Karen Elson And Jeremy Scott’s 20th Met Gala Anniversary Moment Shows They’re Even Better Together

When plotting out their Met Gala 2021 looks, Jeremy Scott and Karen Elson, two frequent co-conspirators of unapologetically individual fashion, came across a picture of their first time at the ball together. It was taken two decades ago. It dawned on the designer and his muse that their 20th anniversary red-carpet moment had to be big. Huge, in fact. And so, Jeremy did what he does best and conjured up the most fantastical of gowns for Karen, who calls this year’s Moschino Met moment the grand finale of their work together so far.

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“Jeremy’s superpower is that he always finds a way to make fashion just really enjoyable; every moment with him is fun,” says Elson, who met Scott through the model Devon Aoki while filling in for her on one of the early Jeremy Scott runways when she was doing her finals. Taking a chance on an up-and-coming designer paid off for Karen; the connection was instantaneous. “I felt his creativity and his spirit, and I loved his imagination,” she recalls, adding: “I understood him. We’re both from working class backgrounds.” Elson went on to walk in more Jeremy Scott and Moschino shows than any other model, bar Aoki.

“I don’t need to tell you fashion is fickle,” chimes in Scott, who likewise fell head over heels for the redhead from Oldham. “Models don’t have that kind of longevity, nor designers. The fact that we formed a friendship and a creative partnership [Elson recently starred in a mini Moschino musical for autumn/winter 2021], is magical.” The allure of the original super, who has multiple strings to her bow, lies in her chameleonic quality. “She inhabits so many different kinds of personas; but she’s still recognisable. Some people get lost in the translation, but Karen shines through. That really only happens for certain individuals, like Rihanna.”

Dialing up the drama for his personal icon, who he likens to Rita Hayworth in Gilda – incidentally the best compliment Karen has ever received – was not an issue when it came to the Met Gala 2021. “Jeremy is one of those rare people, in the sense that his creativity knows no bounds,” smiles Karen, who believes the Moschino showman thrived during the pandemic thanks to his limitless imagination (see his wonderfully kitsch marionette show and full-production fashion film for further details). “He can make a hot dog costume look like high fashion. And well, amen to that.”

Elson is not wearing a burger bun (so Katy Perry two years ago), but a pink crystal-choked Old Hollywood gown with a sci-fi twist. “It’s totally fitted and snatched for the gods, but it looks almost cracked, like a diamond broken in half,” enthuses Jeremy. “In one way, it’s very Old Hollywood, but there’s a little Star Trek glamour to it. It’s as if one of those goddesses from another planet zoomed in to take over the mothership.” Karen’s verdict? “I feel like I’m in a ’40s or ’50s musical, and it’s the show-stopping moment,” she quite literally sings down the phone.

“I like to say I get better with age,” continues Elson. “And I really think it’s the same for Jeremy.” Watching the pair glitter in this wonderfully wild and serendipitous Met Gala vignette, it’s hard to disagree. Maybe they really do have superpowers.

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