Celebrities honor Karl Lagerfeld at elegant Met Gala, with some surprises
By Nora Quintanilla
New York City, May 1 (EFE).- Celebrities including singers, athletes, models, actors and fashion designers attended the Met Gala in New York City on Monday with a rare commitment to elegance in honor of late fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld.
The event, one of the most exclusive parties in America, this year dictated a very clear dress code: tribute had to be paid to the German designer who until his death in 2019 was the creative soul of the haute couture brand Chanel, as well as Fendi, and earlier, Balmain and Chloé.
Neither the extravagance of Kim Kardashian and her sisters Kylie and Kendall Jenner, queens of sensuality on the red carpet, nor the singer Rihanna, who arrived an hour and a half late hidden in a voluminous hooded cape of white flowers, eclipsed the prominence of the late designer.
Thus, black-and-white pairings, pearls, velvet bows, flowers, sequins and gold chains dominated, with spectacular details such as actor Jeremy Pope’s cape featuring the designer’s face and Cardi B’s voluminous skirt in the likeness of Chanel’s quilted bags.
Supermodels such as Carla Bruni, Gisele Bundchen and Naomi Campbell brought out their vintage Chanel dresses; Nicole Kidman donned the one she wore 20 years ago in the Chanel No. 5 ad, and Margot Robbie and Dua Lipa pulled 90s outfits from the brand’s archive.
Penelope Cruz, one of the hosts of the event at the request of US Vogue editor Anna Wintour, wore a white sequined couture Chanel gown with a hood from 1998, the year before she met Lagerfeld, and recalled their last moment together, a walk in Central Park.
Some guests chose to emulate the couturier with classic suits, sunglasses and gloves, and even the designer’s cat Choupette was honored – actor Jared Leto caused a sensation by dressing as the feline, as did singer Doja Cat, who was almost unrecognizable with a facial prosthetic.
Some of the men took sartorial risks, such as singer Bad Bunny, who wore a white suit with an open back, and actor Pedro Pascal, who wore black shorts under a long red jacket, although more extreme was Lil Nas X, in platform boots and covered head to toe in silver glitter, pearls and gemstones.
As always, the event threw up some surprises, with tennis player Serena Williams revealing she is pregnant with her second child with husband Alexis Ohanian, and model Karlie Kloss who is having her second with Joshua Kushner.
And in the wait for Rihanna’s arrival, some celebrities began to leave and offered intimate moments: basketball player Brittney Griner, recently released from Russia, melted into a hug with NBA player Dwayne Wade, and singer P. Diddy took his partner out for pizza.
Not everything was glamorous though, since among the surprises was the appearance of a cockroach on the white carpet, and the rapid incursion of police into the museum, leaving several minutes later without explanation.
The event accompanies the Met Costume Institute’s big annual exhibition and raises funds at the rate of about $50,000 per person, but one can only attend with an invite, a lot of money (or a sponsor) and the approval of Wintour. EFE
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