Our #MetGala Co-Chair @Pharrell and his wife, Helen Lasichanh, have arrived on the carpet. #MetKawakubo #PharrellWilliams cc: @i_am_other pic.twitter.com/ccmcECmPjt
— The Metropolitan Museum of Art (@metmuseum) May 1, 2017
What, you may be asking yourself, is that??? Well, that is Pharrell’s wife, the lovely Helen Lasichanh rocking a look that corresponds with the Met Gala’s theme this year: Rei Kawakubo, founder of the brand Commes De Garçons. I didn’t know a person could be a “theme,” but then again, Rei is no ordinary person. Her work as founder of both Comme des Garçons and Dover Street Market has been highly influential, particularly in the realm of the avant garde, as Laischanh’s look so perfectly indicates.
74-year-old Japanese designer’s work has often ventured into the realm of architecture, or put more aptly in the description of this year’s theme, as the “the Art of the In-Between.” So, now Helen’s “gown” makes perfect sense, right? You’ll notice Pharrell, who is a co-chair this year, is just wearing pretty much standard Pharrell gear. Men have it so easy! The exhibit honoring Kawakubo’s work opens this Thursday, May 4 and will run until the fall, closing on September 4.
Kwakubo is the first designer to have a Met exhibit honoring their work since Yves Saint Laurent in 1983. According to The Guardian, the exhibit will feature “nine themes of dualisms, including Absence/Presence, High/Low, Fashion/Antifashion and Object/Subject.”
