The bar might have been set too high by Rihanna in Guo Pei’s ‘pizza dress’ (2015),Pose actor Billy Porter in a winged bodysuit (2019)and Kim Kardashianborrowing Marilyn Monroe’s gown from the Smithsonian Institute last year.
Most of this year’s invited supermodels,musicians,available Hollywood actors and retired tennis players,either played safe within the dress codeIn honour of Karl (that’s legendary Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld to the uninitiated) or seriously overshot – we mentioned Leto’s cat suit,right?A bizarre tribute to Lagerfeld’s pet Choupette,who was handsomely rewarded in the designer’s will following his death in 2019.
Themeh mood was embodied by Rihanna,a late arrival even by fashion standards,wearing a white Valentino haute couture wedding dress that was half-camelia cocoon,half-train and totally just fine.
Even Kardashian was missing her usual headline-grabbing fashion mojo,in a custom Schiaparelli gown consisting of ropes of pearls on top of a granny pants bodysuit that missed the nude illusion sweet spot.
Ignoring Kardashian,if possible,there were some pearl-clutching moments. Oscar-winner Anne Hathaway nailed the theme in a custom gown by Donatella Versace,wittily applying Gianni Versace’s signature safety pins to Lagerfeld’s tweedy approach at Chanel.
Emmy-winning actor and writer Michaela Coel – who co-chaired the event alongside Wintour,Dua Lipa,Penélope Cruz and Roger Federer – cleverly fused design aesthetics in an extravagantly embellished Schiaparelli gown.