2023 Met Gala: the stars’ best looks to celebrate Karl Lagerfeld

Tribute looks to Karl Lagerfeld at the 2023 Met Gala

Among Kim Kardashian’s selfie with Choupette, Karl Lagerfeld’s famous cat, Rihanna walking around the streets of New York in a 1994 Chanel fur outfit, ten tribute looks to the Kaiser created by ten fashion designers and photographed at the Grand Palais for the American Vogue, and a flood of speculative posts on Instagram... never before has a Met Gala triggered as much enthusiasm as this 2023 edition dedicated to Karl Lagerfeld, who passed away at the age of 85 in February 2019. Launched in 1948 to benefit the Costume Institute, the department dedicated to costume and fashion at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this fundraising dinner opened a retrospective simply entitled “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty”. Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue, chaired the event, surrounded by actresses Penélope Cruz and Michaela Coel, tennis player Roger Federer, and superstar Dua Lipa.

Dua Lipa, Jennie, and Naomi Campbell tapped into Chanel’s archives

While some guests at the 2023 Met Gala played the extravagance card, others chose to tap into the prolific legacy of an iconic designer who spent 36 years of his career as Chanel’s artistic director. His haute couture designs have particularly inspired the stars. Superstar Dua Lipa, one of the first celebrities to walk down the red carpet on Monday appeared in a gorgeous Chanel gown that supermodel Claudia Schiffer once worn on the catwalk in Paris for the 1992 collection. Supermodel Naomi Campbell adorned a long, asymmetrical pink dress from the Chanel Spring/Summer 2010 couture collection. Jennie, one of the members of the K-Pop group Blackpink, opted for a white strapless minidress with a camellia belt and black velvet gloves from the Chanel Fall 1990 couture show. For that event, the Belgian singer Angèle chose a creation from the Spring/Summer 1995 collection – a long black gown with an openwork bust and a delicate signature pearl belt.

Gisele Bündchen, Nicole Kidman, and Marion Cotillard revived their iconic Chanel looks

According to custom, an evening dress shouldn’t be worn twice. Yet, Karl Lagerfeld’s closest friends paid tribute to his immense talent by wearing pieces they had already worn before and that symbolized an everlasting memory of their friendship with the Kaiser, as a thank you to the unforgettable designer who died in 2019. Actress Nicole Kidman dug out a dress of her personal archives that Karl Lagerfeld designed for her for a famous advertising campaign – the film for Chanel N°5 shot by Baz Luhrmann, the director of Moulin Rouge, in 2004. The sculptural Gisele Bündchen wore a celestial white openwork dress with a heavenly feathered cape. Throwback to 2007 – Karl Lagerfeld photographed the Brazilian model wearing that dress for Harper’s Bazaar Korea. Equally radiant, the French actress Marion Cotillard picked an outfit that was particularly close to her heart from the Fall/Winter 2007 couture collection for the gala reception – a look she worn when she received the BAFTA award for best actress in 2008.

Choupette inspired Doja Cat, Lil Nas X, and Jared Leto

Aside from Karl Lagerfeld, his beloved Birman cat Choupette was the main character of the 2023 Met Gala. American rapper Doja Cat, who is now known for her extravagant and high-fashion looks, made quite an impression on the red carpet with her cat-shaped face. Along with sharp claws, tiny ears, and a prosthetic facial piece, the catwoman 2.0 appeared in a splendid silver and white custom-made dress using marine pearls and bugle beads with a train of light feathers designed by Oscar de la Renta. As for Lil Nas X, he offered a bling version of the feline with a total look made of Swarovski crystals. With silver paint covering his entire body and a make-up done by Pat McGrath Lab, the rapper made his entrance wearing only a revealing ton-on-tone thong. More literal and less poetic, American actor Jared Leto walked up the steps of the MET in a simple fluffy, mascot-like white cat suit, before unveiling a black total look designed by Karl Lagerfeld.