Last night’s Met Gala was a celebration of the incredible legacy of the late Karl Lagerfeld, and while attendees had plenty to work with, as the designer helmed Chanel, Fendi, Patou, Balmain, and Chloe, as well as headed up his own brand, some stars seemed to miss the mark completely (we’re looking at all the men who showed up in basic black tux’s). Celebrities not understanding the assignment at the Met Gala is an inevitable fact of life at this point, however, the 2023 Met Gala red carpet was one of the first events in recent memory where almost all of the attendees were actually on theme, honoring Lagerfeld’s distinct look with his sartorial signatures like pearls, tweed, monochrome, bows, leather gloves, and stacks of silver rings. Other A-listers managed to pull from the archives, including this year’s co-hosts, British-Albanian popstar Dua Lipa and Spanish actress Penelope Cruz, who showed up on the white carpet wearing vintage Chanel gowns. And while all guests were dressed to the nines in custom designer outfits and archival looks, the best dressed celebrities were the ones who found unique and distinctive ways to honor Lagerfeld’s enduring legacy. Below, the 10 celebrities from the 2023 Met Gala red carpet who ate and left no crumbs.
Rihanna in Valentino Couture
Rihanna was the last guest to arrive on the Met Gala red carpet, and her look was so worth the wait. The expecting superstar showed up arm-in-arm with her partner rapper ASAP Rocky wearing a Valentino Haute Couture gown and cape especially designed for her by Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli for the 2023 MET Gala. The stunning creation featured five meters of train and was adorned with 30 camelias (Coco Chanel’s favorite flower) composed of 500 petals made by 30 seamstresses.
Bad Bunny in custom Jacquemus
After Bad Bunny’s shambolic Met Gala look last year, we weren’t expecting much from the Puerto Rican hitmaker this year, but he definitely gagged us. The 29-year-old was one of the best-dressed celebrities of the evening, wearing a white, backless suit by Jacquemus, made using tweed sourced from Maison Lesage, one of the 19 métiers housed in Chanel’s Parisian atelier 19M. Inside the jacket, the brand printed one of Karl Lagerfeld’s photographs, of Casa Malaparte. He paired the look with a 26-foot-long taffeta train embroidered with flowers and a “J” silver necklace dangling against the open back, a subtle reference to a 2005 Chanel No.5 ad campaign with Nicole Kidman.
Jenna Ortega in Thom Browne
One of our favorite looks from the evening was no doubt Jenna Ortega wearing a Wednesday Addams-inspired Thom Browne get-up. Her ensemble mixed several references from Lagerfeld’s reign at Chanel, from the tweed and the pearl detail to the bows and corset and blazer.
Doja Cat in custom Oscar de la Renta
For her Met Gala debut, Doja Cat— emphasis on the cat— provided one of the most internet-breaking moments from the night. The Say So singer was practically unrecognizable as she transformed herself into Lagerfeld’s extremely pampered Birman cat, Choupette, with the help of Oscar de la Renta and prosthetic artist Malina Stearns. RIP Karl Lagerfeld, you would have loved her homage.
Anne Hathaway in custom Atelier Versace
Anne Hathaway looked stunning in a custom Atelier Versace look that was a beautiful and subtle take on Lagerfeld’s time at Chanel, while simultaneously staying true to Versace’s DNA. From the construction of gold thread French tweed and the camellia flowers decorating the bust to the pearl-embellished safety pins, the dress will go down in red carpet history.
Alton Mason in custom Karl Lagerfeld Couture
A big yes to Alton Mason’s dress! The model turned heads in a custom Karl Lagerfeld white lace jumpsuit, equipped with a beaded lace corset and built-in fingerless gloves. Meanwhile, the sweetheart neckline was inspired by a jacket sourced from Lagerfeld’s personal design archives.
Adut Akech in Carolina Herrera
The Sudanese model, who made history as the second Black model to close a Chanel Haute Couture show as the “bride” for its Fall 2018 collection, teamed up with Carolina Herrera creative director Wes Gordon to pay homage to the legacy and work of Lagerfeld. The result was a sheer pleated tulle evening gown with hand-embroidered pearls and flowers in Lagerfeld’s signature black and white color palette.
Cara Delevingne in custom Karl Lagerfeld Couture
Cara Delevingne is the only one who can cosplay Lagerfeld and actually get away with it. The Chanel muse decided to honor the late designer’s personal style wearing a look inspired by Lagerfeld’s quintessential white shirt, which he frequently wore in public as part of his signature tuxedo-dressing look. The outfit, designed by Hun Kim, design director of Karl Lagerfeld, consisted of a white cotton shirt dress with a dramatic train, accessorized with thigh-high, black leather leggings, fingerless gloves, and lots of Chrome Heart jewelry. She completed the look with a shaggy wig reminiscent of her Chanel Cruise 2013 shoot in which she sported different pastel pixie hairpieces.
ASAP Rocky in Gucci
The rapper, who showed up fashionably late (keyword “fashionably”) with Rihanna, paid a stylish homage to Lagerfeld by reimagining one of the late designer’s most memorable outfits: a blazer, crisp white shirt, black tie, and Dior Homme by Hedi Slimane kilt.
Jared Leto in custom Karl Lagerfeld Couture
Doja Cat wasn’t the only guest to pay homage to Choupette last night. Jared Leto, who previously showed up to the Met Gala carrying a replica of his own head, walked on the red carpet in a giant furry suit made to resemble Lagerfeld’s beloved pet cat, who announced on Instagram that she would not be attending the event :(
