When a Met Gala theme pays tribute to a specific person, as the 2023 event did with Karl Lagefeld, there’s a bit of sentimentality added in to the mix. Those who had the privilege of knowing Lagerfeld during his life and career pulled from their experiences with the designer to come up with meaningful designs and presentations. During red carpet interviews, many spoke about the time they shared with Lagerfeld, but we would argue no one channeled their memories into an ensemble better than Elle Fanning.
Ahead of the red carpet on Monday night, Fanning took to Instagram to share an image Lagerfeld shot of her for his book, Little Black Jacket, when she was just thirteen. “When I first heard the Met Ball theme was honoring Karl Lagerfeld, I started to reflect on memories we had shared together,” she wrote. “Everyone that was pictured wore the same black Chanel jacket and although we all wore the same, Karl let our individual styles and personalities inform how the jacket should be worn. For my portrait, he decided to place a daisy crown on my head and put the jacket over the white dress I arrived in.”
When Fanning arrived to the red carpet, it was immediately clear how that experience with Lagerfeld inspired her Vivienne Westwood look for the evening. The actress wore a strapless, ivory lace dress with a tailored, cropped black crepe jacket on top. Fanning held a bouquet of fresh flowers as she walked up the steps while a matching flower crown, courtesy of milliner Stephen Jones, sat on her head, evoking the one Lagerfeld placed on there 12 years prior.
In her Instagram caption, Fanning explained that she was inspired, not only by the Little Black Jacket shoot, but also the classic Chanel bride, which she encountered for the first time at her first-ever fashion show, Chanel’s fall 2011 haute couture presentation. “Karl’s finale bride is always the ultimate,” she wrote. “I wanted to combine the innocence of the portrait he took of me with Karl’s…
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