Graphic by Melody Qian ’24/The Choate News
Let me fill you in on the 2023 Met Gala.
Each spring, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met) Costume Institute hosts the Met Gala to inaugurate the opening of its curated fashion exhibit. The annual gala is the fashion world’s Super Bowl. In fact, it generates more “media impact value” than the Super Bowl itself, as confirmed by The Guardian in a recent article.
This year, Andrew Bolton, the Costume Institute’s Curator in Charge, compiled an examination of renowned fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld’s work for the Met’s exhibit titled “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty.” Accordingly, the dress code of this year’s gala was “In honor of Karl.”
Lagerfeld was an undeniable icon in the history of fashion. He worked at Balmain, Patou, Fendi, and Chloé before becoming the creative director of Chanel in 1983, a job he pursued until his death in 2019. Lagerfeld was a master of his craft, and he was responsible for making Chanel what it is today.
The most obvious way to be on theme for this Met Gala would have been to pull from the archives of Lagerfeld’s Chanel collection or, if given the privilege, to wear one of Lagerfeld’s custom-made pieces. Both would have been boring. It’s easy to look good if you’re a celebrity, so just looking pretty at the Met Gala does not cut it.
Kate Moss, for example, looked elegant and beautiful in a baby pink slip dress, but I would wear that dress to Last Hurrah. It did not live up to the event. The gala is a costume party, after all, not an “adult prom,” as Sophie Sharko ’24 noted. I hoped for drama in any combination of bows, camellias, tweed, black and white, baby pink, pearls, accentuated waists, and wide shoulders.
So, who won? Fashion is art and inherently subjective, but here is my proudly well-educated, one-hundred-percent accurate opinion. You might need to Google the looks to follow along — it’s more fun that way.
In the archival category, Ashley Graham won. Collaborating with designer Harris Reed, Graham created a look that was a nod to Chanel Haute Couture of the mid ’80s and early ’90s, manipulating a Chanel spring 1987 couture gown to give it more drama — as one should for the Met Gala.
Alongside Graham, the winners of the night was Camila Morrone. Morrone wore a Rodarte dress with Fred Leighton jewelry and a Jennifer Behr bow. The silhouette of the dress was interesting, yet timeless and still on theme: wide shoulders, an accentuated waist, and a bow characteristic of Lagerfeld’s Chanel in her hair. The look was a perfect nod to Lagerfeld’s aesthetic, but in a very Rodarte way.
Liu Wen also rocked the red carpet in her Tory Burch gown that embodies the elegance and grandeur of the gala itself while still staying on theme. The custom gown was reminiscent of the 1950s, when Lagerfeld designed for Jean Patou. The bodice was sculpted from black grosgrain ribbons, each individually hand-sewn and engineered to curve around the body, with layers of tulle and hand-painted silk organza flowers. The final result was perfect.
On the other hand, the looks of Dua Lipa and Penelope Cruz, two of the five Met Gala Co-Chairs, fell flat. Global popstar Dua Lipa looked stunning and on theme, yet still boring with a vintage Chanel FW ’92 bridal tweed gown. Of course it’s chic, but it’s nothing incredible. Cruz, gave a more interesting look, but the Chanel bridal dress she wore still came straight from the archives.
Big lessons learned: whether invited to the Met Gala or not, play it unconventional instead of safe, add drama, and make it your own. That’s my take.
