You’ve guessed it, the first Monday in May is around the corner. The MET Gala, the annual fundraising event held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City, is just a few weeks ahead of us. It’s indeed what the world would currently consider the most exclusive fashion gathering of the year. It’s also long awaited for the greatness or eventual chaos it brings to the red carpet each time, theme after theme.
Who picks the themes, you may ask?
The yearly Gala is organized by Vogue Magazine, and the theme is famously picked by Anna Wintour. Last year’s theme was ‘America: An Anthology of Fashion’, vague and almost foggy, isn’t it? Well, that’s how intricate and interesting interpretation gaps happen, but most guests got the assignment arguably right. The aim was to celebrate American designers and what they’ve brought to fashion throughout the years. This time, the theme of the exhibition will be ‘Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty’ to honour the legacy of the late designer who was a MET regular and obviously played a massive role in contemporary fashion. It is, though, very important to mention that the exhibition will not a retrospective as the designer hated looking at the past.
The theme will probably not be the easiest to interpret as the two main roots to take are either very literal or completely subtle. There is a wide variety of options to choose from, including his previous works at all houses Karl designed for.
Chanel is more than an obvious option, but Chloé, Fendi, Patou and Pierre Balmain should remain on the radar for many attendees.
Something to be afraid of though is guests doing down the costume-like loop – showing up in white powdered wigs, high-rise XL collars, perfect suiting and cowboy boots, which would be rather caricatural and of terrible taste. Celebrating his legacy should be done by re-exploring his most astonishing and visionary designs, including his design process, rather than focusing on Lagerfeld’s personal style, which was only a display of his taste and individuality.
How do you get the theme right?
Well, we certainly hope every stylist in charge is currently doing their homework and research just right. Amongst the most memorable ones will probably be celebrities who managed to dig in the archives deep enough to pull an insane piece that hasn’t been seen by many but remains on every mood board. This being said, we all know It takes more than the right gown to unanimously make heads turn on a red carpet. The right parameters have to be met simultaneously – the glam, the right celebrity alignment, and even the shoe choice – it truly takes an army to make a remarkable impression.
I sincerely hope guests see further than Karl’s internet-famous 2000s Chanel phase, which has already been explored countless times due to the Y2K fashion nostalgia. Time is ticking as we’re now a week away from the long-awaited yearly celebration, so I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
And what about the guest list?
That’s where most of the curiosity around the MET remains. Until your favourite celebrities or designers hit the carpet with their long-time muses, the guest list is a well-kept secret. What happens inside the MET is quite mysterious; we know guests gather for dinner and usually attend a performance by an A-list pop star, but the rest remains a mystery amongst others. Until then, we’ll wait and see how Karl Lagerfeld’s legacy makes it to the world’s exclusive red carpet.
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