What is the theme for the 2023 Met Gala?

We are hours away from one of fashion’s biggest nights, the 2023 Met Gala, and the iconic looks that will soon debut amid photographers and interviewers lining the steps at The Metropolitan Museum of Art are getting prepared and primed as we type. Celebrities don’t simply wake up and prepare for a gala like this; no, they must brainstorm and collaborate for months to ensure that the look they don tonight is pristine.

Each year, the Met Gala has a unique theme celebrating an aspect of history, art, fashion, or the Met Museum itself, and every celebrity on the guest list then works with designers and fashion teams to ensure that their look captures what the theme means to them. This is why each year, the Met Gala’s best and most obscure fashion choices look so different; each attendee takes the theme and creates something unique with it. We’ve seen Shawn Mendes don fairytale prince attire for 2022’s “Gilded Glamour” theme and Katy Perry in a hamburger costume for the 2019 Met Gala after-party (the theme that year was “camp”) — it’s all in how the idea is perceived. Some stars will wear looks that take your breath away while others will leave you scratching your head, trying to make it all make sense — and that’s okay; that’s part of what makes fashion so fun.

So what is the theme for the 2023 Met Gala, who was the man behind its inspiration, and why might you see some controversy around the event this evening? Sit back, grab your fashion magazine, and relax — because we’ve got you covered.

What is the theme for the 2023 Met Gala?

The theme for the 2023 Met Gala is Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty, which legendary Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour says is an ode to his massive contributions to the fashion industry and how he became synonymous with fashion itself. A designer since the 1950s, he didn’t know a life without a passion for fashion; he entered a fashion competition known today as the International Woolmark Prize with no formal education in design or fashion at all. That’s right, in 1954, he won for his coat designs, and he’d gone into it without some formal training others in the competition had.

From there, he crafted a life for himself that revolved around what he loved most: fashion. Lagerfeld’s personal style is arguably one of his best fashion looks, and the dresses and styles he crafted for years have left him with the accolade of a top fashion designer. Marie Claire recently gave fans a deep dive into some of Lagerfeld’s best looks over the years, including Lily-Rose Depp In Chanel Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2017, Abbey Lee Kershaw In Chanel Spring/Summer 2010, and Daria in Chanel Spring 2004 as put together by fashion director Naomi Smith.

Vogue reports that some of his best looks as Chloé spring/summer 1984, Fendi autumn/winter 2019 (an emotional showcase happening soon after his passing), Chanel Haute Couture spring/summer 1992, and Chanel Haute Couture autumn/winter 1995. If you spent the afternoon looking through Google articles showcasing Lagerfeld’s best looks, much like with the fashion theme of the Met Gala itself, you’d see varying opinions depending on who was compiling the article.

One thing is for sure, his fashion designs across many years and brands are simply iconic, which is why Wintour says this year’s theme is a dedication to his work and his contribution to the industry so many of us follow.

Who was Karl Lagerfeld?

The man behind some of the most iconic fashion looks is more complex than any one piece could sum up, but as far as his story with fashion is concerned, Lagerfeld is considered an icon in the industry, one of the best there ever was.

Lagerfeld worked his way up through the fashion industry, and in the 60s, he began partnering with Fendi. It was 1984 when Lagerfeld started working with Chanel, and he released his own line a year after that partnership began. Lagerfeld’s designs were awe-inspiring, and while he seemed poetic in nature, someone who saw fashion as something otherworldly, it’s been shared that he didn’t like being called an artist in fashion; in fact, he frowned upon the terms being used interchangeably.

“Karl once said that he does not see fashion as art; he finds it boring when people say that,” Gayle King said during her interview on CBS Mornings with Wintour and Andrew Bolton. Bolton acknowledged that Lagerfeld did feel that way, but King was also correct in saying the entire experience looks a lot like art to her.

“Yeah, I think I Karl never liked to be called an artist. He always said I was a dressmaker.”

