The theme of this year's Met Gala was "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty." It was one of the more well-represented themes of the recent past; there were very few celebrities on the red carpet whose outfits did not pay tribute to either Lagerfeld's designs or to the man himself. As such, I've categorized the looks according to what they represented relative to the theme. Please note that there were simply too many looks to include them all, so these are highlights of either what especially caught my eye or what best expressed the theme of the night. My apologies if I omitted any of your favorites!
A number of attendees paid direct tribute to Karl Lagerfeld himself by dressing in his signature style: black suit, oversized white collar, dark sunglasses, and fingerless gloves. A few also paid tribute in other obvious ways.
Simu Liu wore an impeccably tailored black suit with crushed satin detailing, pair with a white shirt with large collar, black gloves, and a large brooch (an accessory also favored by Lagerfeld).
Ke Huy Kwan wore a pinstriped black suit, crisp white shirt, black tie with a diamond pin, dark glasses, and fingerless gloves, perhaps the most spot-on Lagerfeld of the evening - all he was missing was the white ponytail.
A different type of tribute, Lily Collins (whose alabaster skin and jet-black hair is in itself evocative of Lagerfeld designs) wore a strapless black-and-white gown with a bodice with stylized front "tails," puffy floating sleeves, a full open-fronted skirt, and a long train emblazoned with the name "KARL" in silver.
Stephanie Hsu's long-sleeved black sequined and beaded column was also a nod to Lagerfeld's own classic black suit, with the top including a white collar, short black tie and silver yoke. But the best features? It has pockets!!
I couldn't really see what Jeremy Pope was wearing, because he was completely overshadowed by his gigantic - and fabulous - feathered cape depicting Lagerfeld himself. A perfect tribute to the designer.
As the longtime creative director of both Chanel and Fendi, as well as his own self-titled line, Lagerfeld was responsible for many of the designs seen on the red carpet last night, whether a more recent design or some vintage looks (or copies of vintage styles).
Huma Abedin's Fendi gown featured a sheer yoke and sleeves over a feathery flared sheath that faded from black to blue to white.
Cara Delevingne's nearly all-white Karl Lagerfeld ensemble included an open-fronted, bloused batwing top with bandeau micro miniskirt and long full cape, relieved only by thigh-high black gaiters and strapped black stiletto sandals. Much like Giselle Bundchen, it was a very good look made great by a fabulous cape.
Believe it or not, Alton Mason's white lace getup is from the Karl Lagerfeld collection. Large shoulder pads connected to a neckband end in lace gauntlets, with a chest-high bodysuit and semi-sheer lace leggings ending in slouchy lace boots, topped with an elbow-length blusher veil and accessorized with a small white bouquet. It's a little odd, but I don't hate it. I hate the looseness at the top of the boots, but other than that, I'm surprised at how much I like it.
Kate Moss was one of the few on the red carpet sporting a Fendi design rather than Chanel or Karl Lagerfeld, in a lovely ivory slip dress with lace trim, topped with a sheer, blush pink chiffon cape. Simple, but effective, and very appropriate for one of Lagerfeld's long-time muses.
, and he designed many similar formal looks in the following years, including Margot Robbie's black Chanel gown with simple shoulder drape.
Olivia Wilde and Margaret Zhang wore white and black, respectively, versions of Lagerfeld's "Violin Dress," designed for Chloe in 1983 and re-released in limited quantities in 2013. The dress features a cropped cape-like top with high neck and a slim skirt, connected with a stylized gold violin. Zhang's dress also included a gold-trimmed short train and trailing cape.
Michelle Yeoh wore a Karl Lagerfeld design with a distinct Asian influence in the high-waisted skirt with angled front opening and full draped sleeves, as well as a menswear look in the button front and almost Peter Pan-style collar. A beautiful look.
Feathers
Lagerfeld loved trimming garments with delicate, eyelash-style feathers, especially along the hems of floor-length skirts and at the end of long trains.
Doja Cat wore a form-fitting white and silver gown that ended in a long, full train trimmed with plenty of fluffy white feathers to add graceful lines and visual interest to what might otherwise have been an overly simple and forgettable look. Naturally she also personalized her look with a hood that included cat ears.
Viola Davis brought some color in her signature bubblegum pink, a 1960s-inspired column with a short train and a large tuft of feathers at the front of the bodice. Just a few hints of Lagerfeld, but fun nonetheless. I also loved the '60s afro hairstyle.
