The biggest night in fashion is here!
Notably regarded as the sartorial scene’s equivalent to the Academy Awards, theMet Galais a highly anticipated event for fashion fans — whether they’re the celebrities and designers gracing the famed staircase or onlookers excitedly watching from their couches at home as they arrive.
The exclusive affair is a fundraising event for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, formally titled, The Anna Wintour Costume Center — named after Vogue’s editor-in-chief, who has been a chair member of the gala since 1995.
Over the years,topics have often teeteredbetween “thematic shows and monographic ones of a single designer,” the Costume Institute’s fashion mastermind Andrew Bolton toldVogue. “We always try to have a menu of shows that are dynamic, that go back and forth on subjects from the past and the present.”
And this year’s no different, narrowing in on the latter andspotlighting fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld— though similar to themes in the past, this year’s decision has generatedmixed reviews from stars and fans alikedue to the late designer’s controversial history.
Jameela Jamilwas among several stars whospoke out against the selected themefollowingVogue’s announcement in September 2022. “This man… was indeed, supremely talented, but used his platform in such a distinctly hateful way, mostly towards women,” the actress wrote in part on Instagram.
Here’s everything to know about the 2023 Met Gala, including when it’s taking place and what the theme entails.
What is the 2023 Met Gala theme?
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Officially titled “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” the 2023 Met Gala theme honors the famedGerman fashion designer who died in February 2019 at the age of 85. Organizers of the annual Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit announced the news in September 2022.
According to a release from the Met, the exhibit will showcase approximately 150 of Lagerfeld’s greatest outfits across his prolific six-decade career, including designs he made while working for brands like Balmain, Patou, Chloé, Fendi, Chanel and his own eponymous label.
Museum curator Bolton was entrusted with the task of outputting the creative mind of Lagerfeld into exhibition form. Bolton devised a thoughtfully crafted “key” to aid in the ciphering of the creative’s “outrageously enormous span and output” — that being, Lagerfeld’s sketches.
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“So at its heart, the exhibition will look at the evolution of Karl’s two-dimensional drawings into three-dimensional garments,” Bolton toldVogue. He wasn’t fascinated to learn that his drawings were “extremely precise, almost mathematical” as opposed to — what he thought was — “very spontaneous and almost impressionistic.”
He continued, “We couldn’t see it because we are not trained, but his premiers knew down to the millimeter what each line meant. It was almost a secret code, a language shared between him and those premiers, that only they could fully decipher.”
What is the 2023 Met Gala dress code?
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Upon announcing the code,Vogueput forth several suggestions to do it justice. Its first and “most authentic” approach? Don an archival look from one of the labels Lagerfeld led (Balmain, Patou, Chloé, Fendi or Chanel, for example.)
Vogue’s second suggestion? Wear modern-day Chanel or Fendi, two luxury houses on which Lagerfeld left an impressionable mark. Its third option (and purrrhaps the one most up for interpretation?) is “to find a Choupette [the designer’s famed feline muse] all your own and dress à la Lagerfeld.”
Who are the 2023 Met Gala co-chairs?
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Annually, a select few get chosen to join Wintour as co-chairs of the Met Gala. This year,Vogueannounced the four global cultural iconswho will grab a chair at her coveted round table to help set the scene include: Grammy-winning performer Dua Lipa, Emmy-winning actress Michaela Coel, Oscar winner Penélope Cruz and tennis superstarRoger Federer.
The 2023 co-chairs mark prominent figures in music, sports, movies, and television with each of them coming off a monumental year in their lives.
When is the 2023 Met Gala?
Kylie Jenner, Kendall Jenner.Neilson Barnard/Getty
Per tradition, the Met Gala always takes place on the first Monday in May. This year, the extravagant event is scheduled for May 1, 2023.
When will the 2023 Met exhibition be open to the public?
The exhibitionopens to the publicon May 5, 2023. It will remain on display through July 16, 2023.
Why are some people speaking out against the Karl Lagerfeld theme?
Though many in the fashion set have shown excitement that this year’s Met Gala and Costume Exhibit will pay tribute to Lagerfeld, others have cited the designer’s problematic moments and some of the controversial quotes he was known for as a reason to skip the event.
Before his death,Lagerfeld called out the #MeToo movement, tellingNúmeromagazine that he was “fed up” with it all.
“What shocks me most in all of this are the starlets who have taken 20 years to remember what happened. Not to mention the fact there are no prosecution witnesses,” Lagerfeld said. “All their accusations of harassment, they have become quite toxic.”
“This man… was indeed, supremely talented, but used his platform in such a distinctly hateful way, mostly towards women, so repeatedly and up until the last years of his life, showing no remorse, offering no atonement, no apology, no help to groups he attacked… there was no explanation for his cruel outbursts,” she wrote on Instagram at the time.
How to watch the 2023 Met Gala?
On May 1, fans can tune in on Vogue’s website and on Vogue’s YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook pages beginning at 6:30 p.m. ET. The “hautest holiday of the year” will also be live on E! starting at 6 p.m. ET.
source: people.com
