New York (AP) — Rihanna shut down the Met Gala Monday’s rug is covered in white camellia blossoms over a tunic with a long train gown. Janelle Monae dropped a voluminous coat to reveal a sheer cage and Jeremy Pope walked in a 32-foot cape decked out in a Karl Lagerfeld look.
In the spirit of Lagerfeld himself (he wasn’t often on time), Rihanna and husband Valentino had the rug to themselves to save her partner, A.H. king. They turned out well after everyone else.
Around her neck was a short Bulgari necklace of Akoya cultured pearls and diamonds in the shape of a pearl.
Lagerfeld was the honoree at the A-list party with many of the 400-strong crowd dressed in vintage outfits from the fashion houses where he has worked during his career of more than 60 years.
But elegance was not the hallmark of the evening. Jared Leto dressed as Choupette, Lagerfeld’s lovable fluffy cat. Lil Nas X went for a full, crystal-encrusted catsuit by Pat McGrath and Dior Men.
Bad Bunny made a belated appearance in head-to-toe gleaming white in a long gown also adorned with camellia flowers, a Coco Chanel idea that Lagerfeld adopted. Monáe’s look, with a sparkly black gown underneath, by Thom Browne.
Cardi B first wore pink and then changed into a full black dress with, you guessed it, camellias. She said, “It gives Karl, Chanel home and Karl at the same time.” The men’s collar shirt was accented with a black men’s tie. The outfit named in honor of Lagerfeld was done by up-and-coming British design house Chenpeng Studio.
“The Met Gala dress was ‘a tribute to Karl, and the guests certainly understood the mission,'” said Alison Cohn, deputy fashion news editor at Harper’s Bazaar. “They pointed to the many signatures that Karl Lagerfeld has developed over the course of six decades as well as his career.”
He used various embellished fabrics (Teyana Taylor’s Thom Browne suit and Anne Hathaway’s Versace safety pin number). Camellias also adorned Emily Blunt in a Michael Kors blouse and Adut Akech in a Carolina Herrera gown.
Dua Lipa walked in a white Chanel dress from the fashion house’s archives, and Nicole Kidman opted for a look Lagerfeld himself created for her 20 years ago.
And there were some bombshells: Serena Williams wore a Gucci flapper look when she announced she was pregnant with her second child..
A co-chair at the Gala, Lipa wore a Tiffany & Co. diamond around her neck. She described her cream-colored dress, by Chanel from 1992, as “very, very special” as it was on her mood boards.
Claudia Schiffer wore the dress on the runway for the first time, even though she had a matching hat. Lipa’s platinum necklace included a central diamond of over 200 carats.
Nicole Kidman said Lagerfeld sparked fashion in her. She wore a pale pink gown created by Lagerfeld for the Chanel No. 5 advertisement in which she starred. It is adorned with 3,000 silver crystals for the advertisement directed by Baz Luhrmann.
“I’m so grateful to wear it,” she told the Associated Press. “He was a huge part of my life, and so was his entire team. He was the kind of person who really nurtured me…in terms of my love of fashion.”
Kidman topped off her look with a Harry Winston diamond.
“My favorite look was Nicole Kidman’s feathered sequin gown by Chanel. Celebrities usually wear new outfits straight from the runway or have custom looks. It was a great statement about sustainability, proving that beautifully handcrafted pieces never go out of style,” Cohn said.
Meanwhile, Kim Kardashian went with pearl hoops and hoops throughout Schiaparelli’s look. And Cardi B went major in pink, complete with a feathery headpiece. Brittney Griner wore a warm stone shade in a bodysuit with a long blazer by Calvin Klein, who also wore wife Cheryl Griner in an elegant strapless white onyx dress.
Much of the crowd considered Lagerfeld as a friend or worked with him at Chanel, Fendi, Chloe, or one of the other fashion houses he created.
