“Fashion’s biggest night” returns to the steps of New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art tonight, the first Monday in May, 75 years after the inaugural Met Gala in 1948, and with a controversial theme: “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty.”
To many, Lagerfeld is best known as the legendary German designer who spent over three decades at the helm of Chanel and an eponymous label, as well as stints leading Fendi, Balmain, Patou and Chloé before his death in 2019. But to fashion insiders, Lagerfeld’s legacy is far more complicated, including statements widely considered racist, sexist and fatphobic. In his lifetime, Lagerfeld was unapologetically biased and felt the fashion industry should be, as well.
“These are fat mummies sitting with their bags of crisps in front of the television, saying that thin models are ugly,” he once said of the body positivity movement (HuffPost), adding, “no one wants to see round women.”
(L-R) Normani, Jacopo Venturini, Janet Mock, Whoopi Goldberg, Pierpaolo Picciolo, Carey Mulligan, Giveon, Tomi Adeyemi and Dixie D’Amelio attend The 2021 Met Gala Celebrating “In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion” on Sept.13, 2021, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
Accordingly, this year’s Met Gala may prove to be as much an enigma as the man himself. Chanel is sponsoring the tribute to its former creative director, which will showcase 150 of Lagerfeld-designed looks alongside original sketches, but some stars, influencers and insiders have already rebuked a celebration of “the Kaiser’s” legacy.
“As we approach the first Monday of May, the hf twitter met gala team would like to announce that we will not be celebrating this year’s met gala as our values don’t align with the selection of Karl Lagerfeld as the theme,” wrote the popular High Fashion Twitter Met Gala account on Twitter.
“A lot of us are actually part of the communities that Karl Lagerfeld has targeted in his hateful speech,” one of the account’s coordinators, @raphlecia, told Time. “And a lot of the people who participate in our event are part of those communities as well. It’s not that we’re not acknowledging his legacy and we’re not denying it either, but part of his legacy are the harmful things that he’s said and we don’t really want to partake in celebrating that.”
Nevertheless, many will be celebrating tonight, including event co-chair Michaela Coel and possibly red carpet favorites like Rihanna (dubbed “Queen of the Met Gala” since her 2015 appearance in Guo Pei’s epic embroidered and fur-trimmed cape to suit the Met Gala theme “China: Through the Looking Glass.”
On Saturday, the megastar teased a possible return on Instagram, donning a faux fur black-and-white Chanel jacket from the label’s fall 1994 collection and logo glasses (a Lagerfeld design) with a white minidress and faux fur hat. With the coy caption, “Not even Monday,” many were left wondering if the bad gal, who has made several Manhattan appearances in the past few days, will be making her return to the Met Gala this year — her first while pregnant — to reclaim her crown?
If so, she won’t be the only Black fashion icon on the carpet. Met Gala showstopper Janelle Monáe is also excited for the night, telling PEOPLE magazine, “It’s such a surprise. I have an experience that I’ve put together. … Watch that red carpet because you don’t want to miss a beat.”
Monáe’s first appearance at the Met Gala was in 2011 at the invitation of Lagerfeld. The designer later commissioned her to perform at his Chanel presentation in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and supported her at numerous points through her career, so the star has no problem saluting a man who was in many ways a fashion mentor.
“I went with Karl, so this is sort of full circle for us to be honoring him. I’m really excited about what we’ll do,” she told People, noting the two shared similar sartorial tastes. “He’s probably worn black and white longer than me, and I’m next after him.”
Nevertheless, Monáe noted, regardless of the theme, “You have an assignment. This is the theme. And me and my team are literally like art students collaborating on a group project, and we’re there.”
“It’s supposed to be fun. It’s supposed not to be serious,” she added. “So I always enjoy people who are not stressed out over the Met Gala because I’m not.”
Who else will be on tonight’s red carpet? That remains to be seen, but the event’s organizers hope guests (who tend to interpret the annual theme very loosely) will use the opportunity to pay homage to the breadth of Lagerfeld’s storied career. Others, like editor and writer Emily Kirkpatrick (of the newsletter, “I <3 Mess”), hope we’ll see the fashion icon for the very flawed man he was.
“Karl produced an incredible amount of very influential and important work but he was also an asshole with some really bad ideas and some really racist, misogynistic, and homophobic opinions about pretty much every topic imaginable,” Kirkpatrick told Time. “It’s easier for us to consume pretty things without reckoning with the horrible story behind them.”
As for attendees and watchers of the “Super Bowl of Fashion” tonight? “You’re welcome to enjoy this fashion and to appreciate the beauty,” she continued. “But just so you know, this guy probably hated you if you are not a white, size 00 model. He was not working for you. He was not making clothes for you.”
TheGrio will follow all of tonight’s Black glamour when the 2023 Met Gala red carpet kicks off at 6:30 p.m. ET. You can watch the red carpet live on Vogue’s streaming channels. In the meantime, review some of our favorite Met Gala looks of recent years in our gallery below.
