Every May, Vogue organizes the Met Gala–one of the most exclusive parties full of the best and worst fashion. Each year a different theme is chosen, with this year’s being “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty.” The celebrities that are invited rarely follow the chosen theme. Luckily this year, some of them were completely on point, and those who weren’t still ate it up (for the most part).
Doja Cat
Doja Cat showed up on point this year in a diamond dress that had a hood with cat ears. Now one may ask how this was on theme, but Lagerfeld’s cat, Choupette, was an iconic part of his life. She even had a prosthetic nose added to make her look more like a cat, and the dress itself was also very eye-catching with its long shimmering train and low back.
Pedro Pascal
In recent years, Pascal has become one of everyone’s favorite actors. Recently, Pascal showed up to the Mandalorian Premiere in an iconic granny sweater, but instead of showing off more knits at the Met Gala, he chose to showcase his legs. Pedro Pascal showed up in a red trench coat and shirt with black shorts, socks and shoes. While his outfit could have been acceptable with long pants, the shorts made the whole fit look trashy.
Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish pulled off a full black lace dress along with gothic makeup. This look stood out from the rest because no one else attending the Met Gala had attempted anything close to a dark eerie fit, aside from Gigi Hadid’s black lace dress. Although the correlation to Lagerfeld is unclear, Eilish looked stunning.
Pete Davidson
Every year the one person most individuals do not have high expectations for is the infamous Pete Davidson. Usually, his date is the show stopper, but this year he went solo. While Davidson really stood out, we’re not sure it was for the best. He wore a bucket hat, sunglasses, a colorful shirt, black trousers, gloves, a long coat and a necklace, which almost all clashed. Since he was dressed in all Fendi, where Lagerfeld spent 54 years as a creative director, the outfit did fit the theme, but it still was an odd choice for the Met Gala.
Lil Nas X
Speaking of interesting choices, Lil Nas X took the cat on this one. He also went with the cat theme, but a little more fantastical. Covered head to toe in diamonds, no one could miss him. Most of the diamonds appeared to be on his skin, as he is only wearing undergarments and boots and the shape of the diamonds on his face, along with his long nails, gave the appearance of a cat. It truly was a sight to see.
Conan Gray
Another celebrity who was very on theme was Conan Gray. Gray showed up in an incredible pearl-studded ensemble with a high collar that closely resembled Lagerfeld’s. Not only did he bring a level of elegance to the Gala which many guests miss, he also chose to take the theme into account.
Emma Chamberlain
Emma Chamberlain’s outfit seemed to be inspired by Jackie Kennedy. The baby blue cropped blazer and skirt with a matching headband brought a sense of modern fashion to the former first lady’s iconic Chanel outfit. Chamberlain’s choice definitely stood out against all the other celebs who decided to just pull something from Lagerfeild’s past designs.
Florence Pugh
The part of Pugh’s ensemble that stood out the most wasn’t her outfit, but her hair. For a long time Pugh has had shoulder length blonde hair, but when she arrived on the carpet, it was all shaved off. This decision caused quite a stir between her fans, but by pairing her new do with an elegant headpiece, the shaved head ended up elevating her whole look.
Rami Malek
The Met Gala is supposed to be a night dedicated to fashion and high glamor, but sometimes the celebrities who are invited seem to just not care. Rami Malek showed up in simple black slacks and a white sweater vest. Not only was this barely in line with the theme, it didn’t seem like he tried to dress up for the event. For a gala that is supposed to benefit the fashion wing at a world class museum, one would think the guests would try a little harder than this.
Jared Leto
Jared Leto was yet another celebrity who chose to dress up as Lagerfeild’s cat Choupette. However, instead of making a cat-inspired fit like Doja or Lil Nas X, he wore a full on cat suit. The costume came with a detachable head that he posed with, which was very reminiscent of his 2019 look.
Overall the Met Gala definitely had some shocking, show stopping, eye-catching outfits. Most of the time though, the theme was disregarded, and celebrities just wore whatever they were put into. In the future, we hope to see guests who take the theme into account, as well as a theme that honors fashion and not a controversial designer.
Doja Cat’s outfit was creative directed by Brett Alan Nelson for the 2023 Met Gala.
Pedro Pascal wore a Valentino suit for the 2023 Met Gala.
Billie Eilish wore a Simone Rocha gown at the 2023 Met Gala.
Pete Davidson wore a Fendi men’s ensemble at the 2023 Met Gala.
Lil Nas X and Pat McGrath worked together to create this fantastical ensemble for the 2023 Met Gala.
Conan Gray wore a custom made Balmain look at the 2023 Met Gala.
Emma Chamberlain wore a matching set from Miu Miu on the 2023 Met Gala red carpet.
Florence Pugh wore a dress by Valentino designer Pier Paolo Piccioli at the 2023 Met Gala.
Rami Malek wore a black and white ensemble from Prada at the 2023 Met Gala.
Jared Lato’s cat suit became a very large project that was managed by Joshua Balster for the 2023 Met Gala.
Contact Hailey Paddock and Adeline Gruen at [email protected]