Maya Hawke's dress and coordinating long jacket were encrusted with tiny flowers which looked similar to eyelash feathers. The long feathery cape over a shorter dress was a common motif in Lagerfeld's bridal designs.
Sienna Miller combined the style of Chanel
and Fendi in this black feathery skirt and matching top resembling a fur stole.
Pearls, Chains, and Beads
As early as the 1990s, Lagerfeld accented his designs with long ropes of pearls, gold chains, and various styles of beading.
Phoebe Bridgers wore a black gown with patterns in pearls across the bodice and down the front of the gown. The double strands of beads at the shoulders was a classic Lagerfeld detail.
Karlie Kloss framed her baby bump between printed gold and actual pearl necklaces and printed gold and actual pearl belt drapes, the only adornments on her simple round-necked, long-sleeved column.
Jenn Ortega's minidress featured a menswear-style collar with a narrow black bow, white fingerless gloves, a jacket with a full peplum, and a long, flared train, trimmed all over with gold chains and pearls, and accessorized with a fabulous pair of platform spectator shoes.
Kim Kardashian's dress was essentially a girdle accessorized with dozens of ropes of pearls forming a bib-style bodice and a draped skirt, with a long ivory satin cape falling from her elbows to form a train. I actually really loved this look, especially with the additional of a silver collar necklace which emphasized the fact that the pearls were the dress.
Yung Miami's look was somewhat similar to Kardashian's, although in black, and with a scalloped fur "ring" covering the bodice instead of pearls. Instead of a cape, Miami's look included a sheer skirt with vertical black stripes that ended in a full train with a heavy tulle ruffle at the hem. I loved this look as well, and I like that it combined Lagerfeld's Chanel influence in the pearls and tulle, but also the Fendi influence in the fur.
Amanda Seyfried's look was also similar to Kardashian's, but with fine gold chains instead of pearls over a nude corseted underlayer (with just a hint of silver boning showing through), and the strands forming the skirt criss-crossed to create graceful diagonal lines. Her hair and makeup were terribly aging, but the rest of her look was perfectly on point.
Taika Waititi wore a floor-length, steel gray satin double-breasted jacket with black lapels and a large black boutonniere, accented with a long double strand of pearls, worn shirtless over impeccable white satin pants. An absolutely spectacular look.
Capes and Drapes
Another hallmark of Lagerfeld's formal looks was a form-fitting silhouette, such as a fitted column or slim cut pants, paired with a long train, cape, or trailing drapes to soften the severity of the narrow garment. He occasionally used these additions to add a pop of pale color to a black-and-white outfit, often blush pink or pale peach.
Bad Bunny brought the cape into the realm of menswear by pairing an all-white tuxedo with a flower-encrusted shoulder wrap that fell to the floor to become a super-long train.
Halle Bailey stunned in a white lace halter dress topped with an elaborately frothy cape.
Quinton Brunson's blush pink halter sheath had a sheer black overlay and a long train that emerged from a double-layered peplum at the back. The look was accented with a large white rosette and sheer black opera gloves.
Emily Blunt wore a dress with a white floral lace menswear-styled shirt with a large black bow and white rosette at the neck, over slim sequined tuxedo pants and matching open-fronted skirt overlay, joined by a wide black cummerbund.
Glenn Close went uncharacteristically glam in a pale gray dress with white Lagerfeld-style collar, multiple necklaces, and a shoulder wrap with a huge, circular, ruffle-edged train.
Julia Garner wore a lovely white bias-cut satin gown with a menswear collar and necktie spread to form the bodice, topped with a sleek black cloak with a short train.
Sean "Diddy" Combs shone in his own design, which included an all-black suit with pearl trim, topped with a heavy, black flowered cape, and accessorized with a wide black leather belt, several silver chains, and of course, dark glasses. It was a cross between Henry VIII and Darth Vader, and I thought it was simply magnificent.
Florence Pugh's white satin gown included an open-fronted bodice joined with a cascading black bow and a voluminous train, but it was her amazing sky-high ostrich feather tip crown that stole the show.
Yara Shahidi's deep caramel-colored dress featured a bodice encrusted with pearlescent seashells and angled mother-of-pearl panels, then crushed fabric wrapped at the hips and panels forming the front and back of the skirt, including a short train in the back. It definitely emphasized her curvaceous figure, and was quite a lovely look.
Tems' whimsical ensemble included a white skirt that was essentially a giant men's shirt, complete with pointed collar and shirttail train, with a black bodice topped with black ostrich tips, black elbow-length gauntlets with ostrich tips, and a fantastical headpiece with looped ribbons and more ostrich tips. Delightful!
