What does the Met Gala’s cockroach highlight say about the disappointment of fashion’s biggest night?

The most exciting part of this year’s Met Gala was the cockroaches. (Thankfully) The lonely horror-fantasy is of late fashion. But it didn’t linger, as did Rihanna and A$AP Rocky, who showed up two hours after crowds of attendees arrived early to the Metropolitan Museum of Art fundraiser.

The Internet celebrated the arrival of the six-legged party-crash, which is not a common occurrence. Cockroaches are usually greeted with obnoxious screams of “Kick it off,” not cheers from onlookers and a rush to get close to the photographer. After the bug’s inevitable death-in-print, social media mourned its short life and celebrated its “icon” status.

Celebrating and mourning cockroaches at what’s normally called the fashion of the year tells you everything you need to know about how the 2023 Met Gala was received. The theme revolves around the legacy of Karl Lagerfeld, who died in February 2019. It is currently being celebrated at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in an exhibit titled “Karl Lagerfeld’s Beauty Line.”

But Lagerfeld left a controversial legacy full of derogatory comments about women, marginalized groups and public figures. Many of his fashion beliefs are rooted in fatphobia – he once declared that “no one wants to see curvy women on the balcony” and criticized models for not being “that thin”. The theme has met with opposition, with some models condemning it. Vogue’s Editor-in-Chief Anna Wintour said: “To vote[revere] Figures as [Lagerfeld] Without even realizing their reformist views.”

On the red carpet itself, it seems most attendees were reluctant to come face-to-face with the divisive designer’s name. Many chose to stick to Lagerfeld’s signature black and white style, including Olivia Wilde, Michelle Yeoh, Maude Apatow, Gisele Bunchen, Ben Platt, Margot Robbie, Kim Kardashian and Rihanna. A few bucked the grain by switching to pastel pink or nude (Harvey Gillen, Emily Ratajkowski, Kwanna Chasinghorse) and a few donned bright colors (Ariana Debose, Pedro Pascal, Gabrielle Union, Kylie Jenner).

That’s not to say that a classic color combination can’t create a stunning look. But in the sea of ​​black and white dresses and tuxedos, most of the celebrities simply blended into each other. On Twitter, viewers lamented how boring the fashion extravaganza was, with one person writing: “This might be the most boring Met Gala ever, no fuss, everyone on theme and looking at least average and super cool.” . They’re all killed… no notes.” Surely someone could have brought Lagerfeld’s beloved cat, Chopette, on a leash to spice things up a bit? She outshone every star and would have been the viral moment Met Gala organizers dreamed of.

There were two nods for Chopte to make up for her soft absence. Doja lived up to her stage name by adding cat ears to her hooded Oscar de la Renta gown and wearing a cat face prosthesis. But Jared Leto may have outdone the singer by arriving in an oversized choppy outfit to reveal an all-black hooded outfit before removing a cat head and unzipping his outfit.

Other highlights include Lil Nas X’s nude “costume,” which consisted of metallic thongs, an eye mask, and giant stage boots. It was covered in silver body paint and dotted with Swarovski crystals and pearls covering the face – reminiscent of Dojo’s all-red Swarovski look at Schiaparelli’s Spring 2023 couture show earlier this year. Jeremy Pope brought the drama in a 30-foot silk chiffon cape featuring a hand-painted portrait of Lagerfeld by Balmain, while Florence Puff cut a bold buzz under a large feathered headpiece by Valentino.

But overall, the Met Gala’s reputation for weird and wonderful fashion moments took a nosedive this year. It failed to recapture the magic of the excellent 2018 “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination,” which served up many memorable and provocative looks. Instead, this year’s unthinkable, celebrated red carpet was held in honor of a man with a deeply flawed mindset, who once said models should “join a monastery” if they “don’t want to.” [their] By men in the fashion industry. Aik