Many of the guests wore black to walk the unusual carpet with a linear design. It was a color Lagerfeld wore almost exclusively. Black and white combinations were also plentiful.
Kristen Stewart wore the colorful duo in a bodysuit with a short white blazer. And Cara Delevingne honored longtime friend Lagerfeld with a white frilly top that looked cropped in the front with a train in the back. Ruffled shirts were among Lagerfeld’s favourites.
Classic colors were not for Viola Davis. She walked in a stunning strapless neon pink gown with long feathers in the bodice.
Frenchie M. Harris, CEO and founder of the online fashion site The Black Fashion Movement, had one word for Davis: “Cool!”
She described Anne Hathaway’s look, which was inspired by Chanel but made by Versace with the brooches and camellias on the bodice, as “absolutely gorgeous and a great pairing of the brands”.
Gigi Hadid wore a black Givenchy look with feathers, a dropped waist and a piece of tulle. It took over 300 hours to make. Kendall Jenner was also sporting a pair of black sans pants. She was wearing a sparkly long-sleeved dress that had a cutout that doubled as a train. On her feet were grotesque black shoes, all courtesy of Marc Jacobs.
Jenner’s high white collar was a nod to those worn by Lagerfeld. Her hair was in a high ponytail.
Also in black, Rita Ora was stunning in this sheer peekaboo look from Prabal Gurung. It was in silky tulle with a sexy chiffon corset and wrap detail. One shoulder is dropped.
Margot Robbie, star of this summer’s live-action movie “Barbie,” donned a black Chanel gown worn by Cindy Crawford for her runway debut. Ruby said she was the last Chanel ambassador chosen by Lagerfeld.
“I feel really great in it,” she said.
The party is for invitees only Earning $17.4 million last year for the museum’s Costume Institute, a self-funding department with a budget dependent on the success of the ceremony. This year the price of attendance has increased to $300,000 per table and $50,000 per ticket.
Guests from fashion, film, music, theatre, sport, technology and social media were asked to dress up “in honor of Karl” by Anna Wintour, a close friend of Lagerfeld’s who first signed on to the event in 1995 and took helm in 1999.
The ceremony coincides with the Costume Institute’s flagship spring exhibition: “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty.”
American fashion It was last year. This was followed by gilded glitter and a white tie. Camp was the theme in 2019, Producing what is considered one of the most spectacular fashion shows by celebrity audiences.
Lagerfeld has worked for Chanel, Fendi, Chloe, Jean Patou, Balmain, his own label, and more.
Five hosts this year They include Wintour, as usual, and also Michaela Cowell, longtime Chanel ambassador Penelope Cruz, and recently retired tennis star Roger Federer.
Cruz looked like a bride in a sheer bonnet over her belted white Chanel dress with silver detailing from the Spring-Summer 1988 Couture collection.
When asked how he became co-chair at the Met Gala, Federer said it helps to know Wintour. He said it makes sense for athletes to attend the ceremony since they have become a larger part of the fashion world in recent years.
“I think athletes are becoming more fashionable,” Federer told the Associated Press. “We’re lucky to get on covers more frequently nowadays. Before that it was always models, good-looking people, not athletes.”
Fendi has also been represented, where Lagerfeld has worked for more than 20 years. Suki Waterhouse wore a 2019 Fendi creation by Lagerfeld of silky tulle and delicate flowers and birds on sheer panels.
Lagerfeld’s cat, Choupette, was rumored to be in attendance, but her humans posted to Instagram earlier in the day that the 11-year-old feline was staying in Paris. The Doja Cat’s cat-eared cap on a shimmery white beaded dress was an ode to Oscar de la Renta. She wore prostheses that gave her a face and claws.
Chloe Fineman carried a cat-shaped bag and Emma Chamberlain wore “Choupette blue,” a light blue color created by Lagerfeld. James Corden has also appeared in Shadows.
As for Leto, he has swapped out his cat costume for a black one.
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Associated Press writer John Karucci contributed to this report.
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