FILE - German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld acknowledges the applause of his models at the end of the show he designed for the French fashion house Chanel, for the 1993-94 Fall-Winter haute couture collection in Paris, July 20, 1993. Come Monday, May 1, 2023, Lagerfeld's legacy will be on display at the Met Gala and the starry fundraising party's companion exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute. (AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau, File)
So how would the man of the hour, who died in 2019,feel about all the hullabaloo? Lagerfeld was a student of history, to be sure, but his eyes were forever on the future.
“Karl never wanted to have a retrospective when he was alive. He felt that it was funereal. He made the point that (Cristóbal) Balenciaga and (Coco) Chanel never had them when they were alive,” said William Middleton, who wrote the biography “Paradise Now: The Extraordinary Life of Karl Lagerfeld."
So what about now?
“He believed very much in fashion history, so he’s a part of fashion history now. I don't think he would have had a problem with it,” Middleton surmised.
Others aren't so sure.
Caroline Lebar worked with Lagerfeld for 35 years, rising to senior vice president of image and communications for his eponymous brand. Lagerfeld loved the Met, but he always said: “'I'm not an artist, I'm a fashion maker,'" Lebar said on the company's site.
“He didn’t think his work belonged in a museum. Anna Wintour also mentioned this when she made the announcement about the theme,” Lebar explained.
The invitation-only gala earned $17.4 million last year for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, a self-funding department with a budget dependent on the A-list affair. The price of attending went up this year to $300,000 for a table and $50,000 for a single ticket.
Companies and brands buy tables and host many of the roughly 400 guests expected this year from fashion, film, music, theater, sports, tech and social media. They were asked to dress “in honor of Karl” by gala mastermind Wintour, a close Lagerfeld friend who first signed on to the event in 1995 and took over the helm in 1999.
Fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert thought up the Met Gala back in 1948 as a fundraiser for the newly founded Costume Institute. It was a dinner held elsewhere. The idea is to celebrate the opening of the institute's big exhibition each year, this time called "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty.”
American fashion was last year's vibe. It followed gilded glamour and white tie. Camp was the theme in 2019,producing what is considered one of the wackiest displays of dress by the celebrity crowd.
Katy Perry wore a chandelier, then slipped into a hamburger outfit. Lady Gaga did a four-layer strip tease on the Met's Grand Staircase and Jared Leto carried a stage version of his own head.
Dressing to the Lagerfeld theme could be a breeze for guests with stylists able to source the best vintage pieces from the fashion houses where he worked: Chanel, Fendi, Chloé, Jean Patou, Balmain, his own brand and more.
This year’s five hosts include Wintour, as usual, along with Michaela Coel, longtime Chanel ambassador Penélope Cruz, recently retired tennis superstar Roger Federer and Dua Lipa.
The media giant formerly known as ViacomCBS has officially rebranded itself as Paramount Global with a focus on its streaming service, Paramount Plus. Naveen Chopra, chief financial officer at Paramount, joined Cheddar to discuss the company’s name change and streaming wars. "There are components of content licensing that we continue to do, either historical arrangements or opportunities to license content that don't really impinge on what we're trying to do with our owned and operated services and that continues to be an important ingredient in our broader financial model," he said. "But our number one priority is putting our best assets on Paramount Plus." Chopra also discussed theatrical release windows before feature films hit its service and the platform's subscription goals.
In efforts to help support black-owned brands. Ulta Beauty says it will make a commitment to not only give these brand shelf space but also help them navigate the ins and outs of growing a business. Last week, the beauty retailer announced in order to reach those goals, the company will spend $50 million on diversity and inclusion programs, including an accelerated program to mentor entrepreneurs of color. CEO of Ulta Beauty, Dave Kimbell, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
For black history month, Cheddar is highlighting black business leaders who are driving the need for representation forward. On February 10, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce hosted an event called 'Developing the Black-Owned Business Ecosystem.' The virtual event was organized under the lobbying group's two initiatives -- the Equality of Opportunity Initiative, and the Coalition to Back Black Businesses. The event highlighted the developments needed to develop more black-owned businesses in the U.S. Dr. Anthony Wilbon, Dean of the School of Business at Howard University, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss his experience as a speaker at the event.
While Black History Month is a time to celebrate the achievements of Black Americans, it's also a time to reflect on how they can be better heard and supported.
Black Americans are still fighting for voting rights, facing more severe impacts from COVID-19, and experiencing gaps in workforce representation and pay. Alexandra Schrecengost, hybrid work expert and CEO of "Virtual With Us" and "Culture With Us,' joined Cheddar News to discuss.
Premio Lo Nuestro 2022 is kicking off awards season this month with its 34th show. The star-studded event will include performances from Pitbull, Luis Fonsi — and even Sting with his new Spanish-language single "Por Su Amor." Ignacio Meyer, the vice president of music and non-scripted entertainment, Univision, joined Cheddar News to talk about the music award show details. "We’ve actually still got plenty of surprises that were going to be announcing," Meyer said. "We're not done announcing the star power just yet." Singer Camilo leads with 10 nominations going into the event.
Black spending power reached a record $1.6 Trillion in a 2021 report from the University of Georgia Selig Center for Economic Growth. Ayesha Selden, certified financial planner, breaks down why real estate is the key to closing the racial wealth gap and how Black Americans are using social media to improve financial literacy. "If we look at home ownership as being a primary driver of wealth, when you look at the equity that Americans have in their homes, that equity can be used to buy additional assets like other rental properties. That equity can be used to educate our children," Selden said, noting that lower rates of home ownership meant Black Americans tend to incur more debt on average for their student loans.
On this episode of Cheddar Reveals, Dr. Kate Strasdin, fashion historian & senior lecturer in Cultural Studies at Falmouth University, discusses the lessons industry leaders draw from history to make fashion more sustainable today; Kendall Becker, fashion editor and trend forecaster, forecasts the hottest trends of 2022, and what will be left in 2021; Cheddar gets a look at Curiosity Stream's 'Going Circular.'
Dr. Kate Strasdin, fashion historian & senior lecturer in Cultural Studies at Falmouth University, joins Cheddar Reveals to discuss the lessons industry leaders draw from history to make fashion more sustainable today.
