The long-awaited Met Gala 2023 took place on May 1st and, unsurprisingly, was an incredible fashion show. The theme, as many already know, was “Karl Lagerfeld: a line of beauty” inspired by the vast and important work of the designer over the years in brands such as Chanel, Chloè, and Fendi.
Even though Karl’s work was enormous, some of the most striking characteristics gained space in the looks used on the carpet. Among them, we have: monochromatic -mainly black and white- outfits, pearls, bows, tweed, marked silhouettes, feathers and camellias (a flower used a lot by the artist during his time at Chanel).
I believe that many people, both in the fashion world and outside, were already expecting this: a ball full of glamour, but not completely surprising. Because Lagerfeld’s work was so marked by such characteristics, some celebrities were similar or, even though they were if chic and beautiful, did not stand out so much. Despite this, there have been few complaints from the public regarding off-theme guests, which is great.
Personal Favorites
Of course I do have to say that some people not only understood the assignment but also made it special. There were a lot of celebrities there who personally knew Karl and, in some way, that brought a lot of emotion and dedication to the clothes.
So now, let’s take a look at my personal favorites and the reasons behind my choices. Let’s start with the top five men who I thought were able to draw attention even if sometimes they were wearing a “simple” suit.
5- Jared Leto
He simply wore a realistic cat costume in homage to Choupette (Karl’s beloved cat) and was still wearing a black transparent blouse with a sparkly cape underneath.
4- Jeremy Pope
Designed by Oliver Rousteing (Balmain), he wore a huge white cape with Karl’s face drawn in black. As simple as the outfit itself was, it was a beautiful tribute. (by Balmain)
3- Ben Platt
That’s the definition of chic but modern. He was wearing a white tweed set, but he was also matching it with a shirt made in a corset style and a gold chain belt. (by Wiederhoeft)
2- Conan Gray
What an amazing outfit. A stylized version of tweed with pearls, a train, leather pants, the famous Lagerfeld collar and even a matching pearl fan. (by Balmain)
1- Bad Bunny
This one really surprised me. A white tweed suit with a bare back and an amazing white camellias train. Another level of chic.
Obviously it was way much harder to choose between the women. I believe most of them were incredibly fancy and elegant, so I really tried to choose the ones that caught my attention, were in the theme and wore something iconic. Here are my top 12 best female looks:
12- Margot Robbie
I know that some might say that she looked kinda simple for the event, but her dress was worn by Cindy Crawford in 1993 and it’s gorgeous. (by Chanel)
11- Janelle Monáe
We all love some action on the carpet and she gave us that. It was a frame dress with tweed overlays over it which, when she took it off, revealed a sheer frame and black lingerie underneath. She also had a tie in her hair and a cat purse. How creative! (by Thom Browne)
10- Elle Fanning
Along with Viviene Westwood she basically recreated the first look Karl made her wear when she was 13. The white dress, the black jacket and the daisy crown were exactly similar to when he photographed her for his ‘Little Black Jacket’ book. (by Viviene Westwood)
9- Gisele Bündchen
This muse wore the same Chanel dress and cape that she used in 2007 in an editorial. She honestly looked like an angel. (by Chanel)
8- Cara Delevingne
She is known for being really close friends with Karl, so when she showed up dressed inspired by him, with a pixie gray hair and wearing his brand, I think no one was surprised. (by Karl Lagerfeld)
7- Gigi Hadid
Surely one of my favorite dresses of the night! With a corset, camellias, transparency, feather and pearls she looked simply amazing. (by Givenchy)
6- Penélope Cruz
One of our co-hosts decided on a wedding shinny dress inspired by an amazing vintage Chanel. Incredibly chic. (by Chanel)
5- Rihanna
Even though our queen was a little bit late, she served an amazing look. A beautiful white dress with a camellia cape of the same color, inspired by Karl’s wedding dresses. (by Valentino)
4- Dua Lipa
Our other co-host wore one of the most iconic wedding dresses made by Karl along with a breathtaking Tiffany’s necklace. She looked just like a princess! (by Chanel)
3- Jessica Chastain
It’s incredible how this woman is always on my list! Our loved redhead came as a platinum blonde, with a fancy black dress with layers and transparency and shades. Just gorgeous. (by Gucci)
2- Cardi B
I just love how she mixed his identity on the top (with the collar and tie) and his work at Chanel in the bottom of the dress (with the big flowers and the texture). She also added the gray big hair, the hair band and the gloves. So in the theme, but also so creative and fun. (by Chenpeng Studio)
1- Anne Hathaway
I freaked out when I saw that dress. Tweed, pearls, camellias, jewelry, matching coat, gloves and big hair with a camelia as hairstyle. Everything was a beautiful mix between Versace and Chanel and I’m sure that that was something that Karl Lagerfeld would have loved! (by Versace)
Final comments
This year’s Met Gala was definitely one of the most classic and fancy ones! We saw so many beautiful clothes, even though I think some were a little bit too similar. Another important point is that some celebrities that are always present at the event weren’t there, such as Blake Lively, Bella Hadid, Selena Gomez, Beyoncé and some others… I believe we all missed them.
Karl Lagerfeld was a fashion genius and that show was just proof of that. But I do think it’s complicated to have chosen a theme centered on men who have said so many controversial things about women (mainly fat women) and other topics. Many guests showed a lot of love and affection for the man he was, but some were not so moved. An example was Viola Davis who, in addition to wearing pink (a color that Karl said should be thought of but not used) said that she and the designer lived in different worlds and did not show much enthusiasm when talking about him. Everyone has the right to put their principles and memories forward.
We had different opinions about the theme, but one thing I can say: it’s almost impossible not to have liked the clothes! I’m already looking forward to the 2024 Met Gala! See you next year?
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The article above was edited by Lorena Lindenberg.
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