The first Monday of May might just seem like another day, but in the fashion world it is known to many as Met Gala Monday – some may even say it’s the most important day of the year.
This year’s Met Gala was guided by the theme “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” which honoured the legendary designer’s full body of work and life. Attendees had plenty of inspiration given that Lagerfeld worked on collections for multiple brands, including his own label, Patou, Balmain, Chloé, Fendi, and Chanel.
The event saw A-list attendees decked out in Chanel tweed, Lagerfeld’s signature black-and-white uniform, and archival looks. Scroll through below for the best looks at this year’s Met Gala.
10. A$AP Rocky
A$AP Rocky modelled his look after a garment worn by Karl Lagerfeld. The artist dressed in Gucci-made clothing for the occasion, including a kilt, a black blazer, and a white button-down shirt with a black leather tie. A similar skirt was worn by Lagerfeld, who had a long-standing affinity for Scotland, on the runway of a Chanel show in Tokyo in 2004. Rocky made sure to give the outfit a 2023 update with embellished denim and stacked Gucci belts.
- Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs
For this year’s Met Gala, the music mogul delivered an ode to Lagerfeld with a self-designed look by his fashion brand Sean John. The outfit, described as a “fashion-forward black motorcycle tuxedo,” paid homage to Lagerfeld’s tenure at Chanel by using 600 Swarovski crystals and black pearls. Another homage to Lagerfeld’s Chanel, Combs claimed that the camellias adorning the “very heavy” cloak amounted to 1,000 handcrafted satin and velvet petals.
- Bad Bunny
The Puerto Rican rapper, who is also the most streamed musician in the world, chose a monochromatic look for the biggest night in fashion, donning an all-white backless Jacquemus tweed suit and matching platform leather derby shoes for the occasion. The rapper ditched his signature cornrows and slicked back his hair instead, while accessorising with pearl stud earrings, a silver chain necklace, and a flowing, 26-foot-long rosette train.
- Jennie Kim
BLACKPINK’s Jennie made her debut at the Met Gala wearing a vintage 1990 Chanel white minidress, adorned with a simple white camellia. As one of Karl Lagerfeld’s last handpicked muses for the house of Chanel and dubbed as the “human Chanel” by her fans, the musician was a welcome presence on the red carpet.
6. Nicole Kidman
The Australian actress hit the red carpet wearing an archival Chanel Haute Couture gown from 2004. Kidman wore the dress in an iconic Chanel No. 5 commercial from the same year, directed by Baz Luhrmann. When the commercial debuted, the eye-catching gown created a buzz that’s still felt to this day. 250 pink ostrich feathers and more than 3,000 silver crystals and sequins are sewn onto the pink silk tulle gown, which has a four-metre train.
5. Florence Pugh
The “Dune: Part Two” star arrived at the Met Gala in custom Maison Valentino – complete with a fresh buzzcut and a feathered headpiece fit for a queen. The actress wore a stunning white ball gown that featured an extremely long train, with a plunging neckline, backless design, and a little black tulle bow as the finishing touch to her ensemble.
- Cardi B
Paying tribute to Lagerfeld himself, rapper Cardi B showed up dressed in a more feminine version of Karl Lagerfeld’s iconic black suit by wearing a black Chenpeng Studio corset ball gown. The dress was layered over a white sleeveless collared shirt with a black tie, and the skirt was decorated with enormous flowers. She donned a black headband and a silver wig in homage to Lagerfeld’s own classic hairstyle.
3. Dua Lipa
British pop singer Dua Lipa, who was also one of the event’s co-hosts, wore vintage Chanel from the brand’s Fall/Winter collection in 1992. The gown was originally worn by ’90s supermodel Claudia Schiffer.
2. Anne Hathaway
Although Anne Hathaway didn’t wear Andy Sachs’ Chanel boots to the Met Gala, she channelled Karl Lagerfeld in her own unique way – and with Donatella Versace’s assistance, no less. The Versace strapless safety pin dress – which looked like it could have been designed by Lagerfeld featured white tweed, pearl accents, and camellia flower detailing – that the “Devil Wears Prada” star wore was the perfect marriage of Chanel and Versace.
- Rihanna
Rihanna – a.k.a. the queen of the Met Gala – not only touched on one of the night’s most prominent trends, bridal-ready gowns, but further pushed it to head-spinning new heights in a bespoke Valentino silk faille dress with a cape adorned with 30 enormous camellia appliqués comprised of 500 petals.
(Main image: Theo Wargo // Getty Images)
