Salva Mubarak Senior Features Writer

Fashion’s biggest night out is here and it didn’t disappoint!

With the theme of this year’s Costume Institute’s exhibition being ‘Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty’, it was to be expected that the Met Gala red carpet would be filled with pearls and long, long trains. There was all that and so much more!

Our very own Alia Bhatt made her Met Gala debut in a stunning white Prabal Gurung gown with 100,000 pearls and a long train. Singer Lizzo turned up in a sleek black Chanel gown which was accented with a trailing pearl bodice, while Rihanna chose a dramatic Valentino gown in white with a gigantic train. Anne Hathaway stayed true to her bombshell era by melding the classic white Chanel tweed with Versace’s all-out-sexiness with a gown that had cut-outs held together with safety pins adorned with pearls.

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Many celebrities also paid tribute to Lagerfeld’s enduring 65-year legacy in fashion by wearing iconic outfits from his collections at brands he helmed, like Balmain, Chloé, Fendi, Chanel, and his eponymous label Karl Lagerfeld.

Dua Lipa wore the white Chanel gown from the label’s FW92 collection which was originally worn by Claudia Schiffer. Nicole Kidman in her Chanel gown from the 2004 Chanel No. 5 commercial, Penelope Cruz in Chanel Spring 88, Gisele Bündchen in Chanel Spring 2007 couture, and Naomi Campbell in Chanel Spring 2010 gave a tribute to the designer’s work at the legendary French fashion house.

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There were also some direct tributes to the designer himself with many celebrities channelling his signature style, like his longtime muse Cara Delevingne with her fingerless gloves, silver hair, and a long white shirtdress with a train. Or Kristen Stewart’s punk Lagerfeld cosplay. Actors Simu Liu and Ke Huy Quan picked out looks that directly paid homage to his distinct style.

This time the men heard the complaints of them sticking to boring black tuxes and brought their A-game, like Brian Taylor Henry’s addition of a black lace cape from Lagerfeld’s 2016-17 bridal collection for Chanel to his tux or Harvey Guillén’s pink tuxedo gown by Christian Siriano that was inspired by Chanel’s iconic tweed suit.

With Lagerfeld as the theme of the night there was no way his beloved pet cat Choupette could have been left behind from the red carpet. Doja Cat wore feline facial prosthetics and an Oscar de la Renta ensemble to channel Choupette, while Jared Leto and Lil Nas X went all out and dressed up as cats for their red carpet outing. Janelle Monae wore a custom Thom Browne outfit with a Choupette-inspired bag as a nod to the designer’s pet.

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Other stand out looks included Michaela Coel’s stunning Schiaparelli gown with 130,000 crystals and Karlie Kloss’ custom Loewe outfit and the baby bump she debuted on the red carpet!

Take a look at some of our favourite looks from the 2023 Met Gala right here…

Best Dressed Celebrities At Met Gala 2023