Met Gala 2023: Our Favourite Looks

IT HAS BEEN quite a while since we covered the Met Gala⏤its over-the-top theatrical displays are not often our thing. But, Anne Hathaway (above) looked stunning in Versace, enough to make us take a look at what others were wearing that night. This year’s dress code was “in honour of Karl.” The spring 2023 exhibition is titled, Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty, which examines the work of the late fashion designer (1933–2019). Throughout his lifetime, Lagerfeld worked at prominent fashion houses such as Fendi, Chloé, Chanel, and Balmain, in addition to his own brand. More than 150 pieces are on display in the exhibition, many of which are accompanied by the designer’s sketches. The hosts of this year’s gala were Penélope Cruz, Michaela Coel, Roger Federer, Dua Lipa, and Anna Wintour, who has run the Met Gala since 1995. Here are a few of our favourite looks from the night…

Above, Anne Hathaway attended the ball in a dress that combined the best of both designers’ signatures, an intermingling of Versace and Chanel. The dress, created in gold-threaded white tweed, featured cutouts held together by pearl and Medusa-adorned safety pins, echoing the iconic safety pin gown famously worn by Elizabeth Hurley in 1994.

Kate Moss and her daughter Lila both wore the Mosses wore the Mosses wore Fendi couture gowns by Kim Jones, the former in a slip dress with sheer sleeves and her signature messy waves, while the latter wore a feathered apricot midi dress with a sheer beaded midsection. The coordinated gowns served as a subtle homage to Karl Lagerfeld, who served as the creative director of Fendi from 1965 all the way up to his death in 2019.

Penelope Cruz wore an archival piece from Chanel Couture’s Spring/Summer 1988 collection, an ethereal gown in a pale mint green shade.

Irina Shayk wore a Yohji Yamamoto dress with flat slippers to the 2023 Met Gala.

Suki Waterhouse wore a completely sheer Fendi gown embellished in pale yellow, coral, and basil green floral embroidery. Robert Pattinson wore a black Dior Men tux with a pleated skirt detail, and a white dress shirt finished with a gold brooch at the neck.

Jessica Chastain, unrecognisable as a blonde, wore a black sheer strapless tulle gown by Gucci, complemented with matching sheer black opera gloves and dark sunglasses.

Gisele Bündchen wore the white Chanel couture silk and tulle dress with feather wings that she wore in a 2007 editorial shoot with Lagerfeld, stating to Harper’s Bazaar, “I wore this dress for a photoshoot I did with Karl at his home in Paris 16 years ago. We had so much fun on that shoot and wearing it again after so many years just brought back so many good memories”. The exquisite piece was cut from white silk tulle and embroidered with vertical sequin stripes, worn under a feather cape shaped like angel wings. The ensemble was the bridal look for the designer’s spring 2007 Chanel couture show, worn originally by Freja Beha Erichsen. The supermodel wore the look shortly after the runway show for the 2007 editorial.

The Met Gala, also known as the Costume Institute Gala or the Met Ball, is an annual fundraising event held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The event is hosted by the Costume Institute, which is the fashion department of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Each year, the Costume Institute organises a major exhibition on a specific theme, which serves as the inspiration for the Met Gala’s dress code. This year’s theme was “in honour of Karl”. The event is attended by a diverse range of celebrities, fashion designers, and other prominent figures from the worlds of entertainment, art, and fashion. The event is known for its high-fashion, avant-garde, and often daring outfits, which often feature elaborate costumes, intricate details, and innovative designs.

In addition to the exhibition and red carpet, the Met Gala also features a dinner and a live performance. The event is a major fundraiser for the Costume Institute, with proceeds from ticket sales and donations going towards the department’s ongoing programs and acquisitions. The Met Gala has been held annually since 1948, with the current iteration of the event beginning in 1972. It has become one of the most highly anticipated fashion events of the year and is widely covered by the media. The event often sets new trends in fashion and has been a platform for some of the most iconic and memorable red carpet moments in history.