Marie Claire Australia - 01.06.2018

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been shown outside the Vatican. These

will be displayed away from the design-

er pieces, presumably to avoid ofending

the faithful by juxtaposing a monk’s

robes with, say, one of Jean-Paul Gault-

ier’s bondage-nun looks.

The designers featured in the exhi-

bition all draw on Catholic inspirations

diferently, from the opulent baroque

prints, rich mosaics, bling crucifixes

and deep hues of maximalists Gianni

Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Christian

Lacroix and John Galliano, to the stark,

monastic minimalism of Raf Simons

and Cristóbal Balenciaga. There is the

lure of the Gothic (Riccardo Tisci at

Givenchy, Gareth Pugh, Christopher

Kane) but also a religious sense of

purity and restriction – Coco Chanel’s

preferred black-and-white palette and

pearl-strewn rosary-style necklaces

were surely informed by the formative

years she spent in an abbey orphanage.

Some pieces will be matched with

the artwork they are inspired by: the

gold Byzantine 11th-century crucifix,

which is reflected in Gianni Versace’s

final collection; the lapis lazuli blue

dress used in depictions of the Virgin

Mary, re-created by Jeanne Lanvin.

Then there are designers whose

religious references serve to provoke

and subvert. John Galliano’s “Freud and

Fetish” 2000 couture show for

Christian Dior opened with an incense-

wielding priest. Vivienne Westwood set

an inverted image of the crucifixion

against a swastika on a punk-era T-shirt

emblazoned with the word “destroy”.

Gaultier earned his “enfant terrible”

moniker with suspender-clad nuns in

his 1989 collection. When told that he’d

ofended many of his audience, he ex-

claimed, “But I’m Catholic!” Never one

to shy away from a headline, he also

took the opportunity to cause ofence

1981

Vogue’s then

editor-in-chief

Diana Vreeland

attended with

legendary fashion

designer Bill Blass.

1985

Donald Trump

and his first

wife Ivana were

guests at the

ball themed

Royal India.

1995

Supermodels

Christy

Turlington,

Naomi

Campbell and

Kate Moss.

1996

Giving the

royal stamp

of approval,

Princess Diana

wore a dress by

Christian Dior.

1999

With a Rock Style

theme, Liv Tyler and

Stella McCartney let

the world know they

were the daughters

of music royalty.

2013

Kim Kardashian

attracted global

derision over

her “nana’s

curtains” dress

by Givenchy.

2015

RiRi’s imperial

yellow gown

(aka the giant

omelette)

sparked a flurry of

hilarious memes.

with his 1993 “Chic Rabbis” collection

(the clue is in the title). And this did

nothing to dissuade Hussein Chalayan

from taking on the niqab in his 1998

show, “Between”, in which six models

were clad in varying lengths of the gar-

ment, each revealing more and more

nudity; or Alexander McQueen’s 2000

outing, featuring sequinned burqas.

The Catholic church – still reeling

from its own sexual abuse scandals – is

not always depicted as a Gloriana of

glitz. It is questioned, and far from

revered. In this context, perhaps an

examining of its aesthetics is timely

rather than trite. Given the power of

faith, it would perhaps seem strange if

fashion designers didn’t explore this

part of their make-up.

Of this year’s co-hosts, only

Donatella Versace is Catholic, but Amal

Clooney and Rihanna ofer integrity

and cool and will bring elegance and

attitude to the red carpet. Other crucial

questions remain: will Beyoncé do a

sheer take on papal chic? Might Kim

Kardashian cover up? And where will

the extravaganza go next?

In the shadow of #MeToo, an analy-

sis of women’s political style statements

could be sharp. From scarlet letters to

sufragettes in white and pink pussy

hats, there’s surely enough to stir up

some more fashion controversy.

Catholicism is the theme for this year’s Met

Ball, and there is no shortage of relevant fashion

references. From far left: Dolce & Gabbana love

a Christian motif, here in A/W 2018, S/S 2013 and

A/W 2013 collections; Christian Dior looked to the

Vatican for inspiration in A/W 2000; Valentino

found divine intervention for S/S 2014.

BEST OF THE BALL

From Princess Diana in sapphires to Rihanna in an omelette, the Met Gala red carpet has seen it all