Tulle and Tiers
Tiers of fabric, long or short and often sheer fabric ending in feathery or floral poufs; ruffles here, there, and everywhere; and layers and layers of tulle were all Lagerfeld standards at various points in time.
Designer Tory Burch wore a black halter gown with rosettes along the neckline and two tiers of sheer fabric hemmed with large ruffles, creating a graceful silhouette.
Quannah Chasinghorse wore a pale pink gown with a bikini-style top (very similar to a
Chanel bikini seen on the runway in 2012) and full tulle skirt with a short upper layer, paired with black leather opera gloves entwined with pink floral details. It was a fun mix of tough and sweet.
An uncharacteristically blond Jessica Chastain wore a strapless black gown made of sheer wrapped organza, with a slim column skirt overlain with two tiers of full sheer fabric ending in thick ruffles, similar to Burch's gown, above.
One of the few NON-black-and-white outfits of the night, Salma Hayek work a strapless red gown with a shiny vinyl fitted bodice with pearl drapes at the shoulder, cascading into row after row of tulle ruffles ending in a short, circular train. The little bow at the waist was a pretty, feminine touch, as was the subtle hint of sparkle in the skirt and train.
Vera Wang created her own gown with a black cropped corset top, voluminous ivory tulle skirt with short black tulle peplum, and elbow-length black gloves. Very mid-80s Madonna, a look which inspired Lagerfeld during that time period.
Ballgowns
Alia Bhatt wore a white, pearl-encrusted ballgown with a silhouette nearly identical to the Lagerfeld original worn by Dua Lippa.
Cardi B's gown included multiple nods to Lagerfeld: a large white men's style collar and yoke with a black necktie, large rosettes all over the skirt, opera gloves, and a nipped-in waist with an oversized bell-shaped skirt. The little black headband with her silver hair was a nice touch, too.
Penelope Cruz wore a white ballgown with silver belt and detailing and a sheer hood that she said was inspired by a piece from the Chanel spring/summer 1988 haute couture collection (perhaps
this one?).
Grace Elizabeth wore a multi-hued vivid pink halter ballgown with horizontal and diagonal panels.
Not many people can pull of a black leather ballgown, but Lily James did it. The strapless bodice was accented with leather flowers, smocked to fit snugly to mid-hip, then flared into a full skirt with a train. The fingerless leather gloves were an obvious - and appropriate - choice; the Audrey Hepburn baby bangs perhaps a little less so, but still a good look.
Feminine and Floral
Frequent Chanel runway model and Lagerfeld muse Devon Aoki wore a striking gown with a black sequin skirt that flared from the knee and a white bodice with dropped shoulder drapes, black-outlined angel wing lapels, and wrapped detailing at the hip that fell to the floor in two narrow bands. Designer Jeremy Scott joined her on the red carpet in a coordinating tuxedo.
Lagerfeld's bridal couture is legendary (Keira Knightley loved her wedding dress so much that she wore it on the red carpet several times after her wedding), so Ella Fanning opted to dress as a Lagerfeld bride in an A-line lace gown, complete with cascading white bouquet and floral circlet accented with black ribbons to match her long-sleeved black shrug.
Anne Hathaway's long strapless column with floating sleeves and coordinating jacket was a fun nod to Lagerfeld's crisp boucle suits of the 1980s (
revamped in the mid-2010s), along with pearl and gold embellishments and floral rosettes at the bust. The long slit closed with multiple stylized safety pins was reminiscent of a
Versace design worn by Elizabeth Hurley in 1994.
Olivia Rodrigo's charming if slightly dizzying gown consisted of a bodice encrusted with black and white flowers, and a black-and-white fringed skirt with train. Although the strands of the skirt tended to get a bit tangled, I liked the way they were slightly pulled-back at the waist to form diagonal lines instead of all vertical. It incorporated some of Lagerfeld's hallmarks without looking like a Lagerfeld design.
Liu Wen wore a simple off-the-shoulder black gown that opened on an underlayer of black tulle festooned with dozens of white rosettes.
Fashion icon and Met Gala co-chair Anna Wintour joined the floral fervor in a two-piece Chanel ensemble with a white satin column skirt overlaid with a flared yellow-and-black floral print coatdress over a matching blouse. If you look closely, you'll see that the print includes a subtle cat design, a tribute to Lagerfeld and his feline companion, Choupette.
