Karl Lagerfeld, the genius behind top designer brands such as Chanel, Balmain, and Fendi, is to be celebrated at the Met Gala 2023. Per usual, this glorious night, the apogee of haute couture in the world of celebrities, will take place on the first Monday of May 2023. Get ready for the Karl Lagerfeld Met Gala 2023 with Love Happens Mag.
Another year, another fabulous night at the Met.
For those who still don’t really understand the meaning behind the celebration, its history might sound a little confusing but bear with me.
The first Met Gala dates back to 1948. Why? Well, no party really needs a reason other than good wine and fabulous fashion! But since you asked… Created by publicist Eleanor Lambert, the gala began as a fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, founded in 1870 by a group of businessmen in hopes of ending the elitization of art and culture. Though it wasn’t until Diana Vreeland took a chair that the Met became what we know it as today. Not only did the venue shift, but also the structure of the whole event. Now, a theme was mandatory, and so started the show’s one-of-a-kind looks.
Nowadays, with Anna Wintour—editor in chief of Vogue—in charge, the Met has transformed into perhaps the most influential fashion night in the entire world. From actresses to musicians, reality TV stars (and even tiktokers!), the Met Gala is the place to be and the event to cover if you have any interest in fashion or art, for that matter.
As for 2023, the Met Gala will be all about the icon that was Karl Lagerfeld.
I don’t want to be real in other people’s lives. I want to be an apparition.
Karl Lagerfeld
Channeling Karl Lagerfeld Evening Wear Vibes
Karl Otto Lagerfeld — The Life of a Mastermind
On September 10th, a star is born in Hamburg, Germany. And although much is yet to be discovered about the childhood of Karl Lagerfeld, one thing is for sure: the man was born to create.
Karl entered the world of fashion in 1954 after winning the first prize at the International Wool Secretariat. And later, in 1955, he went to work for Pierre Balmain, who gave life to Karl’s designs. Soon, though, Lagerfeld understood how truly talented he was and became a freelance designer for the most renowned luxury brands such as Chloé, Krizia, Valentino, and shoemaker Charles Jourdan. Karl was just getting started. Fendi enters the picture with the proposition to make him the new consultant director with the intent of modernizing the fur line and later, the brand in general. At Fendi, Karl reinvented furs as we knew them at the time, with new textures, techniques, and looks.
Never leaving Fendi behind but finding a home in Chanel in 1983, Karl is unstoppable! By creating the meticulously perfect blend of the classic Chanel sartorial strategy of a “total look” with new colors and patterns, Karl meets his destiny. And how hard must it be for this man to be the one to save Chanel from falling out the radar? Times were changing, and society, especially women, wanted to feel something, to be free, and to have clothing pieces that made sense for their everyday needs. And that’s what Karl created: a Chanel closet for the everyday working woman, for the young lady in pursuit of a career, and for the classy and wise woman celebrating a long and amazing life while at a cocktail party with friends.
Karl Lagerfeld’s Style
For him, fashion was all about mixing the classics with contemporary key elements to create the fashion of tomorrow.
Our love affair with Fendi, Chanel, and Balmain has never been a secret well-kept, so it would only make sense for us to also be obsessed with the man who reimagined the future of such Couture Houses. Karl Lagerfeld was the haute of all things decadent, with touches of drama and a sparkle of contemporaneity.
If you are still curious to find out more about one of the best designers, don’t forget to read our Tribute to Karl Lagerfeld!
Bejeweled Karl Lagerfeld Vibes
Karl Lagerfeld — A Line of Beauty Exhibition
Karl wasn’t big on fashion museums. He believed that garments were supposed to be put in motion, to be worn. In his words: fashion is not art – fashion belongs to the street, to women’s bodies, to the bodies of men. And that is why this is no regular art exposition.
From May 5 to July 16, at The Met, all eyes will be on Karl Lagerfeld’s—A Line of Beauty—masterpiece! A fashion exhibition of approximately 150 pieces alongside some of the most iconic sketches left to come to life by the designer’s head seamstresses.
If you can, this will surely be a must-see experience, a fantasy made possible by Chanel and Fendi in collaboration with the Costume Institute.
The exhibition, more than an ode to the artist, is also a study of the evolution of fashion itself. A close look at the mysteries of the art we wear. The magic of turning a two-dimensional drawing into three-dimensional garments, all while staying true to his singular style but keeping in mind the functionality of it all. The designs are proof of the meticulous, almost alchemical, process of creation from the first line to the last stitch.
Classic Karl Lagerfeld Vibes
What to expect at the Karl Lagerfeld Met Gala 2023
No surprise here; we are expecting lots of Chanel and Balmain on the glorious staircase of The Met. For the bravest of all, true vintage Karl Lagerfeld looks. Lots of lace, pearls, and black will appear like never before. Fendi and Patou won’t be far from the media’s attention either. But above all, this year’s Met Gala will be embellished with true union and pride to have lived and experienced the brilliance that was Karl Lagerfeld.
Words by Mariana Silva
Feature Image by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
More to Love!
15 Met Gala Worthy American Designers
Paris Fashion Week 2019 Fall/Winter: Lh Loves & Karl Lagerfeld’s Final Chanel Show
A Tribute to Karl Lagerfeld: One of the Most Prolific Designers of the 20th & 21st Centuries
