The Story Behind BLACKPINK Jennie's Vintage CHANEL Outfit For The "2023 Met Gala"—Including Why It's So Special

BLACKPINK‘s Jennie recently attended the 2023 Met Gala, an annual fundraiser that attracts top stars from all over the world.

It is one of the most famous red carpet events in the fashion world. Luxury brands invite singers, actors, models, and more to represent their creations.

As one of Karl Lagerfeld’s last handpicked muses for the house of #Chanel, one of the buzziest first-time #MetGala attendees is undeniably #JennieKim of #Blackpink. Watch more from the star's debut here: pic.twitter.com/QU1tkdVX1M

— Vogue Magazine (@voguemagazine) May 2, 2023

Jennie was given the opportunity to attend the Met Gala as a global brand ambassador of CHANEL. Here, she wore a simple yet stunning outfit—a strapless white dress with a scallop neckline and matching black belt, choker, and gloves.

Because of its simple design relative to the other extravagant looks that the Met Gala is famous for, some netizens found it underwhelming.

At the same time, it has a meaningful history that is not seen at first glance. Jennie’s vintage dress was recreated from a piece that Karl Lagerfeld himself made during his reign at CHANEL between 1983 to 2019.

In particular, it was “Look 164” from his Fall/Winter 1990 Ready To Wear collection.

Jennie looked stunning in the piece that was given a second life in the modern-day setting of the Met Gala. Her dress and accessories matched the vintage piece perfectly.

What makes this look extra special is the fact that it was recreated by CHANEL and not rented or borrowed. Jennie confirmed with Vogue in an interview, “I’m wearing CHANEL from the 90s runway and I’m so lucky that the CHANEL team was able to recreate the look that Karl did. I’m just so happy.”

Celebrities usually find the discontinued piece they wish to wear from an archive—private caches of avant-garde clothes—or rent it elsewhere.

WAIT EXACTLY! cause not everyone has an access to an archive piece, ppl would actually source one from vintage shops. but for the chanel team to recreate a dress by karl for jennie??

ICONS ONLY #JENNIEatMetGala https://t.co/tFtYUo6sJK

— BAD BITCH BLACKPINK (@badbtchblckpnk) May 1, 2023

In Jennie’s case, the brand involved themselves in the search process and actually recreated the look just for her. As a fan pointed out, this does not usually happen in the fashion world.

You know when was the last time a designer recreated one of their archive pieces specifically for a celebrity to wear in an event after they requested it?

Bella Hadid in Cannes 2021 as far as I can remember. That is how rare it is

JENNIE MET GALA#JENNIEatMETGala #MetGala pic.twitter.com/QY7O0rvkWY

— 🍒 🅖 🍒 (@KJenCams) May 2, 2023

This is not the first time Jennie wore an outfit that was based on Look 164 from Lagerfeld’s Fall collection. CHANEL made a similar one for her to wear in the group’s BORN PINK concert in Paris last December 2022.