Football has Monday morning quarterbacks. The Met Gala has Tuesday morning stylists. Oscar-winner Emma Stone appeared on the steps of the Met for last night’s “Gilded Glamour”-themed Met Gala in a sweet, deceptively simple-seeming white dress from Louis Vuitton. Twitter users (the more self-aware of whom freely admit they’re judging the fashion of strangers while sitting at home in head-to-toe Zara) raked it over the coals for not fitting the theme. But Stone was one of the few guests pulling directly from her own closet, and her choice was both deeply personal and a decidedly more ecological friendly.
As it turns out, Stone originally wore the dress on her wedding day. While it wasn’t the gown she wore to the alter, it was designed by Louis Vuitton creative director Nicolas Ghesquière for her reception. It may or may not fit whatever ideals of “Gilded Glamour” Twitter had in mind, but it is undeniably an enviable vision for after “I Do’s” dancing with friends and family. Stone married director Dave McCary at some point in 2020, and originally kept the nuptials secret. They were only confirmed in September of that year, after the actress was spotted with a wedding ring. In fact, wearing the dress was Stone’s most public acknowledgement of even having a wedding at all at this point. Vuitton confirmed the dress’s provenance on Instagram.
Stone’s choice to reuse the gown was in line with Vuitton’s overall strategy for the night. All the guests who attended the event with the brand (including Squid Game’s HoYeon Jung and Sophie Turner) wore archive looks that had been previously worn or reimagined. Louis Vuitton’s parent company first instituted an “Environment Department” back in 1992, and over the past few years the brand has doubled down on sustainability practices and curbing its carbon footprint. As of 2021, 93 percent of the materials used at events and in window displays are either reused or recycled, use 69 percent reusable energy in Vuitton’s workshops, and 52 percent of the brand’s raw materials are certified sustainable. Louis Vuitton plans to reach 100 percent on those and other metrics by 2025.
Ghesquière himself has talked about the delight and challenge of designing clothes meant for the long-term. “There’s nothing better than to know the clothes will live long,” he told the New York Times in 2021. “As an artistic director, my responsibility is to do new. Sometimes very quickly and sometimes too quickly, to be honest. The challenge is really inspiring and I enjoy it, but like every artistic director, my real dream is to have timeless pieces that last more than a season.
“It is very important that the entertainment industry is encouraging that by recycling all those gowns and dresses we do for awards, ceremonies or events,” he added. “I really appreciate that we see more and more people wearing clothes they already wore without being afraid to wear it twice.”
Granted, a few dresses for one event are a water drop in the sea change needed to curb climate change, but every bit helps—and the Met Gala is a major stage to help send that message. Besides, apparently some out there need reminding there are more important things going on than perfectly fitting an optional red carpet theme.
Source: W Magazine
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