Ashley Graham is back (after, in her words, “popping out a ton of kids”), gracing the steps of the Met Gala with a head-turning, body-hugging ballet pink gown designed by Harris Reed, a nod to Chanel Haute Couture of the mid ’80s to the early ’90s. The dress, with its dramatic, sculpted skirt, neckline, and hem, was pure opulence.
When selecting a designer, Graham had Reed top of mind, noting his diverse casting in his shows (pushing back against the shrinking presence of plus models on the runway). “You could see especially after the Nina Ricci show that he really cares about body diversity,” she tells Vogue. “And to know that a designer that has that many eyes on him, that has that much control now is making a point to say, ‘I want more curves on the runway,’ for me, that’s a big deal.”
Cibelle Levi
It was love at first sight when Graham saw the image of Inès de La Fressange from the Chanel spring 1987 couture show on the mood board in early stages of the designing process. Graham had hopped on a flight to London with less than a day’s notice to try on a toile of Reed’s initial sketches. They were originally rendered in black and white, but Graham had other plans, “I said, ‘Harris, how many times have you seen a curvy, full-figured, bigger-bodied woman in black or white?’ Because it’s easy; I should go in a color—I want to go in a color, put these curves in a color,” Graham says. “And he was like, I can’t unsee it. We’re going pink.”
The dress, made with over 30 meters of fabric, including Chanel pink Duchess satin and black velvet, came together in 10 days after the whirlwind London trip. Every detail was considered, from the Mikimoto jewels down to the zippers, which were painted with vintage Chanel nail polish to ensure they perfectly matched the shade.
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