Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty is, arguably, the most fitting theme of the fashion-forward Met Gala yet, given the designer it pays ode to was a veritable fashion giant.
Who was Karl Lagerfeld?
The German designer was, in a word, prolific. His contribution to the fashion industry over five decades is difficult to overstate, as he created seasonal ready-to-wear, cruise and pre-fall collections for no fewer than three brands — Chanel, Fendi and his eponymous label — year on year, as well as two haute couture collections for Chanel each year.
A keen photographer, he also famously shot all of the marketing and media campaigns for each of the brands.
Lagerfeld died in Paris in February 2019 at the age of 85.
Karl Lagerfeld: Career highlights and controversies
Lagerfeld joined the house of Fendi in 1965 and never left, creating collections that appealed to a younger audience while losing none of the technical know-how that the house is famed for. But it is for his work at Chanel, which he joined in 1983, that Lagerfeld will be remembered.
It was his drive, vision and unflagging work ethic that propelled Chanel from a noted but stuffy brand beloved by the middle-aged to a global fashion powerhouse, bulding on Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel's sense of androgynous chic, rethinking her costume jewellery and famous tweeds for a new audience.
While Lagerfeld was known for collecting muses — from Cara Delevingne to Kristen Stewart — he was also notoriously exacting and outspoken, yet elusive.
Sporting dark suits, white, pony-tailed hair and tinted sunglasses in his later years that made him instantly recognisable, an irreverent wit was also part of a carefully crafted persona. "I am like a caricature of myself, and I like that," reads one quote attributed to him, and often recycled to convey the person he liked to play. "It is like a mask. And for me the Carnival of Venice lasts all year long."
That is not to say Lagerfeld did not court controversy. In 2012, Lagerfeld insulted singer Adele for not being a size 10 (he apparently apologised by sending her armfuls of Chanel bags), while in 2017, Meryl Streep accused the designer of spoiling her Oscars night by falsely accusing her of being paid to wear a gown on the red carpet.
He was also known to be superstitious, and never allowed anyone to wear something from his collections before they were shown on the runway.
Lagerfeld also had a tendency to be fluid about his past and his year of birth, despite the baptism register in Hamburg confirming his arrival into this world on September 10, 1933.
We need to talk about Choupette
A number of celebrities at the Met Gala came dressed as Lagerfeld's pampered feline Choupette.
The Birman cat was originally owned by model Baptiste Giabiconi, but became Lagerfeld's when he fell in love after he agreed to cat-sit her. Choupette soon became one of the most famous cats in the world, appearing on the cover of V Magazine with Laetitia Casta in 2012; becoming the subject of a book called Choupette: The Private Life of a High Flying Fashion Cat in 2014; and landing a pet furniture collection after Lagerfeld's death, in 2020.
Scroll through the gallery below to see how celebrities paid homage to Lagerfeld at the Met Gala
