July 14, 2023
On the closing weekend of the Costume Institutes Spring exhibition, Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty, at the MET (Metropolitan Museum Of Art, New York City), I took in, in awe, the vast work of the iconic and prolific designer. (The Exhibit hosted the MET GALA and ran from May 5- July 16).
“Focussing on the designer’s stylistic vocabulary as expressed in aesthetic themes that appear time and again in his fashions from the 1950’s to his final collection in 2019″ – The Met, Press Release
Of those designs included in this exhibit, in which Lagerfeld served as the Creative Director, are the following: Fendi: 1965-2019, Chloe: 1974-1983 & 1992-1997, Chanel: 1982-2019, and his eponymous label, Karl Lagerfeld: 1989-2019.
Presented as “a thematic and conceptual essay about Lagerfeld’s work“, it is important to note the meaning behind the title of the exhibit itself. “A Line Of Beauty”.
The exhibition “examines his career spanning more than half a century through a framework based on William Hogarth’s “The Analysis of Beauty,” specifically his ideas of a serpentine line representing liveliness and a straight line indicating stillness”
“The Analysis of Beauty is a book written by the 18th-century artist and writer William Hogarth, published in 1753, which describes Hogarth’s theories of visual beauty and grace in a manner accessible to the common man of his day. Prominent among Hogarth’s ideas of beauty was the theory of the Line of Beauty; an S-shaped (serpentine) curved line that excited the attention of the viewer and evoked liveliness and movement.”
“The serpentine line signifies Lagerfeld’s historicist, romantic, and decorative impulses, while the straight line indicates his modernist, classicist, and minimalist tendencies. These two lines are further divided into nine “sublines” that present aesthetic and conceptual dualities showcased in Lagerfeld’s designs for Chanel, Chloé, Fendi, and Karl Lagerfeld: feminine and masculine, romantic and military, rococo and classical, historical and futuristic, ornamental and structural, canonical and countercultural, artisanal and mechanical, floral and geometric, and figurative and abstract. Bridging these dualities will be figurative “explosions”: garments that represent moments of convergence, wherein the competing aesthetics of these dichotomies are united and reconciled“. -The MET, Press Release
“The exhibit centers first and foremost on the dichotomy of the curved “S” line (think romantic, decorative) and the straight line (modern, minimalist), with one curved wall and one straight wall in each gallery, and designs that express each aesthetic.” – AP News
Like myself, who walked through the exhibit, with its rounded corners of intrigue that were met with straight walls and edges, it truly was a dichotomy. Yet it was a beautiful infusion of themes that seemed to flow amidst that contrast of vast differences of style. A Line Of Style. Each turn of every corner or rounded wall took one on a journey through fashion. And into the world of Karl Lagerfeld. I found myself yearning even moreso to gain a better understanding of the man being the dark shaded glasses. For certain, I left the exhibit with even more respect for the designer and his gift to the world of fashion. His artistry was vast. His links to the current world he designed within evident. Time and place. The images that I have captured and compiled are of the garments that I was enchanted by. Past and present. To see these couture garments up close and study the details of their elegance and true artistry was exhilarating. And unforgettable.
As impactful as the exhibit was to me, I simply have to share a special moment of personal connection experienced during the exhibit. And share an image from fashion’s glossies to link time and place. Circa 1991. Styled by Grace Coddington, photographed by Peter Lindbergh, it was image of the elite eight Supermodels in Brooklyn, NY for the September 1991 issue of American Vogue. It has remained an iconic era of Lagerfeld to me. That September Issue. The editorial termed “Wild at Heart”, featured Cindy Crawford, Tatjana Patitz, Helena Christensen, Linda Evangelista, Claudia Schiffer, Naomi Campbell, Karen Mulder, and Stephanie Seymour). An iconic editorial that impacted me 32 years ago and endures as a personal favorite. The duality of romantic elegance and bold and fearless leather. And Chanel-esque accessories. An unexpected contrast that Lagerfeld rocked. To see the mannequin adorned in pink and leather above me on a pedestal halted me. In pure delight. And I gazed and smiled, frozen in my stance, mesmerized by time and place. I knew exactly the supermodel who it had adorned. Flashbacks in fashion. In fact, I heard a gasp from an attendee, that rounded the corner behind me, voice out loud “There she is. There’s the one we all know and love”. To turn and see her gaze set upon the same mannequin verified it for me. Yes, it can be a love affair linked to fashion and form. And time and place. Lagerfeld had that way. Of impact. Even in his absence his designs still impact and will continue to do so.
And so, on to the compilations of a moment in time at the MET. Karl Lagerfeld and his artistry, creativity and vast designs of style. Not every line from the exhibit is presented, but rather it is a personal, inspirational recollection compilation of the exhibit. And, for the record, if there is a theme throughout what I have presented, perhaps it can be said that his designs and tenure at the House Of Chanel were my focus. They always have been…
“I am like a caricature of myself. Like a mask. For me, the Carnival of Venice lasts all year” – Karl Lagerfeld
Perhaps the final line in the exhibit, the Satirical Line, brought a grin of acknowledgement of Lagerfeld’s witty sense of humor. Perhaps this is the image of Lagerfeld we immediately think of. Iconic Lagerfeld. It was in the early 2000’s that he is said to have developed his own personal uniform through years of self-study. In black and white. For certain, he became an identifiable icon in his world of black and white restraint. The power of his uniform endures.
“Black, like white, is the best color!” – Karl Lagerfeld
And of course, I completely agree…
Of note, and on view throughout the exhibit, were sketches of many of the garments on display. Another visual of connecting his work. It has been said that Lagerfeld’s unique design process, his practice of sketching, was not only an expressive fashion illustration but how he communicated details and technical design. Incomparable artistry of a designer, indeed.
“My sketches look like the final thing”- Karl Lagerfeld
“I don’t anyalyse what I do. I do it without comment. I propose things. My life is a life of proposals” -Karl Lagerfeld
“In the end, I am just a mercenary paid to perpetuate the label. You can’t go wrong with that” – Karl Lagerfeld
The impact of seeing the recreation of the wondrous chaos of his desk was inspiring. The exhibit lives in my memory. For certain, Lagerfeld was a “Fashion designer-impressario”. Truly, “The personification of a zeitgeist-embracing and commanding several styles simultaneously”, as clearly evidenced throughout the exhibit.
One last image and notation to share…. and perhaps an image that I captured which expresses the exhibit to me. Form. The silhouette and the shadows. There was no oversight in the way the lighting presented the mannequin figures of fashionable art by Lagerfeld. For the shadows actually became a part of the exhibits impact…
My appreciation and admiration of the iconic designer, whose remarkable career spanned 65 years, has tremendously increased through visually seeing, in person, the garments of his artistry and the different lines of style as one designer he had created. A Chameleon of Design. It was stunning. That said, the impact of this exhibit will endure to inspire me forward. That is a gift not to be forgotten…
Onward,
Kristin
PS: Time and place. In October of 1998 I met Karl Lagerfeld at an autograph signing in Chicago, at what was then Marshall Fields. It was the launch of his fragrance, Jako. In a world before cell phone cameras, I knew this moment would be a rare, lifelong recollection. So I brought a real camera. And photographed him from afar, with discretion. In 1998 it was a world before selfies. And it was a world that Lagerfeld had already impacted. Time and place, onward. And of meeting him? His elegance exuded him. And I have never forgotten that. Once an icon, always an icon. Personal favorite, onward…
House Appeal 