Speaking to The Independent, Lagerfeld himself spoke about being a hardworking designer, which is something he wished never to be described as. He didn’t want the connotation associated with him that he saw the job as hard work; he wouldn’t be known as someone who struggled over fabric, not when he was crafting gowns for people who dressed for a positive experience.

“Please don’t say I work hard. Nobody is forced to do this job, and if they don’t like it they should do another one. People buy dresses to be happy, not to hear about somebody who suffered over a piece of taffeta.”

Many quotes and statements from the designer highlight his work ethic and drive for fashion, one being that “sweatpants are a sign of defeat,” and we’re happy we have our best jeans on today as we’re writing about that one.

Be it that you see Lagerfeld as a dressmaker or artist, his impact on fashion can’t be understated, but if you’ve been catching a dose of controversy during today’s news cycle, wondering why people aren’t thrilled about the Met Gala’s theme is an ode to Lagerfeld, well — there’s a reason for that, too.

Anna Wintour on this year’s theme

“Well, obviously Karl was a complicated man, and I think Andrew’s decision really to focus on the work and not it’s not a biography. It’s there are documentaries and books that cover all sides of Karl’s life. We’re really focusing on his work.”

When you hear some of the things he said, his flaws become all too clear. Lagerfeld was critical of larger bodies, despite having long inhabited one, and said of British pop icon Adele, “No one wants to see a curvy woman.” He also voiced a rather unwelcome take on #MeToo, offering, “The me too movement, I’m fed up with it,” in 2018. When you hear comments like that — and there was a long list of them— how does Wintour reconcile their wrongheadedness with Lagerfeld’s genuine legacy? As she told Gayle King on Good Morning America,

“Karl was provocative, and he was full of paradoxes I think sometimes he would say things, Gayle, to shock, and not necessarily things that he believed in and obviously them and there are things that he has said that Andrew and I do not agree with, but I think when we go back, and we look at the work that he has created over so many years, I think that deserves celebration. It deserves acknowledgment, I think there will be extraordinary interest in this exhibition.”

Actress Jameela Jamil had the following statement to share regarding the Met Gala theme when it was announced late last year, and she’s not the only celebrity who has spoken out about Lagerfeld.

“Karl Lagerfeld is the theme for the entire Met Gala next year. This man… was, indeed, supremely talented, but used his platform in such a distinctly hateful way, mostly towards women, so repeatedly and up until the last years of his life, showing no remorse, offering no atonement, no apology, no help to groups he attacked… there was no explanation for his cruel outbursts.”

Her Instagram provided a look at some of what she explained in her first paragraph and continued sharing after; she pointed out that Lagerfeld’s statements about sexual assault and his fatphobic and racially insensitive comments also make him a man who shouldn’t be celebrated, no matter how iconic his fashion looks were. Several other celebrities and fans of fashion have agreed with her statements, and it’s no surprise that some aren’t thrilled with Wintour seemingly side-stepping the topic of conversation where Lagerfeld’s comments were brought up in the first place.

Overall, Lagerfeld’s fashion icon status has been a piece of the industry for decades, and that’s what Wintour and Bolton said this Met Gala theme and exhibit focuses on. How fans, celebrities, and those who follow fashion and entertainment take that is a different story. Side-stepping awful comments and acts isn’t fair, and Jamil has had enough.

“Why is THIS who we celebrate when there are so many AMAZING designers out there who aren’t bigoted white men? What happened to everyone’s principles and “advocacy.” You don’t get to stand for justice in these areas and then attend the celebration of someone who reveled in his own public disdain for marginalized people. Sorry, but no. This isn’t the 90s. We didn’t fight all this shit just to throw it all away because some white guy made some pretty clothes for people’s skinny faves… come on now.”

As we said above, she’s not the only one, and if you’ve got an uncomfortable feeling about the gala tonight, you’re certainly not alone. As Wintour made clear above, however, the theme was going on whether people were thrilled about it or not.

This year’s Met Gala is happening within the next few hours, so if you will be watching, be it for fashion or to see if anyone takes a stand, you can keep up with it via a live stream online or on the E! network starting at 6 pm.