Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Cinema Connections at the 2023 Met Gala

This year the Met Gala was a tribute to Karl Lagerfeld and coincided with the Costume Institute's exhibition "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty." Though he was a controversial choice for the Met's theme, no one can argue that the designer had a career that is unmatched in fashion. It's difficult to summarize it all because he often worked at multiple houses at once - often rescuing and revolutionizing their fashion lines - and would do so until he passed away in 2019.

Here is just some of his incredible experience:

Jean Patou - Artistic Director 1958 to 1962
Chloe - Creative Director 1963 to 1978 and again 1992 to 1997
Fendi - Creative Director 1965 to 2019
Chanel - Creative Director 1982 to 2019
Karl Lagerfeld (his eponymous line) - Creative Director 1984 to 2019

Especially because of his time at Chanel, many who paid tribute to him at the Met Gala did so in designs of black and white. Even the carpet was changed from red to a creamy white with only accents of color.

Though the Met Gala was a tribute to Karl and his designs, I could still see Cinema Connections - dresses whose design shows the influence of costumes from classic film. I share some below.