“I imagine how he watches us from above.” in the video, Carla Bruni’s touching speech about her “friend” Karl Lagerfeld.

“From my young years until his last parades, Karl showed me nothing but kindness and respect,” Carla Bruni, a close friend of the creator who died on February 19, 2019, confided during the press conference of the exhibition. Karl Lagerfeld. Beauty line, at the Costume Institute in New York on May 1. A few hours later, the traditional Met Gala retrospective kicked off. A chance for the 55-year-old model to continue her tribute by appearing in clothes from the Karl Lagerfeld archive.

Watch Carla Bruni’s Karl Lagerfeld Tribute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York

Born under Kaiser’s pencil strokes, this black crepe dress was updated for the occasion by Hoon Kim, artistic director of the Karl Lagerfeld brand, who accessorized it with a white silk scarf. To complete her outfit, Carla Bruni accessorized with Messika diamonds and the chief designer’s signature accessory, a black and white fan.

“I sometimes imagine he’s watching us”

That same morning, invited by the museum to address Anna Wintour and Roger Federer, this year’s hosts of the event, Carla Bruni confided in her longtime friendship with Karl Lagerfeld. A speech in which he referred to his “pure genius” and his voracious interest in all subjects “except mediocrity”. “I sometimes imagine that he is watching us from there, maybe even laughing at us, because he had the idea to pay tribute to him in the museum. Something we all know would make him laugh,” continued Nicolas Sarkozy’s wife. Or would he, on the contrary, be happy to see his friend continue his rich legacy?