Swarovski Couture Makes Stunning Debut at Met Gala Red Carpet

Swarovski dazzled on the Met Gala red carpet recently with five unique couture looks designed by Creative Director Giovanna Engelbert. These stunning outfits were showcased by the Spring/Summer 2024 campaign cast and friends of the House, including Karlie Kloss, Irina Shayk, Imaan Hammam, and Anok Yai.

Swarovski’s rich history in haute couture began in Paris in the 1890s, with its crystals adding shimmering allure to some of the Met Gala’s most memorable red carpet moments. This year marks the first time the Austrian house has crafted couture gowns specifically for the event.

Giovanna Engelbert embraced the ‘Garden of Time’ dress code with five distinctive ensembles inspired by elements of nature from JG Ballard’s enchanted garden short story. Showcasing the 129-year-old brand’s artistry and expertise, the couture creations were adorned with hundreds of thousands of precision-cut crystals, intricate jewels, and embroidery. Each look reflected one of Swarovski’s vibrant house colors—green, pink, yellow, blue, and white—complemented by exquisitely crafted jewelry pieces from its signature collections, seamlessly integrated into the bejeweled gowns.

Giovanna Engelbert commented: “My vision was for our muses to embody elements of nature found in the enchanted crystalline garden and for their gowns to merge with our jewellery – they metamorphose, becoming one. I wanted to bring the same level of artistry and creativity to the looks that we bring to our jewelry and to capture nature’s beauty and joyful spirit as well as the elegance and extravagance of Swarovski at this important moment for fashion and pop culture.”

Karlie Kloss personified the crystal Flower that enchants the Garden of Time. She wore an embroidered pink gown adorned with jewels from Swarovski’s Florere and Millenia collections, seamlessly blending into its matching floral jewelry pieces. The silk jersey gown featured 180,000 light rose crystals and required 225 hours of work by a team of seven artisans. Its hourglass silhouette was highlighted by an intricate jeweled corset adorned with garlands of pink flowers and petals. This corset, lavishly embellished with 60,500 crystals and 75 Florere jewels, took a team of five artisans 1,600 hours to complete.

Irina Shayk embodied Air in a crystal mesh couture gown that required 200 hours to create. The form-fitting design created the illusion of light skimming her body, capturing the fluid and ethereal essence of the element. Her brilliance was enhanced with a bespoke Millenia choker and ear cuffs, along with layers of Hyperbola and Millenia bracelets, all featuring radiant clear crystals.

Anok Yai personified Water in a futuristic tulle catsuit adorned with sparkling ice blue, sapphire, and aquamarine crystals. Crafted from sheer silk tulle and embellished with 98,000 crystals to create the illusion of jewels shimmering directly on her skin, the ensemble took a team of eight artisans over 130 hours to complete. Her look was accentuated by a dramatic, one-of-a-kind showpiece necklace from Swarovski’s Galaxy fine jewelry collection, featuring 1,050 lab-grown Swarovski Created Diamonds in seven different cuts, totaling 156.62 carats.

Imaan Hammam embodied the Sun in a golden two-piece ensemble featuring a crystallized cape inspired by Swarovski’s Gema collection and a satin column skirt adorned with a blend of gold crystals. A team of seven artisans took 14 days to create the cape, embellishing it with 3,456 crystals in six different cuts and five shades. The satin skirt was embroidered with 100,000 crystals. Imaan’s radiance was further highlighted by a suite of intricate Gema jewelry in a palette of golden hues.

Giovanna Engelbert embodied Nature in a meticulously beaded emerald green silk satin gown, drawing inspiration from a landscape by Viennese artist Gustav Klimt. The bustier was adorned with rows of green dégradé Millenia crystals, while the dress featured embroidery with green Gema jewels transitioning into crystal mesh in peridot green. It required over 900 hours for a team of artisans to embroider the gown with 20,000 crystals and 35,000 bicone beads in various shades of green. Giovanna’s ensemble was complemented by matching crystallized gloves and jewelry pieces from Swarovski’s Sublima collection.

At the after-party, the Swarovski muses donned stunning crystal mesh mini dresses in the brand’s signature hues of green, pink, yellow, and blue, perfectly complementing their Met Gala ensembles.

This article was sourced from a press release sent by Medianet on behalf of Swarovski Australia