the ball

Karl Lagerfeld, Christy Turlington, the Arnaults, and More Won’t Attend the Met Gala

The Met gala is tonight, which is enormously exciting. But expect it to be far less luminous than past balls, thanks to the absence of Karl Lagerfeld, who last year was a glittery beam of fabulousness in a silver sequined jacket. The Kaiser’s travel schedule is too busy for him to accommodate a trip over here to dine with his best gal pal Anna Wintour, reports Fashion Week Daily. And he’s not the only one taking a rain check (literally, by the looks of it). “Page Six” reports that Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, and Christy Turlington won’t attend, either. This being “Page Six,” the paper reports that they’re probably not attending — though the exhibit is dedicated to models — because they hate each other’s guts and don’t want to stand next to each other for pictures. Either that, or they’re jealous that Kate Moss was chosen to co-chair the gala and not them. This, they report, even though Christy told them she can’t attend because she’s currently abroad filming a documentary about maternal health. But screw facts when we can speculate about model catfights.

We hear Naomi was in town for a housewarming party this weekend (she reportedly just acquired a new pad next to her Russian billionaire boyfriend’s), which everyone from Zac Posen to Donatella Versace to John Galliano attended. And the Imagist reported last week that she’s “planning to out shimmer and outshine every mannequin in sight” tonight. You know, kind of like she did when she wore furs and stilettos to do community service at the Sanitation Department.

Also conspicuously absent from tonight’s guest list: French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld’s daughter Julia Restoin-Roitfeld; LVMH head Bernard Arnault, his daughter Delphine Arnault-Gancia, and his son Antoine Arnault; Matthew Williamson; Kanye West; Valentino designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli; and Dior face Charlize Theron. But the red carpet shan’t be short of famous people. Dior will dress Gossip Girl stars Ed Westwick and Jessica Szohr. And Stella McCartney will dress Kate Hudson. Collectively, the CW’s and rom-com industry’s best stars might be able to make up for the absence of JRR in a tight, short frock. Maybe.

And the apparent lack of star power is only the beginning of the gala’s problems. See: aforementioned rain. For the threat of the humidity on hair is greater than that of the economy on money raised for charity. And that will make the evening’s hostess, Anna Wintour, all the more impressive when she arrives with a bone-dry, frizz-free bob and skin no dewier than is trendy at that precise moment.

MODELING’S BIG 3 PASS UP GALA [NYP]
MET SCOOP, PART TROIS! The Missing Persons Report [FWD]

Karl Lagerfeld, Christy Turlington, the Arnaults, and More Won’t Attend the Met Gala