Met’s sumptuous Lagerfeld show focuses on works, not words

By JOCELYN NOVECK
AP National Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Designer Karl Lagerfeld said many provocative things during a career that lasted more than half a century. But the new spring fashion exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, launched by Monday’s splashy Met Gala, focuses on Lagerfeld’s work, not his words. The gallery walls are built to embody the essential contradiction, or duality, in Lagerfeld’s style and persona, a series of curves and straight lines. Masterminded by curator Andrew Bolton, the show is large in scope but also intricately detailed, featuring not only spectacular garments but novelty objects like a recreation of Lagerfeld’s cluttered desk, including a glass of his ever-present Diet Coke. The show opens Friday to the public.