrew Bolton, will examine the extraordinary work of the icon, polymathic and fashion supernova Karl Lagerfeld, and his legacy as a designer. Lagerfeld designed for the houses of Balmain, Patou, Chanel, Chloe, Fendi and of course his own eponymous label Karl Lagerfeld, finding inspiration from the “line of beauty” by 18th century English Painter William Hogarth.
The honoree alone is known for actions or words that at times were deemed fatphobic and antisemitic. Lagerfeld claimed in 2007 that his controversial persona was an act, but it’s hard to forget that he criticised the looks of Heidi Klum, Adele and Pippa Middleton among others.
To the Met’s credit, they anticipated and faced any potential controversy head on. Andrew Bolton, the head curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, told Business of Fashion’s editor at large Tim Blanks that his goal was to focus on the designer’s prolific career rather than the man behind it. “We wanted to focus on the work rather than the words or the man because he was problematic,” said Bolton. “There were those things he said that were difficult… the one thing that was authentic, real and tangible was his creative output.”
Personally, I will be honouring Lagerfeld as the industry leader he was. While studying in Paris in 2008, I had a magical experience apprenticing with Karl through my internship at French Vogue. I remember his keen eye and passion for beauty clear as day. He told me: “You have to get inspired from other areas besides fashion and set trends by feeling your passion and your heart. When you are styling them it’s a canvas, and you want to make women feel special every day.” While working during Couture Fashion Week he also gave me the best compliment of my career in saying “you have a great eye for accessories,” which helped me realise that my dream of styling could be my full-time career.
It is a truth universally acknowledged that people love honouring each other posthumously more than when we are alive. We remember the dead benevolently. The Met Gala always has a theme, they’ve rarely ever focused it on a primary designer. Previous themes included “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination (2018)” or “Camp: Notes on Fashion (2019).” One of the most successful and memorable Met Galas for industry people like myself was the 2011 Gala honouring the late Alexander McQueen. Celebrating McQueen’s extraordinary contributions to fashion also created an opportunity for the community to grieve together.
Because the exhibit has to do with Lagerfeld’s life’s work, the guest list will reflect the icons who have been dressed by him over many decades. I think we should anticipate that this will be one of the most robust years of celebrity star-power to date. Because Lagerfeld’s designs embody a specific, elevated classic aesthetic we can also probably look forward to a year with far fewer gimmicky costumes.
The Met Gala was founded in 1948 by publicist Eleanor Lambert to encourage donations from New York’s high society. The gala is a fundraiser dedicated to New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute – now formally named The Anna Wintour Costume Center, in homage to the powerful American Vogue Editor-in-Chief, who has been a chair member of the museum’s gala since 1995.
Inappropriate etiquette for fashion’s highest profile event has made countless headlines. From jaw dropping ensembles to edgy themes, and attendees that have notoriously broken museum and event rules, over the years, the Met Gala has been the source of some of the biggest controversies in the fashion history. While it is usually filled with glamor and glitz, it has also seen its fair share of drama in the form of scandalous behaviour and shocking outfits.
One controversy often lamented by industry insiders surrounding the Met Gala stems from the event supposedly losing its cache because the guest list has become “too accessible.” The reasons behind this are countless but complicated. The guest list is put together by Vogue’s Anna Wintour and the Metropolitan Museum. What has been said is that without being an A-list actress, model, musician, Vogue editor, or wealthy enough to donate hundreds of thousands to the Met Museum as a sponsor, it is pretty much impossible to get an invite. Tickets are around $20,000 and many dresses are estimated at a value of $30,000 or more, but even if you are super-rich and ready to get your check book out, that doesn’t confirm attendance. Anna Wintour still has to give the official seal of approval. Press and donors started to communicate how some attendees should have not been on the guest list. They were deemed as “not worthy.” Even if they had star power they were not seen as someone who would have the longevity of that power. Donors were quoted suggesting the Met Gala is “becoming more of a circus or an event during Fashion Night Out than an exclusive prestigious gala.”
Some donors to the museum were upset by the behaviour of some celebrities and how they were not following the event rules. Most notably, several celebrities were caught smoking in the bathroom during the 2017 event, when photos circulated on social media. The Metropolitan Museum of Art released a statement expressing their disappointment and asserting that smoking is not allowed in the museum.
The Met Gala was an exclusive playground for the rich and famous to showcase memorable couture and raise money for the museum. Every year hundreds of people stand outside to potentially get a glimpse of someone on the red carpet. People are excited to see their favourite entertainer and how they will take on the night’s theme.
The fashion industry looks forward to the Gala as it is America’s biggest fashion night. This is our couture moment. Other fashion cities have Couture Fashion Week and will inspire the masses with their artistic craftsmanship and designs. At the Met, designers get inspired for their collections to come, stylists will archive iconic looks to inspire their clients’ future red carpets.
The Met Gala became a cultural event that the most powerful and inspiring people would attend including royalty and first ladies. In 1974, Jackie Kennedy famously hosted the event dressed in a black, strapless Valentino gown with matching ruffled wrap. For the1996 exhibit, Princess Diana was an attendee wearing couture with a twist. Diana gracefully wore a navy blue slip dress with black lace trim, created by Dior’s then designer John Galliano. Recently in 2016, Queen Rania of Jordan attended the gala wearing Valentino.
We can’t lose sight of the fact that the Met Gala is a fundraiser for the Met. A year and a half after the cancellation of the 2020 Gala, Instagram (and parent company Google) famously sponsored the Autumn 2021 Gala. To ensure a robust fundraiser for the iconic museum, it was probably necessary to secure the funds made available by a top tier sponsor (industry chatter estimates between $1 million and $3 million). That year, some Instagram influencers who were not considered A-list nor known yet for other talents beyond social media, such as Addison Rae, were painted in the news as evidence of the Met Gala going downhill. Of course, since then Rae has debuted as an actress with some success. Whether we like it or not, Instagram is part of the entertainment industry now.
We can rest assured that Wintour is curating this year’s list as thoughtfully as ever – choosing people who are not just influencers, but who also are noted for their skills as an artist, athlete, change-maker or philanthropist. This year will see Michaela Coel, Penélope Cruz, Roger Federer and Dua Lipa serving alongside Anna as the evening’s co-chairs.
We will always tune in to see the theatrical red carpet moments, the memorable couture transformations and to read how our favorite celebrities, entertainers, royalty and glitterati behaved at the event the next morning.
Can Karl Lagerfeld, or Anna Wintour as the woman bringing his designs back to the forefront, save the Met Gala?
Personally, I’ll always bet on Anna.
