The Devil Won’t Wear Chanel: Meryl Streep Rips Karl Lagerfeld for ‘Lie’ About Oscar Dress
Streep claims outspoken designer “defamed” her, stylist and designer she’ll wear on Sunday
Matt Donnelly | February 25, 2017 @ 6:44 PM
Last Updated: February 25, 2017 @ 8:06 PM
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Karl Lagerfeld should know better than to mess with Miranda Priestly, er, Meryl Streep.
The Academy Award winner and 20-time nominee issued a blistering statement accusing the Chanel designer of defaming her when he said the “Florence Foster Jenkins” star turned down his couture gown because she would not receive a fee to wear it at Sunday’s Oscar ceremony.
“Karl Lagerfeld, a prominent designer, defamed me, my stylist, and the illustrious designer whose dress I chose to wear, in an important industry publication,” Streep said through a spokesperson on Saturday night.
“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,” Streep continued, referencing the story that appeared on Thursday in the fashion trade Women’s Wear Daily.
Any reader instantly transported to the office of her iconic “Devil Wears Prada” character Miranda Priestly would not be alone. The language reflected exactly the kind of truth-hurts campiness for which that performance, a thinly-veiled portrait of Vogue editor and Conde Nast creative director Anna Wintour, is known.
It’s also one that earned her one of the 20 Oscar nominations she thrust in the designer’s face.
“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 concluded.
North American representatives for Chanel were not immediately available for comment.
With the added spotlight of the Lagerfeld squabble, Streep could not have a higher profile walking into the show.
Her passionate speech accepting the Golden Globes’ Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award in January made her a target for President Donald Trump — who called the actress “overrated” after she denounced him for impersonating a disabled reporter during his campaign.
It’s currently unknown which designer the star will wear on Sunday.
Oscars 2017: Our Predictions in All 24 Categories (Photos)
It's been years since the last big sweep, but Damien Chazelle's musical is threatening to turn the Oscars into a 'La La' Palooza. Here's how TheWrap awards editor and veteran Oscarologist Steve Pond predicts this Sunday will go down.
NOMINEES: "Arrival," "Fences," "Hacksaw Ridge," "Hell or High Water," "Hidden Figures," "La La Land," "Lion," "Manchester by the Sea," "Moonlight"
WINNER: "La La Land"
BEST DIRECTOR
NOMINEES: Damien Chazelle, "La La Land"; Mel Gibson, "Hacksaw Ridge"; Barry Jenkins, "Moonlight"; Kenneth Lonergan, "Manchester by the Sea"; Denis Villeneuve, "Arrival"
WINNER: Damien Chazelle
BEST ACTOR
NOMINEES: Casey Affleck, "Manchester by the Sea"; Andrew Garfield, "Hacksaw Ridge"; Ryan Gosling, "La La Land"; Viggo Mortensen, "Captain Fantastic"; Denzel Washington, "Fences"
WINNER: Denzel Washington
BEST ACTRESS
NOMINEES: Isabelle Huppert, "Elle"; Ruth Negga, "Loving"; Natalie Portman, "Jackie"; Emma Stone, "La La Land"; Meryl Streep, "Florence Foster Jenkins"
WINNER: Emma Stone
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
NOMINEES: Mahershala Ali, "Moonlight"; Jeff Bridges, "Hell or High Water"; Lucas Hedges, "Manchester by the Sea"; Dev Patel, "Lion"; Michael Shannon, "Nocturnal Animals"
WINNER: Mahershala Ali
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Best Supporting Actress
NOMINEES: Viola Davis, "Fences"; Naomie Harris, "Moonlight"; Nicole Kidman, "Lion"; Octavia Spencer, "Hidden Figures"; Michelle Williams, "Manchester by the Sea"
WINNER: Viola Davis
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
NOMINEES: "Arrival," "Fences," "Hidden Figures," "La La Land," "Moonlight"
WINNER: Barry Jenkins and Tarell Alvin McCraney, "Moonlight"
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
NOMINEES: "Hell or High Water," "La La Land," "The Lobster," "Manchester by the Sea," "20th Century Women"
WINNER: Kenneth Lonergan, "Manchester by the Sea"
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE
NOMINEES: "Kubo and the Two Strings," "Moana," "My Life as a Zucchini," "The Red Turtle," "Zootopia"
WINNER: "Zootopia"
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
NOMINEES: "Land of Mine," "A Man Called Ove," "The Salesman," "Tanna," "Toni Erdmann"
WINNER: "The Salesman"
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
NOMINEES: "Fire at Sea," "I Am Not Your Negro," "Life, Animated," "O.J.: Made in America," "13th"
WINNER: "O.J.: Made in America"
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
NOMINEES: "Arrival," "La La Land," "Lion," "Moonlight," "Silence"
WINNER: "La La Land"
BEST FILM EDITING
NOMINEES: "Arrival," "Hacksaw Ridge," "Hell or High Water" "La La Land," "Moonlight"
WINNER: "La La Land"
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
NOMINEES: "Arrival," "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," "Hail, Caesar!," "La La Land," "Passengers"
WINNER: "La La Land"
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
NOMINEES: "Allied," "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," "Florence Foster Jenkins," "Jackie," "La La Land"
WINNER: "La La Land"
BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
NOMINEES: "A Man Called Ove," "Star Trek Beyond," "Suicide Squad"
WINNER: "Star Trek Beyond"
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
NOMINEES: "Jackie," "La La Land," "Lion," "Moonlight," "Passengers"
WINNER: "La La Land"
BEST ORIGINAL SONG
NOMINEES: "Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" from "La La Land," "Can't Stop the Feeling" from "Trolls," "City of Stars" from "La La Land," "The Empty Chair" from "Jim: The James Foley Story," "How Far I'll Go" from "Moana"
WINNER: "City of Stars" from "La La Land"
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
NOMINEES: "Deepwater Horizon," "Doctor Strange," "The Jungle Book," "Kubo and the Two Strings," "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story"
WINNER: "The Jungle Book"
BEST SOUND EDITING
NOMINEES: "Arrival," "Deepwater Horizon," "Hacksaw Ridge," "La La Land," "Sully"
WINNER: "Hacksaw Ridge"
BEST SOUND MIXING
NOMINEES: "Arrival," "Hacksaw Ridge," "La La Land," "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi"
WINNER: "La La Land"
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
NOMINEES: "Extremis," "4.1 Miles," "Joe's Violin," "Watani: My Homeland," "The White Helmets"
We watched all the shorts and documentary categories so you can slay on your office pool
It's been years since the last big sweep, but Damien Chazelle's musical is threatening to turn the Oscars into a 'La La' Palooza. Here's how TheWrap awards editor and veteran Oscarologist Steve Pond predicts this Sunday will go down.
