The Deeply Meaningful Way Chanel’s Celebrity Ambassadors Honored Karl Lagerfeld at the 2023 Met Gala
usmagazine.comHonoring a legend. The stars hit the red carpet for the 2023 Met Gala in New York on May 1 wearing wild beauty and fashion style inspired by Karl Lagerfeld’s ideology.
Who wore it best?Actors, models, musicians and more luminaries brought their A-game when it came to over-the-top fabulous looks that fit the theme “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” but a case can be made for the top accolades to go to those with an intimate connection to the inimitable fashion juggernaut — his hand-picked muses during his time at Chanel.While Lagerfeld had a storied body of work, designing for Fendi, Chloe, Patou and his own eponymous label, it was his 36-year tenure at French fashion house Chanel from 1983 to the time of his death in 2019 that cemented his iconic status as an arbiter of not just style, but of culture itself.Never was this more evident than through his choice of spokesmodels — the German creative director surrounded himself with a bevy of muses who reflected pop culture and literally brought the evolution of the brand to life.When Lagerfeld took the reins of the French fashion house in the ‘80s, he breathed new life into a label which, while innovative at its inception, had become stodgy.
Enter re-interpreted chains that once hung on the inside of jackets to weigh them down into chunky, multi-layer belts and accessories; shortened hemlines of tweed suits and metallic thread that wound its way into fabrics for a decidedly rock ‘n roll edge.
The faces he chose to represent the brand emphasized the updated mood — and deeply influenced pop culture.French singer Vanessa Paradis was tapped to front the fragrance Coco in 1991; at 5’3” with gap teeth, her unique look during the time of the glamazon supermodels.
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