I keep reading “Cartier Party” as “Cartier Partier,” which I then pronounce in my head as if the second rhymes with the first, which then makes me think of the fabulous baseball diamond at the Mallory Gallery. And now I’ve said too much. Anyway, Cartier had a partier which drew out Lily Collins — the face of its latest collection — for what I THINK is her first fashion event since Emily in Paris’s second season started shooting. She picked a Ronald van der Kemp twist on a tuxedo or suit dress that has way more of an experimental Met Gala feel to it — the full styling almost has an “Audrey Hepburn, But Make It Hella Modern” vibe. In motion, she carried it off pretty well.
However… I do this entire ensemble is a tad overcooked for the occasion? I don’t recall van der Kemp being invited to the Met Gala in years prior, so I get that it might not be an option, but it’s one of those outfits that I think needs a big context and all I can come up with is the Met staircase. Especially because they almost never show anyone getting out of a car unless it’s someone who had to arrive standing up (Katy Perry), and a) this dress demands more than the curb, and b) that micro-mini made getting out of the car look… fraught.
Here’s a side view, for a sense of its shape:
Now it kind of looks like Hot Poppins. Which, yes, I ABSOLUTELY sang to the “Hot Pockets” jingle.
Bonus attendee: Dove Cameron.
That is a beautiful fabric that is pinching the HECK out of her chest, and maybe needs to be either shorter or longer? Which is ironic, as Lily’s is both shorter AND longer. Maybe Dove was just trying to keep the bases covered.
