The black and white palette, signature colours of not only Chanel but also the iconic Karl Lagerfeld, was one of the biggest trends of the 2023 Met Gala — “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty”.
South Sudanese-Australian supermodel — Adut Akech Bior — had all eyes on her in a marvellous monochrome tiered outfit made of the black and white palette in honour of the man who transformed her career — Karl Lagerfeld.
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Adut, a muse of Lagerfeld, had made history as the second Black model to close a Chanel Haute Couture Show when she was cast as the show’s “bride” for Fall 2018 Collection (preceded by Alek Wek in Spring 2004).
Her ethereal outfit for this year’s Met Gala, which features a strapless form-fitting bodice that explodes into a voluminous bottom of sheer tulle pleats and blooms, is a masterpiece from Carolina Herrera‘s creative director himself — Wes Gordon — who doubled as her date for the night. Wes devised quite the tribute to Karl with this number as Adut said to Vogue:
Black and white were very much Karl’s colours. He always gravitated towards clean and refined colour palettes and loved to play with the bold contrast of black and white to bring his designs to life. I felt extremely beautiful. It made me instantly super excited for the Met… [I was] counting down the days until I could put the dress on my body again.
Adut rocked the outfit with a fringed chin-length bob and Afrocentric black makeup featuring a pretty matte black lip.
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Wes also told Vogue:
For Adut’s look, I wanted it to be a celebration of the shared codes of Carolina Herrera and Lagerfeld — of elegance, precision and drama, I was drawn to his signature colour palette of black and white, with a striking silhouette adorned with two of his signature embellishments that are found in the House of Herrera as well — pearls and flowers.
The masterpiece boasts of a hand-embroidered pearl bodice with a plunging neckline that flattered Adut’s perfect figure, black and white tiered pleated Tulle and almost 1000 hand-crafted dense rosettes.
Go behind the scenes with Wes Gordon on the inspiration and process behind the making of this paragon inspired by the work and legacy of Karl Lagerfeld and his shared codes with the House of Herrera, keep scrolling and hit the ▶ button below to watch:
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Credits:
Muse: @adutakech
Make-up: @kilprity
Hair: @lacyredway
Skin prep: @vanessa_marc__
Jewellery: @anakhouri
Designer: @wesgordon via @carolinaherrera