Words by Natasha Hemraze
It’s time to fawn over the Met Gala’s looks and obviously question Jared Leto’s catsuit.
The Met Gala is New York City’s annual fundraising event in aid of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. A prestigious, invite-only event within the fashion industry, this year’s theme was “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty”.
A little context here: German-born designer Karl Lagerfeld is an absolute fashion icon and ought to have his legacy celebrated. Behind his signature ponytail and sunglasses, he built his way up through the fashion world.
His career began in 1954, working as an assistant to Pierre Balmain. He went on to work for Jean Patou and Chloé, and spent 54 years at Fendi, creating over 100 collections during his tenure.
In 1983, Lagerfeld’s career took a historic turn when he became the chief artistic director of Chanel. He revived the brand, creating classic pieces such as the Bouclé dress and little black jacket. Soon after, he established his own eponymous label, Lagerfeld.
The 2000s saw him become the first luxury designer to collaborate with H&M: the collection sold out in minutes. In 2012, Lagerfeld and Net-a-Porter launched ‘Simply Karl’, focussing on the classic everyday basics, with a rock and roll edge.
The Met Gala is a celebration of art, fashion, and history, and this year’s tribute to Karl Lagerfeld is a sensational one. However, the announcement of the theme last September was not devoid of controversy.
The fashion industry’s greatest showman was known to have a sharp tongue, labelled at times as fatphobic, racist and misogynistic. He described singer Adele as “a little too fat”, before retracting the comment with compliments regarding Adele’s talent. Other controversies included comments regarding the Holocaust and voicing how the MeToo movement had left him feeling “fed up”. Actress Jameela Jamil condemned the Met’s choice over the theme, lamenting that “If someone makes good art we turn a blind eye”.
The controversy that surrounds Lagerfeld may very well be linked to a number of the usual Met suspects denying us the pleasure of a red carpet appearance last Monday. The embodiment of Lady Liberty herself, Blake Lively, was absent, as were Zendaya and Lily-Rose Depp.
There is no doubt that the late Karl Lagerfeld was an awe-inspiring fashion genius within the industry. His legacy however is tainted with ignorance, hostility and pain, fostering a lot of resentment and debate as to whether controversial icons should be celebrated.
The Met Gala is an event that many look forward to, not for the theme or the celebrities, but for the creativity and artistic flair it showcases. Designers pour their hearts and souls into their creations and the Met allows them to flaunt their imaginative expertise, and that itself should be celebrated.