When Ivy Getty first pulled out her mood board for her Met Gala look this year, she had no idea what kismet was running through her offhand selection. The American model and philanthropist teamed up with Parisian designer Ludovic de Saint Sernin for the look and offered, as a token of inspiration, the small illustration L’Eclat de l’Or.
Getty knew she wanted to pay homage to stage outfits from the 1920s, in her exploration of the Costume Insitute’s annual exhibition “Costume Art.” So, she pulled old sketches and imagery from across postings and catalogues. The dress that de Saint Sernin loved most was the shimmering gold and silver frock of L’Eclat de l’Or, sketched by Russian artist Erté for the show The Golden Fables in 1926. When the pair sought out more on the work, they discovered it was being stored in the Met archive. Fate, surely. Especially since this year marks the drawing’s 100th anniversary, and when visiting it in person, they discovered a number of other pieces from Getty’s mood board in the behind-the-scenes trove.
Getty’s final, fringe-lined look sees de Saint Sernin put his own personal twist on a storied design. But before it hit the carpet and everyone had a chance to behold it, we sat down with the pair for an up-close look at the construction, and what it’s really like preparing to walk fashion’s most iconic carpet.
Ivy, how did you first become aware of Ludovic’s work and what was your first impression?
Ivy Getty: Your work was familiar when I searched you up, but the first look that really caught my eye and had me like, Oh my God, was the Hunter Schafer feather look for the Vanity Fair Oscars After Party. I was obsessed. It was especially exciting when I realized you were in charge because I’m just so inspired by young designers. For the future of fashion, that kind of look is exactly what it should be. It’s revolutionary and creative—I love it.
Ludovic de Saint Sernin: That was such a moment because it was just a few days after my debut for Ann Demeulemeester, and Law Roach reached out and said, “I want this look for Hunter.”
Getty: So many moments happening at once!
De Saint Sernin: Right, and I said, “One hundred percent. Will she do it?” He luckily replied, “She loves it.” Even then, I wasn’t sure [how it would be received] when I was watching the live stream.
Getty: What makes the look so good is that the model wearing it on the runway and Hunter had two completely different ways of approaching it.
De Saint Sernin: Totally. It was such a moment. It went viral and we had millions of views. She was so happy with it, which is always the best outcome.
How did the two of you connect to work on this look together? Ludovic, what were you initial inspirations for dressing Ivy?
De Saint Sernin: Well, actually, Ivy came up with the inspiration for the look because I knew the theme and I was really excited to see what her vision of the theme would be. I always like to let the talent that I’m working with speak first and see where we can take it. She sent me a bunch of references: there were illustrations from the ’20s and one of them really caught my eye and I was like, “This is the one.” Then I submitted sketches and she loved it, so we went for it. But then something crazy happened after: We realized that there were so many fun facts about the artwork.
Getty: The majority of the info I sent to Ludovic turned out to be Erté’s work. He was an artist and illustrator mainly for theater and costumes in the 1920s.
De Saint Sernin: And it turns out that the illustration we chose is from 1926, so it’s exactly 100 years old. The sketch is also part of the Met’s drawings collection, so we reached out to them because it’s not on view. Then they allowed us to go into a gorgeous study room where we could see all of Erté’s illustrations with Ivy.
Getty: It was insane. They pulled out a box and it was just so many of his pieces that we had saved. It was the craziest experience to go to the Met and be taken to a secret room where there’s stuff not on display that you can’t normally see. It was just so serendipitous: [Erté’s drawings] being at the Met when we’re wearing it for the Met. We didn’t even know any of this when we put together the board.
De Saint Sernin: That was very, very special. When you work on a theme like this and you’re referencing an artist, you don’t necessarily expect to have the chance to see their work. For us, it wasn’t even through a looking glass. We were able to directly look at the piece, which was very special. To know that 100 years later, you’re creating something referencing the artwork is so cool.
How do you see L’Eclat de l’Or translated into Ivy’s look?
De Saint Sernin: The way that I interpreted his drawing was through the lens of my most recent collection. I had a lot of fringes, and that piece had fringes, so it worked. I thought, This is perfect, because I’ve never done fringes [for a look like this] before, and it’s really special to connect Erté’s drawing to my most recent work.
