This year’s Met Gala, which celebrated the exhibition «Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,» featured plenty of full-on tributes to designer Karl Lagerfeld. From vintage designs by Karl himself to perfect tributes from rival fashion houses and paws-itively incredible Choupette interpretations, there was much to enjoy at this year’s fashion Oscars.
Always taking place on the first Monday in May, the red carpet was filled with A-listers in mostly monochrome black and white looks, with lots of references to the Camellia, plenty of pearls, a touch of tweed and thousands upon thousands of crystal embellishments. Below, I round up my favourite looks from the 2023 Met Gala with a little description why I liked them.
REFERENCES TO THE CAMELLIA
Rihanna in Valentino Haute Couture
My winner! Rihanna is always one of the best dressed Met Gala guests and she did not disappoint for 2023. A nod to the iconic CHANEL flower, Rihanna, who is pregnant and was joined by partner A$AP Rocky, chose a camellia-appliquéd cape and matching gown, both by Valentino Haute Couture.
Bad Bunny in Jacquemus
Personally speaking the strongest menswear look of the night was worn by the «Tití Me Preguntó» rapper, whose all-white Jacquemus ensemble included an ultra long floral train. Inside the jacket was a custom printed picture of Casa Malaparte taken by Lagerfeld in 1997, a nod to the designer’s photography work.
VINTAGE CHANEL
Nicole Kidman in vintage CHANEL
Telling a story with your ensemble can be beautiful, and Nicole Kidman did it by wearing the CHANEL couture gown that she had first worn in 2004 when she starred in the iconic CHANEL No. 5 fragrance advert directed by Baz Luhrmann.
Naomi Campbell in vintage CHANEL
Another Nineties supermodel Naomi Campbell nodded to Karl Lagerfeld by looking stunningly in one of his own creations, a pink satin gown with bejewelled details from CHANEL’s S/S 2010 couture collection.
Dua Lipa in CHANEL Haute Couture
The gala co-chair turned heads in a tweed CHANEL Haute Couture ballgown from 1992, that she combined with a breathtaking Tiffany & Co. set, comprised of a necklace in platinum with a diamond of over 200 carats and diamonds and a ring in platinum with diamonds of over 9 total carats. The primary diamond of this necklace was cut in the proportions of the famed Tiffany Diamond.
CREATIONS INSPIRED BY KARL LAGERFELD’S AESTHETIC FROM OTHER FASHION HOUSES
Kim Kardashian in Schiaparelli
I love this look! Kim Kardashian wore a heavily beaded custom Schiaparelli dress with thousands of pearls draped over her.
Anne Hathaway in Versace
The actress showed up in a floor-length, monochrome, tweed (a nod to CHANEL) gown, complete with Versace safety pins holding it all together. Call it CHASACE – the perfect mishmash of Versace and CHANEL.
Eddie Redmayne in Alexander McQueen
To honour the late Lagerfeld, the British actor opted for classic tailoring, but with a twist and might have set the start for a multi-brooch trend.
THE DESIGNERS WITH THE MOST KILLER LOOKS
Janelle Monáe in Thom Browne
Leave it to Them Browne for the most theatrical fashion moment at the Met Gala 2023. «Glass Onion» star Janelle Monáe wore a supersized version of CHANEL’s classic tweed jacket. Later it was followed by a high-fashion striptease, that revealed a sheer conical wireframe gown atop a black sequined, pearl-studded bikini.
Jenna Ortega in Thom Browne
With its corseted bodice, ruffled skirt and draped chains, inspired by those iconic CHANEL details, the «Wednesday» actress was half goth, and half glam, and definitely an eye-catcher.
Cardi B in Thom Browne
Another camellia reference, Cardi B nailed this trend in this billowing gown that was also inspired by Karl Lagerfeld’s personal uniform.
CHOUPETTE LOVERS
Doja Cat in Oscar de la Renta
The great tribute to Lagerfeld’s cat Choupette came from Doja Cat, who wore a custom made embellished gown by Oscar de la Renta, that she topped off with cat ears on the hood, a prosthetic cat nose and claw-like nails.
Jared Leto
Telling the best tale (tail) of the night, Leto decided to pay tribute to Karl Lagerfeld’s famous Birman cat, Choupette, in a full cat costume, worth a Disney movie appearance. However, after unmasking, he transformed into an all-black ensemble and a matching cape featuring an ornate detailing around the neckline and shoulders.
I am curious to hear which one was your favorite!
LoL, Sandra
Photos: Courtesy of the Brands, Getty Images #ALineOfBeauty
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Ensemble, Christopher John Rogers (American, born 1993), F/W 2020; Courtesy Christopher John Rogers. Photo: HAPPYMONDAY / Courtesy of the Costume Institute
