Karl Lagerfeld, born in Hamburg in 1933 and who passed away in Neuilly-sur-Seine in 2019, was a frequent guest of the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Andrew Bolton, the long-time curator overseeing that section of the museum on Fifth Avenue, has noted a provocative tension in Lagerfelds legacy. He reminded audiences that for the Kaiser of Fashion, fashion did not belong to the museum as a fixed object. When they collaborated on the Chanel display in 2005, Lagerfeld was unusually generous with the loans but often unsettled by the idea of fashion being presented as mere art. Fashion, in his view, belonged primarily to the streets and to wearable life, not to a gallery wall.
Considered one of the most influential designers of the late 20th century, Lagerfeld steered esteemed maisons such as Balmain, Patou, Chloe, Fendi, Chanel, and his own namesake label. Following his death, the main exhibition returns to his legacy with a show opening on the first Monday of May. It remains to be seen whether Lagerfeld would approve of the spectacle around the MET Gala, where the fashion world gathers under the direction of Vogue editor Anna Wintour, or whether he would view it as a triumphant echo of his own audacious spirit.
From sketch to dress
Amanda Harlech, a longtime collaborator with Lagerfeld, will serve as creative consultant for the show titled Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty. The presentation revisits William Hogarths aesthetic theory as described in his 1753 work on beauty, tracing the evolution of Lagerfelds ideas from two dimensional sketches to fully realized garments. Bolton explains that each design began as a drawing that seemed to breathe, underscoring the designer’s method and the studio dialogue that brought sketches to life.
The garments in the display may appear glamorous at a glance, yet the process behind them often felt almost mathematical. It is described as a private language shared between Lagerfeld and the workshop teams, an intimate dialogue that guided his collections. The exhibition, opening to visitors on May 1, promises a deep dive into the studio practice and the evolution of his distinctive vision.
Guests will encounter a curated selection from Lagerfelds five signature houses alongside his own line. The exhibit will draw on the archives of the five maisons and the METs own holdings, with approximately 5,000 to 10,000 pieces under consideration from the varying archives, complemented by select items from the Met archive. Each ensemble will be presented with its original sketch and a video interview featuring leaders from each workshop, edited by French filmmaker Loïc Prigent, who previously collaborated with Chanel on a documentary project in 2005.
Beyond Lagerfelds own label, the METs programming has also spotlighted other iconic houses in dedicated shows. Rei Kawakubo, Charles James, Alexander McQueen, Paul Poiret, Gianni Versace, Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, and Cristóbal Balenciaga have been highlighted in past or concurrent exhibitions, many under private ownership or through the museum’s collaborations with fashion houses. These presentations sit alongside a broader narrative about how designers from different eras and regions shaped the language of haute couture and ready-to-wear alike. The curatorial approach emphasizes the enduring influence of these creators and the way their garments reflect cultural shifts, craftsmanship, and the conversations surrounding fashion as a form of artistic expression. [Citation: MET Archive]