Kristen Stewart certainly understood the brief when it came to the 2023 Met Gala theme and chose to honor the late fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld with one of his own designs.
The 33-year-old actress took to the red carpet in a black and white Chanel suit from the late Lagerfeld 2016/2017 Cruise Collection, matching the theme of Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty.
Stewart’s stylist Tara Swennen opened up THR about why the actress chose this outfit to honor the designer, who passed away in February 2019 at the age of 85.
The theme leads into the exhibition of the same name at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, which debuts May 5 and runs through July 16.
“The main basis of all of this is that she and Karl had a very special relationship,” Swennen revealed.
Kristen’s look: Kristen Stewart certainly understood the brief when it came to the 2023 Met Gala theme and chose to honor the late fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld with one of his own designs
Tara and Kristen: Stewart’s stylist Tara Swennen told THR why the actress chose this outfit to honor the designer, who passed away in February 2019 at age 85
“So the nature of where we started was to make sure we honored that relationship as well as the DNA of the brand,” she added.
Lagerfeld served as creative director for Chanel from 1983 until his death in 2019 and is considered one of the driving forces behind the house’s revitalization.
Stewart also has a long-term relationship with Chanel, named as an ambassador in 2013.
Swennen revealed that she started her talks about Stewart’s Met Gala throwback in January, just a few months after the theme was announced in September.
“I went to the couture show in January, and at that time I met the Chanel team, and they were very generous. They said, “You find your own inspiration, tell us what you want to do, and we’ll see what we can do from there,” Swennen said.
During their initial conversations, both Stewart and Swennen considered the 2016/2017 Cruise Collection, which Lagerfeld staged outside in Havana, Cuba.
“Kristen wore two looks from that collection to the Cannes Film Festival that same year, but there’s one look that we loved but will never use,” says Swennen.
“It seemed really right for the Met Gala also because it really appeals to Kristen and is something she would do,” she added.
DNA: “So the nature of where we started was to make sure we respected that relationship as well as the DNA of the brand,” she added
Original show: During their initial conversations, both Stewart and Swennen reflected on the 2016/2017 Cruise Collection, which Lagerfeld staged outdoors in Havana, Cuba
Seemed right: “It seemed really right for the Met Gala, also because it really appeals to Kristen and is something she would do,” she added
The look – officially listed as Look #5 of the 2016/2017 Cruise Collection show – includes “a white cropped jacket with a black satin lapel and black high-waisted trousers, paired with a white shirt and black tie.”
Swennen added that Stewart “winks at him personally, but it’s not about imitating Karl.”
“The overall look has more of a zoot-suit vibe to it, and Kristen was really drawn to that. It’s more about adopting an androgynous look while also referencing the way it went down the catwalk. But overall, the look feels very Kristen,” she added.
“As her longtime stylist, I know she loves it in every way, shape and form — she’ll be so comfortable and at ease that she’ll be hopping up those museum stairs,” Swennen added.