Rihanna, 2015
Rihanna attends the “China: Through The Looking Glass” Costume Institute Benefit Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 4, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
Beyoncé, 2015
Beyoncé attends the “China: Through The Looking Glass” Costume Institute Benefit Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 4, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for Variety)
Zendaya, 2016
Zendaya attends the “Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology” Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Larry Busacca/Getty Images)
Zoe Saldana, 2016
Zoe Saldana attends the “Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology” Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2016 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)
Rihanna, 2018
Rihanna attends the “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination” Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 7, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
Cardi B, 2018
Cardi B attends the “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination” Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 7, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for New York Magazine)
Chadwick Boseman, 2018
Chadwick Boseman attends the “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination” Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 7, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)
Zendaya, 2018
Zendaya attends the “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination” Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 7, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for New York Magazine)
Solange Knowles, 2018
Solange Knowles attends the “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination” Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 7, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)
Offset, Quavo, and Takeoff, 2018
(L-R) Offset, Quavo, and Takeoff of Migos attend the “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & The Catholic Imagination” Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 7, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for New York Magazine)
Laverne Cox, 2019
Laverne Cox attends the 2019 Met Gala Celebrating “Camp: Notes on Fashion” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)
Ephraim Sykes, Jeremy Pope, Derrick Baskin, Jawan M. Jackson, and James Harkness, 2019
(L-R) Ephraim Sykes, Jeremy Pope, Derrick Baskin, Jawan M. Jackson, and James Harkness attend the 2019 Met Gala Celebrating “Camp: Notes on Fashion” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
Ciara, 2019
Ciara attends the 2019 Met Gala Celebrating “Camp: Notes on Fashion” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)
Naomi Campbell, 2019
Naomi Campbell attends the 2019 Met Gala Celebrating “Camp: Notes on Fashion” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)
Zendaya and Law Roach, 2019 Met Gala
Zendaya and Law Roach attend the 2019 Met Gala Celebrating “Camp: Notes on Fashion” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
Solange Knowles, 2019
Solange Knowles attends the 2019 Met Gala Celebrating “Camp: Notes on Fashion” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union, 2019
Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union attend the 2019 Met Gala Celebrating “Camp: Notes on Fashion” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
Janelle Monáe, 2019
Janelle Monáe attends the 2019 Met Gala Celebrating “Camp: Notes on Fashion” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)
Cardi B, 2019
Cardi B attends the 2019 Met Gala Celebrating “Camp: Notes on Fashion” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)
Tracee Ellis Ross, 2019
Tracee Ellis Ross attends the 2019 Met Gala Celebrating “Camp: Notes on Fashion” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)
Michaela Coel, 2021
Michaela Coel attends the 2021 Met Gala Celebrating “In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Sept. 13, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)
Lil Nas X, 2021
Lil Nas X attends the 2021 Met Gala Celebrating “In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on Sept. 13, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
Iman, 2021
Iman attends the 2021 Met Gala Celebrating “In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Sept. 13, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
Yara Shahidi, 2021
Yara Shahidi attends the 2021 Met Gala Celebrating “In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Sept. 13, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
Keke Palmer, 2021
Keke Palmer attends the 2021 Met Gala Celebrating “In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Sept. 13, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
Billy Porter, 2019
Billy Porter attends the 2019 Met Gala Celebrating “Camp: Notes on Fashion” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images)
Bethann Hardison, 2019
Bethann Hardison attends the 2019 Met Gala Celebrating “Camp: Notes on Fashion” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, left, and Aurora James, 2021
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Aurora James attend the 2021 Met Gala Celebrating “In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Sept. 13, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
Jeremy Pope, 2021
Jeremy Pope attends the 2021 Met Gala Celebrating “In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion” at Metropolitan Museum of Art on Sept. 13, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
Mykal Kilgore, 2021
Mykal Kilgore attends the 2021 Met Gala Celebrating “In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Sept.13, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
Anok Yai, 2021
Anok Yai attends the 2021 Met Gala Celebrating “In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Sept. 13, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
Lena Waithe, 2022
Lena Waithe attends the 2022 Met Gala Celebrating “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)
Alicia Keys, 2022
Alicia Keys attends the 2022 Met Gala Celebrating “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)
Kerry Washington, 2022
Kerry Washington attends the 2022 Met Gala Celebrating “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
Lizzo, 2022
Lizzo attends the 2022 Met Gala Celebrating “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)
Janelle Monáe, 2022
Janelle Monáe attends the 2022 Met Gala Celebrating “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
Alton Mason, 2022
Alton Mason attends the 2022 Met Gala Celebrating “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, 2022
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II attends the 2022 Met Gala Celebrating “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
Radha Blank, 2022
Radha Blank attends the 2022 Met Gala Celebrating “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
Jodie Turner-Smith, 2022
Jodie Turner-Smith attends the 2022 Met Gala Celebrating “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)
Cynthia Erivo, 2022
Cynthia Erivo attends the 2022 Met Gala Celebrating “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)
Alicia Keys, 2022
Alicia Keys attends the 2022 Met Gala Celebrating “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
Teyana Taylor and Winnie Harlow, 2022
Teyana Taylor and Winnie Harlow attend the 2022 Met Gala Celebrating “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue)
Teyana Taylor, 2022
Teyana Taylor attends the 2022 Met Gala Celebrating “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
Rihanna, 2015
Rihanna attends the “China: Through The Looking Glass” Costume Institute Benefit Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 4, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)
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