We even did a degradation of colors, so it feels like a beautiful black and white illustration. Then, I reinterpreted the top part because the original sketch had a headpiece that’s covering the chest. We wanted the look to be more sensual—to hug the body and the shoulders. It’s totally backless as well. I mean, almost backless. But it’s all created by hand in Paris with a special technique that I’m known for now.
Ivy wears it so beautifully and effortlessly too. It’s not the easiest thing to put on, but once she has it on, it just looks like it’s hugging her body so naturally.
Getty: I think that’s also why I love your work so much. It always feels like it’s made for whoever is wearing it.
De Saint Sernin: Well, this was literally made for you!
What do you see as the rules of Met Gala dressing, and which do you think are worth breaking?
De Saint Sernin: Even though I’m very daring and out there, I am a very good boy. I don’t like breaking the rules. I wouldn’t want to be, you know, on Anna’s bad side. I’m trying to respect the rules, as much as we can, but also allowing our creativity to flow. Honestly, this look isn’t that far from the Hunter world.
Getty: Totally, I am the exact same. The thought of seriously getting in trouble or even going up to the principal’s office is terrifying. I never want that. I think I would cry if somebody screamed at me. I’m way too sensitive for stuff like that. But it’s important to express ourselves too.
De Saint Sernin: Within the parameters of what’s allowed.
Getty: Exactly, and I feel like I’ve always functioned like that, so it’s something that comes naturally to me.
How do you interpret this year’s theme and what are you most looking forward to seeing teased out in the exhibition?
De Saint Sernin: I’m so excited to see the exhibition. We’ve actually been seeing it online a little bit. What’s so interesting is how diverse the interpretation of the theme can be. We went for something that feels super close to Ivy’s aesthetic, which compliments mine at the same time, so I feel like it’s a very unique take on the theme. I don’t know if many people will necessarily go with an illustration from the 1920s as a reference for this year.
Getty: There’s so much room to go in different directions. Even when we were visiting the special room at the Met, looking at Erté’s work, there were so many good illustrations you could have a whole theme based off of him. Like such incredible colors. Everything looked like he had just made it yesterday: the way the Met took care of his work and the vividness. It was stunning.
What lessons did you learn from your first Met Gala, or those that followed?
Getty: Honestly, to just have fun. Then, well, this is Ludovic’s first Met Gala in person, although he’s dressed people before.
De Saint Sernin: Yes, it is. It is my first time attending, so I’m very grateful to Ivy for taking me as her date. I designed for three people a couple years ago, and that was an incredible experience. I’m also so happy that the weather is amazing today.
Getty: Right, because it was raining last year. There’s no way to prepare for something that’s so different every year. That’s what’s special about it, and there’s so many people involved to make this such a special evening. It really is an experience that will never get old. I’m just so grateful to personally be there and be able to see these new designs up close. It’s so exciting to see what everybody’s going to wear.
De Saint Sernin: That’s the most exciting part.
How would you characterize this collaboration and how much do you see dressing for events like these as a collaboration versus a play on “the maker and muse”?
Getty: Well, the relationship has to be there. Nobody can just be a muse as such. You have to inspire each other. I feel like this is a real collaboration, and I’m so grateful that I have gotten to know Ludovic. I really enjoy his company, and I feel like we would be friends outside of this event. We have so much fun together.
De Saint Sernin: Yes, it’s been the most organic and fun.
Getty: It doesn’t feel forced at all.
De Saint Sernin: It’s such a dream—the whole experience.
More of our favorite stories from CULTURED
14 Books Our Editors Can’t Wait to Read This Summer
Inside the Closet of a Revered Stylist Who Has Only Worn Prada For Over 30 Years
Charles Melton Actually Has No Idea Where His Career Goes From Here
Introducing a Play For Every New Yorker Who’s Had More Bad Dates Than Good
7 Commandments for Rookie Collectors, From CULTURED’s Power Art Advisors
Sign up for our newsletter here to get these stories direct to your inbox.
in your life?
