The 13 Best-Dressed Stars At The 2023 Met Gala
From archival couture to dramatic new statements.
For weeks, people have been debating how this year's Met Gala theme would be interpreted by the guests, given its focus solely on the work of Karl Lagerfeld. The Costume Institute hasn't done a retrospective on a singular designer since Rei Kawakubo in 2017, but Lagerfeld's career, which spans decades over houses like Chanel, Fendi and Chloé, provided a lot of material to work with.
There was plenty of archival Chanel pieces on display. Penelope Cruz, a close friend of Lagerfeld and the gala's co-host, chose a hooded bridal gown originally worn by Ines de la Fressange in 1988. Nicole Kidman took things one step further and referenced her own personal history in a gown she wore for a Chanel No. 5 commercial in 2007. Others, like Letitia Wright and Glenn Close, paid homage to the designer's famous uniform while still dressing in a way that felt entirely themselves.
Ahead, the 13 best dressed celebrities at this year's Met Gala.
Rihanna is often the last to walk the Met Gala red carpet, and this year she really made us wait to see her look—but it was worth it. She arrived cocooned in a cape covered in camellias (Chanel's signature flower), which transformed into a shawl she wore draped over her arms. Her white gown featured a singular camellia at the chest, with a train that required an entire entourage to carry up the Met steps. When asked how she was feeling, she simply said, "Expensive."
A$AP Rocky accompanied her in a custom Gucci top with an embroidered skirt featuring trompe-l'œil details and high-heeled leather sandals—a reference to a kilt Lagerfeld himself wore in 2004.
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Cruz, who attended her first Chanel show in 1999, was a close friend of Lagerfeld's and even wore a Chanel gown to accept her Oscar in 2008. She looked through the archive to choose her dress for the evening and was particularly drawn to this eternally elegant hooded gown. The embellishments lining the hood are reminiscent of those on a traditional Spanish mantilla.
Dua Lipa wore an autumn/winter 1992 Chanel couture gown originally seen on Claudia Schiffer on the runway, with a one-of-a-kind Tiffany & Co diamond necklace featuring over 100 carats.
Schiffer originally wore the tweed corset gown as a Chanel bride, making this the second time in the past week that one of her archival bridal runway looks has gone viral. At Sofia Richie's wedding, the bride wore a minidress originally modeled by Schiffer on the fall/winter 1993 haute couture runway.
Related article: Met Gala 2023: Dua Lipa Drips In Over $10 Million Worth Of Diamonds
Irina Shayk glowed in a vintage Yohji Yamamoto dress from 1988 with twisted rope straps. Her look was a distinctive interpretation of the bridal aesthetic that dominated the carpet this year. But the most heavenly detail were her tender ballet flats, a shoe silhouette Lagerfeld knew well.
Lagerfeld originally designed this violin dress in 1983 when he was at Chloé. Speaking of that name, Chloë Sevigny wore a black version back in 2013 when the brand re-issued the look in honor of the house's 60th anniversary. The dress is also included in the Met Gala exhibit, along with the famous fall 1983 shower dress. Karl-era Chloé marks the designer's first entry into ready-to-wear, and it's extremely hard to come by. The look meshes high camp and high fashion in a way that has come to define Lagerfeld's designs.
Nicole Kidman's inspiration for this Met Gala was Nicole Kidman. She arrived in a Chanel Haute Couture gown from 2004 that she wore in a Chanel No. 5 commercial from the same year, directed by Baz Luhrmann. What makes it feel perfectly on theme is the fact that Lagerfeld, too, loved to reference himself.
Related article: Met Gala 2023: Nicole Kidman Is A Fairytale Fantasy In Chanel
Glenn Close's bespoke Erdem look featured an Eau de Nil sequined gown with crystal hand embroidery, a starched cotton collar, and cuffs with a taffeta cape. The pointed collar detail recalls Lagerfeld's signature uniform, while the silhouette feels like an ode to the voluminous glamour he loved.
Naomi Campbell was one of many guests who looked to Lagerfeld's archive, and she opted for a spring/summer 2010 Chanel couture gown for the evening. The molten pink fabric was draped over a sequin bodice for a look fit for a mythical deity.
Bad Bunny's custom Jacquemus look featured a 26-foot taffeta boa train of embroidered camellias. The best detail, though, was one that couldn't be immediately seen: The inside of his jacket contained a custom-printed picture of Casa Malaparte, a famous Italian modernist villa photographed by Karl Lagerfeld in 1997. Lagerfeld loved photography and published a book about modern Italian architecture, and Bad Bunny's look was the only one of the night that paid homage to these interests.
Related article: Met Gala 2023: Bad Bunny Looks So Suave In Head-To-Toe Jacquemus
Michaela Coel was one of this year's co-hosts and one of the first to arrive on the red carpet—setting the bar incredibly high. Lagerfeld referenced surrealism at times in his work, most often in his designs from the 1980s, and Coel's stunning Schiaparelli gown encapsulates a whole surrealist galaxy of over 130,000 crystals.
When it comes to the Met Gala, celebrities are often more concerned with sticking to the theme than exercising their personal style. Letitia Wright, though, managed to wear a perfectly on-theme Prada suit—clearly inspired by Lagerfeld's own—while still looking like herself.
The more literal interpretations of Karl Lagerfeld's aesthetic skewed a bit costumey, but Jessica Chastain found a way to make it feel organic, emulating his hair, sunglasses, and sassy demeanor with Gucci glamour. Her black strapless gown was accessorized with black tulle gloves and diamond Gucci High Jewelry necklace and rings.
Jenna Ortega has a penchant for goth-inspired fashion, and her Thom Browne look was entirely in line with what we've started to expect from her on the red carpet. The waist-cinching corset, the cascading ruffled skirt and the platform oxfords are exactly what Wednesday Addams would wear if she were invited to a Chanel show.
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This article originally appeared on Harper's BAZAAR US.