Mark your calendars for the first Monday in May! The theme for the 2023 Met Gala has been announced and so have the co-chairs.
What is the Met Gala 2023 theme?
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced the theme for this year will pay tribute to none other than Karl Lagerfeld, who was undeniably one of the most prolific designers of the last century.
Karl, who passed away in 2019 following an ongoing battle with pancreatic cancer worked with a number of iconic brands including Chanel, Chloe, Fendi, Balmain and his own eponymous fashion label.
The exhibition, aptly titled “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” will open in May and the co-chairs will be Penélope Cruz, Michaela Coel, Roger Federer, and Dua Lipa.
What can we expect from the 2023 Met Gala?
So what can we expect from the famed-red carpet? Karl Lagerfeld’s contribution to the fashion industry was massive, from the creation of Chanel’s signature interlocking CC monogram to the double F logo for Fendi – so these will no doubt pop up in the outfits.
However, Karl himself had his own unique sense of style, which will no doubt be an inspiration point for many designers.
Despite the solemn undertone of the gala, the night will remember and celebrate the life and legacy of the late fashion icon.
And don’t expect to see a traditional approach to the exhibition, The Met’s custom curator Andrew Bolton spoke to Vogue about what one can expect.
“At its heart, the exhibition will look at the evolution of Karl’s two-dimensional drawings into three-dimensional garments,” he explained.
“We could not do a traditional retrospective. For one thing, I think Karl would have hated that. Even though one of his facets was that he was a historicist, and he would revisit themes in his work, he was always looking to the future in his own work—he hated looking back at the past.”
“It was something he had a very conflicted relationship with.”
Why are some people upset with the 2023 Met Gala theme?
Although the theme was initially met with excitement, a number of people have slammed the decision to celebrate Karl Lagerfeld, who faced a number of controversies throughout his career.
Not only was the designer called out for his anti-fat language (he called Adele “too fat,” Heidi Klum “too heavy” among other comments) he also claimed he was “fed up” with the Me Too movement and claimed Coco Chanel wasn’t a feminist as she “was never ugly enough for that.”
Following the announcement of the theme, Jameela Jamil took to Twitter sarcastically writing “A line of racism, fat phobia and a hatred of the Me Too movement. Excited to see all the ladies celebrate this great lover of women!” and it seems many agree.
“Regarding the next Met Gala theme focused on Karl Lagerfeld. As much as he contributed to the fashion industry, we should not be celebrating a person who made fatphobic, racist, and sexist comments throughout his career,” wrote another Twitter user.
Watch Below: Kim Kardashian Tries On Marylin Monroe’s 1962 Dress Before The 2022 Met Gala
Who is attending the 2023 Met Gala?
Although the Met Gala Official guest list has not been revealed, we can confirm Dua Lipa, Michaela Coel, Penelope Cruz and Roger Federer will be attending since they will be co-chairing this year’s event.
Fans believe the latest issue of American Vogue also hints at some other guests who will be attending. The issue pays tribute to Karl Lagerfeld and the cover features 10 models he loved working with.
Anok Yai, Shalom Harlow, Kendall Jenner, Liu Wen, Adut Akech, Natalia Vodianova, Naomi Campbell, Amber Valletta, Gigi Hadid, and Devon Aoki all feature on the cover and fans suspect it’s likely they will all be in attendance.
Although there were rumours that the Kardashians would not be in attendance, it looks like Kim will be at this year’s Met Gala.
A week before the Met, Kim shared on Instagram that she had spent time at Karl Lagerfeld’s office in Paris to get some “inspiration for the Met,” even spending some time with his beloved cat.
A little under a week away from the big day, Met Gala golden girl, Blake Lively confirmed she would not be attending.
“But I will be watching,” she explained while attending the reopening of Tiffany & Co. Fifth Avenue in New York City.
Although she gave no reason for why she was skipping this year’s gala, she and husband Ryan Reynolds welcomed their fourth child in February.
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