On the first Monday in May, on a red carpet extending from the doors of the Metropolitan Museum of Art to Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, pearls triumphed.
They came wearing pearls. Several strands of pearls encircled wrist and neck of model Gigi Hadid; Serena Williams completed her pearl necklaces with a matching headpiece. As a design detail, pearls were spun into gowns, worn by actors Salma Hayek Pinault and Anne Hathaway and by Kim Kardashian. Rita Ora meanwhile fitted fingernails with cascading chains dotted with pearls.
It's a trend that many foresaw. Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty, this year's blockbuster exhibition by the Costume Institute, celebrates the work of the master fashion designer who died in 2019. For the opening night, the Met Gala, the dress code was thus set as "in honour of Karl".
Guests were invited to draw inspiration from Lagerfeld's rich archive of creations, all originally designed for the brands he worked with, from Pierre Balmain (to whom Lagerfeld apprenticed) to Patou, Chloé and Fendi. At the latter, Lagerfeld created from 1965 to the year of his passing. It's a relationship that began in 1983 that to many has remained the most memorable: it was then that Lagerfeld joined Chanel and set about reviving the then ailing Parisian brand. Redressing the codes of Chanel – separates tailored from tweed and quilted leathers among them – Lagerfeld also embraced pearls, looking to Coco Chanel's own love of the milky gem.
All design classics, at Mappin & Webb a choice of pearl jewellery comes courtesy of heritage brand Mikimoto. Fitted with a white gold clasp, a classic necklace is strung from Akoya pearls that are harmoniously matched in tone and lustre; a white gold Morning Dew collection necklace centres on a pendant set with one Akoya pearl and partnered with one white diamond. To complete, Mikimoto earrings: standout pieces include studs dotted with diamonds and a short drop design, the latter also part of the Morning Dew collection.
Rihanna made a late entrance. Set in platinum, Rihanna's high jewellery necklace combined dozens of Akoya pearls with hundreds of diamonds, including five pear-shaped gems and 561 fancy-shape diamonds. The dramatic piece ushered in the second jewellery trend of the night: diamonds.
This too was in ode to Lagerfeld. An admirer of jewellery, Lagerfeld collected avidly, seeking out pieces by contemporary makers and legacy names, and he would often dot lapels and neckties with important diamond brooches. At the Met Gala, Nicole Kidman, Irina Shayk, and Miranda Kerr, all took their cue and zeroed-in on diamond-set pieces. A never before seen high jewellery diamond collier also made its debut, worn by Lily Collins.
Inspired? At Mappin & Webb, dream pieces include a pair of Waterfall drop earrings, set in white gold and showered with 7.67-carats worth of white diamond. Or how about a tennis bracelet, made up of oval-cut diamonds all set in one neat line? Testament to the versatility of diamonds, a Mappin & Webb white diamond necklace is a mosaic of gems cut to different shapes, at its centre a diamond pendant and a three-stone ring frames a yellow diamond with its white counterparts.
Create your own Met Gala look here at Mappin & Webb online or visit us in store at one of our showrooms where our jewellery experts will be delighted to help you find the perfect piece.
Author Credit: Felix Bischof is the editor of THE WEEK Fashion and THE WEEK Time & Jewels. He has written widely on the subject of watches and jewellery, for titles including Vanity Fair, Vogue and The Times.
