May 1st 2023 will see the most anticipated night in the fashion calendar as celebrities, stylists, photographers, philanthropists, journalists, designers and a host of influential individuals gather together on the steps of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. The goal? Raise much-needed funds for the Met’s Costume Institute and, of course, have some fashion fun.
Here’s everything you need to know!
WHAT IS THE MET GALA
Organised and presided over by Anna Wintour since 1995, the Met Gala has become a much-loved annual celebration of fashion. Considered a fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, it has traditionally been timed to mark the opening of its annual fashion exhibition. Year after year, the event raises eight-figure sums.
THE THEME
The 2023 Met Gala theme, Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty, honours the former Chanel creative director, following his death in 2019. Fittingly, this year’s Met Gala dress code is “in honour of Karl” – with guests able to choose from the creative director’s vast archives at Chanel, Fendi, Chloé, Balmain, Patou and his eponymous brand.
THE HOSTS
On 18 January, Vogue announced that its 2023 hosts would be Penélope Cruz, Michaela Coel, Roger Federer, Dua Lipa and Vogue’s Anna Wintour, serving as the night’s official co-chairs.
THE GUESTS
The guest list for the annual event is tightly guarded and vetted by Anna Wintour and is mostly speculation. One may expect Karl Lagerfeld’s muses such as Cara Delevigne or Claudia Schiffer to attend.
https://twitter.com/ThePopTingz/status/1649800404018819072?s=20
The above list, which is circulating across social media, is not confirmed but does give an indication as to who social media users would like to see attend.
KARL LAGERFELD
Karl Otto Lagerfeld was a German fashion designer, creative director, artist and photographer.
He was known as the creative director of the French fashion house Chanel, a position held from 1983 until his death, and was also the creative director of the Italian fur and leather goods fashion house Fendi, and of his own eponymous fashion label. He collaborated on a variety of fashion and art-related projects.
Around 150 original looks – from all the houses he served, as well as his own line – will be presented in the Met alongside their respective original sketches. Furthermore, video interviews with his respective premiers, shot by the great Loïc Prigent, will enable visitors to crack that secret Lagerfeld code.
KARL LAGERFELD CONTROVERSIES
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The Dark Reason Karl Lagerfeld Lied About His Age
“Born in Hamburg on September 10th 1933, Karl Otto Lagerfeld would go on to lie at length about the date of his birth, imploring that he was, instead, born in 1938, making himself 5 years younger. The whole shambles is the focus of the opening chapter of William Middleton’s latest biography of the fashion star ‘Paradise Now’.”
THE 2022 MET GALA: A RECAP
For 2022 the theme was ‘America: An Anthology of Fashion’. Sound familiar? That’s because the 2021 theme was ‘America: A Lexicon of Fashion’, and they are pretty much the same. However, thankfully Anna Wintour and her team made one distinction last year, asking guests to dress in one specific category: Gilded Glamour.
Gilded Glamour Best Dressed - Met Gala 2022
“Queen of the Met Gala, Blake Lively wears a Versace gown inspired by New York City architecture.”
Kim and Marilyn - Why No One Should Have Allowed This To Happen
“Much has been said in the last week since the 2022 Met Gala about global star Kim Kardashian donning the very dress that Marilyn Monroe wore 60 years ago to perform ‘Happy Birthday’ for American President JFK, and then a green dress worn by Marilyn in 1962 at the Golden Globes. Many are shocked, confused, flabbergasted and, of course, many don’t understand the outrage.”