On May 1, fashion’s biggest night took over The Metropolitan Museum of Art for the legendary cultural institution’s biggest fundraiser of the year. The event welcomes a very exclusive, invite-only crop of A-listers from across the worlds of art, fashion and entertainment that keeps everyone scrolling social media to see who wore what— the best and the worst.
Also known as The Costume Institute Benefit, this year honored the opening of “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” which traces the late German designer’s history and methodology. Given the exhibition, the 2023 Met Gala dress code called upon guests to honor Karl. We saw lots of tweed, plenty of pearls and lots of sparkle. From Met Queen Rihanna to co-chair Michaela Coel and beyond, here are the best dressed at the 2023 Met Gala.
Fashionably yet as always, Rihanna stunned in a white dress with a cascading train. She arrived enclosed in a floral outerpiece that, when removed, revealed a smaller appliqué flower and a glimmering stack of necklaces.
In her second look of the night, Cardi B explained on the carpet that the lower half is “giving the Chanel boy bag,” while the top is a nod to Lagerfeld with her pearl earrings, silver-white hair and crisp white collar and black tie.
Embodying Lagerfeld’s beloved Choupette, Doja Cat’s white rhinestone and feathered Oscar de la Renta gown was elevated by a cat-ear hood and feline prosthetics. Between meows, she told Vogue host La La Anthony, “I hope to have some good conversations in there.”
No one caught attention at the Met Gala quite like Lil Nas X. In head-to-toe silver, the superstar shed his clothes (save for a pair of undergarments) for a glimmering, pearl-accented body and face paint job by makeup legend Dame Pat McGrath.
Channeling Lagerfeld for the night, Jessica Chastain opted for bleached locks for the night and paired the look with black oversized sunglasses by Gucci Eyewear. Also by Gucci, the actress floated onto the Met Gala carpet in a custom strapless gown accented by black tulle gloves and white gold and diamond Gucci High Jewelry necklace and rings.
Fresh off an excellent Coachella headlining performance, Bady Bunny ditched the West Coast for New York City for fashion’s biggest night. The music superstar added a touch of creativity to a classic suit. In head-to-toe white, the tweed Jacquemus creation turned heads for its floor-grazing rose stole and back cutout.
The 25-year-old model brought high fashion to the Met Gala carpet in a gold-silver-and-black toned gown by Prabal Gurung that stood out for its dramatic evolution from shimmering silver scales into thing dripping chains. She finished the look with silver jewelry and a brown mesh eye mask.
The actress and Met Gala co-chair wowed in Schiaparelli ensemble completed by an opulent collar and toe-shaped gold heels. In fact, the gown was embellished with an impressive 130,000 crystals and star-shaped ornaments.
Perhaps one of Hollywood’s most exciting actors currently, Brian Tyree Henry also proved at the Met Gala that he has stature in the world of fashion. He was dapper in a black and white suit and pearls, but really wowed in a ruffled cape by Lagerfeld himself.
Accompanied by Yung Miami, Diddy brought his fashion A-game to the Met Gala and was decked out in his own brand, Sean Jean. The evening marked what is to come for the luxury streetwear label after Diddy sold and then bought back the brand, as reported by Vogue.
Coalescing the best of both Versace and Chanel, Anne Hathaway collaborated with Donatella Versace on her tweed Met Gala look held together by ornate gold safety pins. She finished the look with a mile-high hairdo that came together through a vintage headpiece from a ‘90s Versace show.
The supermodel’s Met Gala look was a true testament to Lagerfeld. Back in 2007, she first wore the Chanel column dress for an editorial with the late designer and revived the fabulously feathery ensemble for her big carpet moment.
The What We Do In The Shadows star brought a much-needed pastel flair to the annual springtime event. Donning a custom Christian Siriano suit, the pink French tweed tuxedo featured glorious appliqué roses.
Draped in pearls, Taika Waititi wore Prabal Gurung to the Met Gala and polished the chic ensemble with Cartier jewelry and watch and Manolo Blahnik shoes.
A frequent wearer of the NYC-base luxury brand, Jenna Ortega channeled a preppy, high-fashion Wednesday Addams in a ruffled Thom Browne dress pulled together by a corset and shrug.
The 2023 Met Gala was a night to remember.
Photography by: Matt Winkelmeyer/MG23 /Getty Images/ Getty Images/ Taylor Hill; Getty Images/ Theo Wargo; Dimitrios Kambouris; Getty Images; Michael Buckner/ Getty Images; Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images; John Shearer/ Getty Images; Mike Coppola/Getty Images; Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images