Angles and Triangles
Many of Lagerfeld's designs featured triangular panels, sometimes leaving cutouts where they joined with horizontal pieces, and he often incorporated angles and criss-cross details.
Gigi Hadid's all-black corset top with sheer full skirt and shoulder drape, and long narrow train hearkened back to various Lagerfeld styles, especially the way the high-cut legs of the bodysuit-style corset connects to the curved waistband of the skirt. The pearl jewelry and sheer gloves are also very Lagerfeldian.
Vanessa Hudgens wore a dress with a black criss-cross bandeau-style halter bodice that trailed into a long chiffon train, with a full but straight white skirt with thigh-high slit.
Jennifer Lopez wore a dramatic gown with a black body-baring criss-cross halter bodice paired with a bias-cut flared satin skirt with short train in the palest of peach with a black upper section and two long trailing panels. She accessorized with black opera gloves, a pale peach satin clutch, and a fabulous cocktail hat with birdcage veil and a delightfully structured swirl of netting at the top, similar to
a hat worn by Naomi Campbell during a 1996 Chanel fashion show. Lagerfeld would definitely approve.
Emily Ratajkowski's nude chiffon dress was fitted to the waist, with silver diagonal lines and seaming, then the full chiffon-and-tulle skirt fell to a long, full train at the back. Although not shown in this photo, she also carried a matching evening bag topped with a very Lagerfeldian tuft of feathers.
Teyana Taylor's tweed column combined the fabric and silhouette of the classic Chanel suit, including the double-breasted front and white shirt collar with short black tie, with the angular hip-revealing cutouts and narrow rectangular train of Lagerfeld's later designs. It was somehow both severe and feminine, and the dark glasses and floating birdcage veil were the perfect finishing touches.
Weird and Wild
Erykah Badu hid her face under a nearly chin-length white wig/fringed headpiece that coordinated with her shapeless feathery fringed dress with short train, which was accessorized with some oversized pendant necklaces, handfuls of rings, and clunky platform boots. I did see a few nods to Lagerfeld, but I found this look ugly and uninteresting.
Mary J. Blige wore a funky Burberry ensemble in blue and black (as were all the Burberry looks I saw), consisting of a plunging-fronted jacket that ended in boy-cut shorts on one side and a skirt with a small train on the other, paired with matching thigh-high boots and fingerless gloves. I would have preferred a little less plunge, but on the whole, not a bad look.
Although not exactly a Lagerfeld design, Rachel Brosnahan's sheer bodice with strategically-placed beaded starbursts is a clear homage to Lagerfelds
micro-mini bikini styles of the mid-1990s.
Ashley Graham wore a fantastically-structured pale pink and black gown with extended shoulder details, puffed hips, and a full black insert at the hem.
Perhaps more of a nod to his own physique and willingness to literally bear it all on the red carpet than a tribute to Lagerfeld, Lil Nas X sported little more than silver body paint, platform boots, skimpy underwear, lots of glued-on pearls, and an admittedly fabulous pearl-encrusted mask.
Baz Luhrman and Catherine Martin outdid themselves, with Luhrman in a white-trimmed tuxedo with super-cropped wide-legged pants and a "misbuttoned" long jacket with white piping, and Martin in a silver-spangled black ensemble with ruffled sleeves and ostrich tip accents.
Janelle Monae knows how to work an outlandish outfit like no-one else, and last night was no exception. Her outfit consisted of a black leotard overlain by a sheer black hoop skirt with rhinestone trim on each hoop, topped with an oversized, misaligned, half black and half white furry jacket, accessorized with a whit purse shaped like (I think) Lagerfeld's cat, Choupette. Oh, and platform spectator shoes. It made me laugh out loud, and I loved it.
Lagerfeld frequently wore (and designed) well-tailored long coats, so Pedro Pascal opted for a vivid wed long coat, paired with a matching red shirt, long black necktie, and...black shorts, kneesocks, and patent leather army boots? I'd have gone with pants, but...okay.
Rihanna appeared (fashionably late, as usual) wearing a voluminous white hooded gown covered with enormous rosettes to the waist, a long train, and fingerless opera gloves. And, of course, dark glasses.
Anok Yai wore a metallic gold dress with deeply notched bodice and Lagerfeld's "lamp shade" silhouette skirt, trailing silver fringe and a sheer black train.
The weirdest look of the night, however, goes to - not surprisingly - Jared Leto, who appeared on the red carpet dressed as Lagerfeld's beloved cat, Choupette.
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