Meryl Streep Feuds With Karl Lagerfeld Over Oscars Dress — See What She Wore

Meryl Streep has found herself at the center of another award show controversy, this time centered around a growing feud with Karl Lagerfeld over a dress. It all started on Thursday night when Lagerfeld told Women’s Wear Daily that Streep came to Chanel for an Oscars dress only to change her mind when another dressmaker offered to pay her to wear theirs instead.

“A genius actress, but cheapness also, no?” Lagerfeld said of Meryl Streep’s reported decision to wear a different dress.

As Lagerfeld’s side of the story goes, Streep was interested in wearing an embroidered gray silk dress from Lagerfeld’s recent couture collection to the Academy Awards. She requested the dress for the awards show but wanted the neckline changed. According to Lagerfeld, his team had already started production on Meryl Streep’s dress when he got a call requesting that they stop making it. Lagerfeld claims that the custom Chanel dress that he had been working on for Meryl Streep to wear to the Oscars was worth upwards of $100,000.

“Don’t continue the dress. We found somebody who will pay us,” Lagerfeld claimed he was told.

After the accusations from Karl Lagerfeld came out, a representative for Meryl Streep issued a statement to The Hollywood Reporter denying that Streep’s dress choice was based on who might be paying her. The statement reads the following.

“Chanel engaged in conversations with Ms. Streep’s stylist to design a dress for her to wear to the Academy Awards, with the full understanding that she was considering options from other design houses. When informed by the stylist that Ms. Streep had chosen a dress by another designer there was no mention of the reason. Chanel wishes to express our continued and deep respect for Ms. Streep.”

Meryl Streep stepped up her accusations against Karl Lagerfeld over the Oscars dress feud. On Saturday, Streep spoke with People and brought up the dress again.

“In reference to Mr. Lagerfeld’s ‘statement,’ there is no ‘controversy,'” Streep said.

“Karl Lagerfeld, a prominent designer, defamed me, my stylist, and the illustrious designer whose dress I chose to wear, in an important industry publication. That publication printed this defamation, unchecked. Subsequently, the story was picked up globally, and continues, globally, to overwhelm my appearance at the Oscars, on the occasion of my record breaking 20th nomination, and to eclipse this honor in the eyes of the media, my colleagues and the audience.”

“I do not take this lightly, and Mr. Lagerfeld’s generic ‘statement’ of regret for this ‘controversy’ was not an apology. He lied, they printed the lie, and I am still waiting,” Streep continued.

It’s safe to say that Meryl Streep won’t be wearing Chanel on the red carpet anymore after the escalating feud with Karl Lagerfeld. However, the esteemed designer has backed down from his previous claims that Streep was changing gowns because another designer is paying her, claiming that he misunderstood her. Lagerfeld’s full response to Meryl Streep’s statement says this.

“Chanel engaged in conversations with Ms Streep’s stylist, on her request, to design a dress for her to wear to the Academy Awards. After an informal conversation, I misunderstood that Ms Streep may have chosen another designer due to remuneration, which Ms Streep’s team has confirmed is not the case. I regret this controversy and wish Ms Streep well with her 20th Academy Award nomination.”

For the record, Meryl Streep looked stunning on the red carpet for the Oscars while also celebrating her 20th Academy Award nomination for her role in Florence Foster Jenkins. Meryl wore a sparkling, deep blue gown by Ellie Saab and looked absolutely gorgeous even as she tripped while walking the red carpet.

Once the Oscars ceremony started, Jimmy Kimmel spoke about Meryl Streep, making a few jokes about Donald Trump’s recent remarks about her being overrated. Then Kimmel turned to Streep’s dress, which also has been the center of controversy this week and asked her if it was from the Ivanka Trump line. Naturally, the joke elicited laughter and Meryl got to show off the incredible dress that she did choose to wear on Oscar night.

[Featured Image by John Phillips/Getty Images]