Giana Capialbi '24
On September 30, 2022, this year’s Met Gala theme was announced, being in honor of legendary fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. The famed party will open the ‘Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty’ exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. While Lagerfeld is considered one of the most genius creatives to ever work in the fashion industry, many people fail to acknowledge his controversial opinions, particularly about women.
He has made many remarks about body diversity in the industry, saying that “nobody wants to see round women” and even called singer Adele “a little too fat.” He also defended accused sexual assaulters saying, “If you don't want your pants pulled about, don't become a model!” Obviously, none of these things are okay and should have been addressed long before now. The announcement of the theme brought these statements back to light, and there has been no response so far by the event coordinators.
Vogue Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour had a longtime friendship with Lagerfeld, and following his passing in 2019, it is no surprise that she chose to honor him at what many consider to be one of the biggest annual events in the world. The German designer has been the head at some of the biggest fashion houses in the world, such as Chanel, Fendi, Chloe, and his eponymous brand. I am sure the exhibit itself will be an exclusive look into the mind of a master, but that doesn’t erase his controversial views.
People in and outside of the industry have had an increasing amount of critiques about the gala, thinking that the themes are confusing, the attendees and what they wear are not up to par, and that the event just generally is not what it used to be.
Many think it has to do with the leadership of the gala and of Vogue in general, and there have been many debates about if Anna Wintour should retire and who should replace her. I think it is important to note that she could have chosen to honor other recently passed designers, such as Manfred Thierry Mugler and Issey Miyake. The event will be co-hosted by Penélope Cruz, Michaela Coel, Roger Federer, and Dua Lipa, and no matter what it will definitely be a night to remember.
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