Met Gala 2023: Shocking ‘looks’ of the evening

A host of celebrities, including singers, athletes, models, actors and fashion designers, attended the Met Gala in New York on Monday with an unusual dedication to elegance, tributes to the late fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld and plenty of nods to his legacy.

La Rendezvous, one of the most exclusive parties in NOW, dictated a very clear dress code compared to previous years: it was necessary to pay tribute to the German designer who for decades, until his last days, was the creative soul of the haute couture brand Chanel, as well as Fendi and Chloé.

Not even the extravaganza of Kim Kardashian and her sisters Kylie and Kendall Jennerthe queens of sensuality on the red carpet, as well as the singer Rihanna, who arrived an hour and a half late, hidden in a voluminous cape with white flowers, overshadowed the main role of the couturier, who has been absent since 2019.

It was not the first time that the fashion night honored a designer, but it was difficult to remember why the guests continued to do so, almost literally, perhaps because of the recognizable aesthetics of Lagerfeld’s creations, but also because of their own identity, which is part of pop culture.

So they prevailed black and white pairingpearls, velvet bows, flowers, sequins and chains, and there were also spectacular details such as actor Jeremy Pope’s cape with the designer’s face or Cardi B’s voluminous skirt modeled on padded Chanel bags.

Tributes to Tutiplen

supermodels like Carla Bruni, Gisele Bundchen and Naomi Campbell, among the most praised were their “vintage” Chanel dresses; Nicole Kidman brought back the one she wore 20 years ago in a Chanel No. 5, and Margot Robbie and Dua Lipa looked for outfits from the nineties in the brand’s archive.

Penélope Cruz, one of the presenters of the event at the request of the editor USA fashions, Anna Wintour, wore a white sequined couture hooded Chanel dress from 1998, a year before she met Lagerfeld, and recalled their last moment together, a walk through Central Park after their latest collection.

Cruz led a large Hispanic group that included a friend of hers Salma Hayek, in a red Gucci dress, who said she was Lagerfeld’s neighbor when he was in Paris; or Maluma, in a gray suit and a white scarf with an embroidered letter that the designer wrote to Hugo Boss in the 80s.

Some guests decided to imitate the couturier, with classic suits, sunglasses or gloves; and even the designer’s cat Choupette was honored: the actor Jared Leto caused a sensation by appearing dressed as this animal, and the singer Doja Cat was unrecognizable with a facial prosthesis that turned her face into a cat’s.

Risks, surprises and money

Many men hazarded their bets, like Bad Bunny singer, who wore a white suit with an open back, or Pedro Pascal, who wore red shorts with a long jacket, although the more extreme was Lil Nas X, who was practically naked and covered in sequins.

As always, the event gave room for surprises, and on this occasion tennis player Serena Williams, who is expecting her second child with businessman Alexis Ohanian, announced two pregnancies; and model Karlie Kloss, also her partner with businessman Joshua Kushner.

And waits until arrival Rihanna, some celebrities started dropping by and offering intimate moments: basketball player Brittney Griner, recently released from Russia, embraced fellow basketball player Dwayne Wade, and singer P. Diddy took his partner out for pizza.

Not everything was glamorous, because among other things surprises there is also the appearance of a cockroach on the carpet – white, not red – and a quick raid by a group of policemen into the museum, who left after a few minutes, avoiding explaining what had happened.

The event follows the big annual exhibition Met Institute of Fashion and raises about $50,000 per person, but you can only attend if you have an invitation and lots of money (or a sponsor) and editor Anna Wintour approves.