Fashion’s biggest night never disappoints.
Timed, as usual, to the opening of its Costume Institute’s new exhibition — “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” which celebrates the life and work of the late design legend — the Met Gala 2023 called for celebrity guests to dress “in honor of Karl,” and many (if not all) understood the assignment.
The vast majority of guests selected looks in black and white, Lagerfeld’s preferred color palette, and there were plenty of tweeds, pearls, chains and camellias — all style signatures of the house of Chanel, for which the German icon designed from 1983 up until his death in 2019.
And while some of the night’s standout looks were plucked straight from the Chanel archives, others simply paid homage to Lagerfeld-designed looks from over the years.
Below, see our best-dressed picks from the evening, from Janelle Monáe’s Thom Browne striptease to Rihanna’s blooming beautiful Valentino.
Michaela Coel
Crafted from sheer tulle, encrusted with golden crystals and dotted with unique baubles inspired by Lagerfeld’s costume jewelry creations, the gala co-chair‘s second-skin Schiaparelli Haute Couture gown was a true work of art.
Naomi Campbell
The supermodel’s pink draped silk gown topped with scrolls of silver sequins dates back to Chanel’s spring/summer 2010 haute couture collection — and fit her like an absolute dream.
Rihanna
The Met Gala’s not over ’til the Bad Gal hits the carpet — and while she may have arrived fashionably late as usual, Rihanna made it worth the wait with her camellia-appliquéd cape and matching gown, both by Valentino.
The look’s drop waist showcased the pregnant pop star’s baby bump, and she was joined by partner A$AP Rocky, clad in a Gucci kilt layered over embellished jeans that nodded to Lagerfeld’s love of Scotland.
Janelle Monáe
Few stars can pull off a theatrical fashion moment quite like the “Glass Onion” actress.
At this year’s Met, Monáe made like Lady Gaga with a high-fashion striptease, arriving on the red carpet in a black-and-white Thom Browne coat before whipping off her outerwear to reveal a sheer conical wireframe gown atop a black sequined, pearl-studded bikini.
Gisele Bündchen
Flying solo! Attending on her own for the first time since 2006 — and the first time since her divorce from Tom Brady — the Brazilian beauty stunned in a sheer white dress accented with vertical stripes of sequins and teamed with a sweeping feathered cape, both from the spring/summer 2007 Chanel Haute Couture show.
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If the fashion moment felt familiar, it’s probably because Bündchen wore the exact same look for a 2007 Harper’s Bazaar Korea spread photographed by (who else?) Karl Lagerfeld.
Nicole Kidman
Like Bündchen, Kidman opted to revisit an old favorite look from the Chanel archives on Met Gala Monday, bringing back the feathery pink silk tulle dress she wore in her iconic Chanel No. 5 commercial from 2004.
The spectacular couture style is embroidered with 250 pink feathers and over 3,000 silver crystals and sequins.
Dua Lipa
Haute-r than hell! The gala co-chair turned heads in a tweed Chanel Haute Couture ballgown from 1992, but it was her Tiffany & Co. necklace — set with an over-100-carat diamond cut in the same cushion-cut shape as the iconic yellow Tiffany Diamond — that truly stole the show.
Phoebe Bridgers
The “Punisher” musician’s pearl-dotted Tory Burch gown not only paid homage to Lagerfeld’s work, but also to Bridgers’ motif of choice; look closely, and you’ll notice the gemstones are arranged in the shape of a skeleton. Spooky, yet sophisticated.
Jenna Ortega
With its corseted bodice, ruffled skirt and draped chains, the “Wednesday” actress’ Thom Browne look was half goth, half glam — and a great choice for this year’s gala.
Anne Hathaway
Part pretty, part punk: The “Devil Wears Prada” star continued her red carpet hot streak in a slashed-up white tweed gown by Versace held together with gold safety pins and strings of pearls.
Bad Bunny
Undoubtedly the strongest menswear look of the night came courtesy of the “Tití Me Preguntó” rapper, whose all-white Jacquemus ensemble included a 26-foot floral train.
There was a secret detail to the outfit, too; inside Bad Bunny’s jacket was a custom printed picture of Casa Malaparte taken by Lagerfeld in 1997, a nice nod to the designer’s photography work.
