The Met Gala is almost here. While there’s nothing we love more than putting on sweats, drinking wine, and judging celebrities’ fashion choices from afar — this year is shaping up to be a little different. Instead of the “open-to-interpretation” themes of recent years (such as Gilded Glamour and American Independence), the 2023 Met Gala theme is straightforward: Karl Lagerfeld.
Over the course of his 50+ year career, the iconic designer led Chanel, Fendi, Chloe and his own eponymous label, and did stints at Balmain and Patou. But if we’re being honest, we mostly associate him with Chanel, and for good reason. Here are 5 of our favorite fun facts about Lagerfeld’s contributions to one of the world’s most coveted brands.
The man invented the CC interlocking logo.
When Lagerfeld took over Chanel in 1983, he created this new logo to modernise the brand. It’s unclear whether the two Cs stand for “Coco Chanel” or “Chateau de Cremat” (a French vineyard that Chanel herself often visited), but it is clear that this has become one of the most recognizable logos in fashion, ever.
Two words: Classic flap.
Shortly after becoming Chanel’s artistic director, Lagerfeld created the Classic Flap. With this design, he updated the shoulder bag’s silhouette and added the CC Turlock closure. This bag not only stood the test of time remaining a coveted item for literal decades, but also proved to be one of the best investment bags you could buy.
Lagerfeld perfected the pearl necklace.
Pearls have long been a staple of the Chanel brand, but no one did pearls quite like Lagerfeld. Back in the early 2000s, he created the multi-layered pearl necklace, which has continued throughout the decades to be a main feature in Chanel collections.
Let’s never forget the hula-hoop bag.
In 2013, Lagerfeld sent an enormous handbag down the runway that was crafted from two hula-hoops. Lagerfeld envisioned this as a beach bag that doubled as a towel rack since you could theoretically prop it up in the sand and hang this on it to dry. While this one was runway-only, a smaller version was sold to the tune of $2,400. (Yes, Chanel bags were once only $2,400!)
No man has ever loved a cat like Karl loved Choupette.
OK, so this technically isn’t a contribution to Chanel, but no one has loved a cat the way Lagerfeld loved Choupette. She has two maids, eats dinner at the table, and gets weekly manicures. Before you ask, yes, Choupette will be in attendance at the May 1st fete.
Hosted by Anna Wintour, the Met Gala celebrates the opening celebration for the museum’s annual fashion exhibit. This year’s exhibit will showcase over 150 looks from Lagerfeld, spanning the decades from 1950s until his final collections in 2019.