Met Gala Theme Review

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Karl Lagerfeld: A line of Beauty is this year’s Met Gala theme.

The Met Gala is one of the biggest fashion events of the year; celebrities from all over the world come to showcase an extravagant outfit that fits within the set theme for that year. This year’s Met Gala theme is Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty. The event raises money for the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute. Their collection holds over 33,000 pieces of jewelry, clothing, and accessories that record the history of fashion. The event is exclusive and it is invite-only, but it comes with a price as attendees still need to pay for their tickets.

Lagerfeld History:
This year Anna Wintour, head of Vogue, and the committee at the Metropolitan Museum decided on a theme tributing designer Karl Lagerfeld. The exhibit will feature 150 of Lagerfeld’s beautifully designed pieces from the past. Additionally, sketches of Lagerfeld’s designs will be on display for guests to view throughout the night. Lagerfeld has designed for many houses such as Patou, Balmain, Chloé, and Fendi, and he also has his own house, Chanel. Karl Lagerfeld died of pancreatic cancer on February 19, 2019; this Met Gala theme is in commemoration of his outstanding commitment to the fashion industry and the fashion houses he impacted with his magnificent designs.

Past Met Galas:
The 2022 Met Gala featured many amazing looks for the “gilded glamor, white tie” theme. Some of the most memorable looks were Blake Lively’s transformation in honor of the Statue of Liberty, Quanna Chasinghorse in Prabal Gurung, and Kim Kardashian in her controversial Marilyn Monroe dress. Some of the best themes throughout the years were 2019’s iconic Camp theme featuring an array of theatrical looks from princess gowns to costume changes on the carpet. The heavenly bodies theme from 2018 was by far a favorite with its attendees decked out in gems, wings, and crosses. Additionally, the 2011 tribute to Alexander Mcqueen was one for the record books with many guests wearing extravagant silhouettes and beautiful gowns made by or inspired by the late Mcqueen.

This Year’s Theme:
This year’s theme calls for all attendees to dress “in honor of Karl” but it isn’t as straightforward as it seems. The idea is for attendees to be inspired by Lagerfeld’s legacy of designs and dress accordingly. Some guests are predicted to show up in Karl’s old works that he designed previously in his career. Since vintage and repurposed looks have been becoming popular in the past few years–Kim Kardashian wearing Marilyn Monroe’s Dress or Emma Stone re-wearing her Louis Vuitton wedding dress, both at last year’s Met Gala: The Gilded Age–it isn’t unheard of to wear old looks. However, like usual, designers are predicted to also make their own interpretations of his work as well, such as taking his drawings and turning them into outfits that fit the theme for the Met Gala. Hopefully, most attendees stay on theme this year due to the lack of participation in staying on theme in years past.

This Year’s Hosts:
Hosting the Met Gala this year is British singer Dua Lipa, British screenwriter and actress Michaela Coel, Spanish actress Penélope Cruz, and Swiss Tennis player Roger Federer. These hosts have big shoes to fill compared to last year’s Met hosts, Blake Lively, Ryan Renolds, Regina King, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. The group for this year is an interesting mix; it surprised many people to hear that an athlete would be hosting but Federer is sure to do an excellent job. Additionally, with Dua Lipa’s rise from the ashes in recent years her fans are excited to see her in the spotlight.

Predicted Best Looks:
Blake Lively has had a track record of amazing looks in years past and each time her dress matches the carpet whether it’s purposeful or not. Her most iconic look was from last year’s Met Gala, In America: An Anthology of Fashion. She wore a fabulous gown tributing the Statue of Liberty. As she stepped onto the red carpet the dress was a gorgeous copper color, then Lively theatrically pulled the dress to reveal a turquoise train, symbolizing the iconic oxidation of the Statue of Liberty from copper to green. Additionally, Lively’s love for New York is seen as the train of the dress is splattered with landmarks of New York City. She also has many other notable looks from the Met Gala, but it is no question that with her past appearances, she will have one of the best looks on May 1st.

Lady Gaga in her 2019 Camp appearance showed up and left no crumbs. She took the red carpet by storm changing into four different looks on the carpet. She started in a massive pink overcoat then removed that to reveal a smaller, but still extravagant, black dress with a black umbrella to match. After the black dress, there was a bright pink slip dress that she paired with big black sunglasses and an old-fashioned black telephone. Her last look going down the red carpet was lingerie that she paired with black mesh tights. Lady Gaga’s look fits the theme almost exactly as it should have been executed: extravagantly. She always comes to the Met Gala with creativity and exactly on theme so this year should be no exception.

Karl Lagerfeld had favorite models during his career, one of them being Carla Delving. She was always seen walking down the runways and being the model at the end of the fashion show holding his hand at the end walk with the designer. Predicting that she comes to the Met Gala, she will most likely be one of the exclusive people who will get to wear one of his old designs. This is perfectly on theme and she will have one of his best looks.