Fashion passion

The stars arriving at the Metropolitan Museum of ArtThe largest art museum in the Americas. It is in New York, USA. looked as amazing as ever. There was Michelle Yeoh in an elegant black and white gown with enormous sleeves; Rihanna swamped in giant white roses; Kim Petras in silver platform-soled boots; Penelope Cruz in a Spanish wedding dress... and Jared Leno as a giant white cat.

Leno's costume was a homage to Choupette, the favourite pet of the fashion designer Karl LagerfeldA German fashion designer who died in 2019. . The Met, as it is usually known, is holding an exhibition of Lagerfeld's work four years after his death, and Monday night's gala was themed around it.

Many of the outfits made references to some of Lagerfeld's favourite accessories - such as pearls - and cuts, such as high collars. There was even a cape with a giant portrait of him on the back.

The event, which first took place in 1948, is to raise money for the Met's Costume Institute. It is now considered the highlight of the social year in New York. Guests have included everyone from Andy Warhol(1928 - 1987), pioneering American artist. Warhol was a leading figure in pop art, an art movement that embraced popular culture like film, advertisements and fashion. to Madonna and Elton John.  

The party is hosted by Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of US Vogue, with a handful of celebrities. On Monday they were Penelope Cruz, Roger Federer, Dua Lipa and Michaela Coel.

This year the guests - who have to be invited - are believed to have paid $50,000 (£40,000) each for a ticket. Last year the total raised was $17.4m (£14m).

But the event has attracted a good deal of controversy. In 2018, when the ball took the theme of a Met exhibition called Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination, Rihanna dressed as the Pope. The organisers were accused of blasphemy.

This year's celebration of Karl Lagerfeld was also controversial. Although admired as one of the greatest fashion designers, he is also remembered for some very outspoken comments. He criticised women for being overweight, and was against same-sex marriage despite being gay.

The gala was chiefly criticised, however, for its extravagance. Many of the outfits were enormously expensive, and would only be worn by their owners once. And some people insisted that there were many more worthy causes than a gallery devoted to clothes.

There are wider questions about the ethics of fashion. Cheap clothes are as problematic as expensive ones, since many people buy them and then hardly wear them. And they are generally produced by people who are very badly paid and work in terrible conditions.

The there is the question of sustainability: 60% of clothes are made of polyester,¹ which is not biodegradable, but cotton - which is - needs enormous amounts of water to grow it.

Some designers and manufacturers are now trying to create fashion in a more responsible way. The Fashion Revolution movement aims to change consumers' habits so that "we learn to love and appreciate our clothes and the people that made them".

Vintage fashion stores have made second-hand clothes desirable, and ingenious designers are "upcycling" clothes - reworking them to give them new appeal.

Others say extravagance is no bad thing. Some of the world's most fantastic creations, from ornate temples to glittering jewels, are the height of extravagance - but, supporters say, they make the world a more interesting place.

Yes: It is a wonderful example of human creativity and allows us to express ourselves in many different ways. It is also a crucial industry providing livelihoods for many people across the world.

No: It is frivolous and superficial and makes people who cannot keep up with it unhappy. It is also a colossal waste of the planet's resources, encouraging a throwaway culture.

Or... Extravagance in various forms has been great for culture. Without it we would have no opera, no cathedrals, no works of art made from expensive materials. It is a serious business.