Lana Del Rey became Our Lady of Sorrows in Gucci.
Getty ImagesĪnna Wintour and Rihanna channelled the pope himself - something that is even more satisfying simply because of their gender, but also because they were dressed by Karl Lagerfeld and John Galliano, respectively. The singer wore Maison Margiela by John Galliano for the 2018 Met Gala. Let’s also not forget that Catholics have historically loved bling - Pope Pius IX’s tiara weighed almost three pounds, with approximately 19,000 precious stones, of which 18,000 were diamonds. In many ways, religious symbols were the logos of the faiths to which they belonged and just as Coco Chanel’s cross cuffs and Christian Lacroix’s ornate Byzantine crosses were highly sought after by clients who wore them with the belief in those designers’ particular brand of modernism, pendant crosses once served as markers of the wearer’s faith. That means, when it comes to the Catholic church, it’s seen as fair game. As Bolton pointed out: “The cross and rosary beads are located within the Catholic faith, but they are also located within a Western cultural tradition at the same time.” Jean Paul Gaultier’s autumn/winter 1993 Chic Rabbis collection elicited a mixed response, but became a cult classic in the days before the cultural appropriation became increasingly black-and-white.
It’s largely because in the age of social media, there would be uproar and one could be vilified for insincere cultural misappropriation - that can be dangerous, just as the Charlie Hebdo tragedy showed. More interestingly, however, Bolton and I also discussed why it is that Catholic imagery is so widely appropriated in fashion, compared to the crescent moons and Arabesque calligraphy of Islam the praying beads and orange robes of Buddhism the garland-strewn blue gods and goddesses of Hinduism and the tzitzits, payots and 19th century tailoring that is worn by ultra-conservative Jewish communities. With a theme as personal as religion, it can become a complicated dance between creativity and crucifixion. It’s also about the interpretation of the theme, and taking a step back from the obvious references that can easily veer into Halloween territory. It’s about bravura, daring and elegance not just the longest train or biggest headpiece. Today, it seems like the Met Gala is an excuse for incendiary thigh-high slits and embellished boots - but that does not maketh a red carpet winner. In case you missed it – seriously, how could you miss this? - the theme this year was Heavenly Bodies, a tribute to Andrew Bolton’s brilliant exhibition, which displays fashion inspired by Catholicism, as well as never-before-seen treasures from the Vatican archives. Presided over by Anna Wintour, the annual New York fundraiser is essentially a costume ball where Hollywood meets high society fashion meets theatreland and music meets museum patrons. There will also be pieces from Raf Simons collaborator Sterling Ruby and Beyoncé and Kamala Harris-approved Christopher John Rogers.For fashion fans, there’s only one red carpet that matters and that’s the Met Gala’s.
It has already been confirmed that Prabal Gurung’s poplin gown featuring a beauty queen sash that reads “Who gets to be an American?” from his Spring/Summer 2020 show will be on show, as will look 13 from Conner Ives' Autumn/Winter 2021 "American Dream" collection.
With that in mind, you can expect to see guests sporting brands from America's sartorial past and present, such as Tom Ford, Ralph Lauren, Perry Ellis, Halston, LaQuan Smith, Oscar De La Renta, Christopher John Rogers, Bob Mackie, Telfar, Off-White and Pyer Moss, with similar on show at the exhibitions. While in the past themes have included “Camp: Notes On Fashion”, “Punk: Chaos To Couture”, “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion And The Catholic Imagination” and “Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age Of Technology”, this year the theme is centred around American fashion and the Costume Institute will put on two exhibitions, In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion and In America: An Anthology Of Fashion.
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