The moment has finally come. The most thrilling night in fashion - the Met Gala 2023 - is happening as we speak. This year's theme pays tribute to Karl Lagerfeld - the man who, according to Andrew Bolton, curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 'created the identity of the fashion designer impresario' - while the exhibition will be called Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty. It opens to the public this Friday, 5 May, and will trace the late designer's 'stylistic vocabulary as it was expressed in 'through lines' - aesthetic and conceptual themes that appear time and again - in his fashions from the 1950s to his final collection in 2019'.
Tonight's red carpet wasn't red at all but cream with curvaceous lines of red and blue (rather like the choice of 'champagne' at this year's Oscars). For fans of vintage, there were plenty of head-turning moments. Case in point? Co-chair Dua Lipa wearing archive Chanel - a corseted tweed gown from a '90s couture collection that was originally modelled by Claudia Schiffer - and a gigantic, never-before-seen diamond pendant from Tiffany & Co. Naomi Campbell followed suit, wearing a silver leaf and draped satin dress from Chanel SS10 Couture. Swoon. Nicole Kidman, meanwhile, made fans do a double take with her frosty pink frou-frou gown that she first wore in the iconic advert for Chanel No5.
Elsewhere, on the step-and-repeat, there were nods to corsages as well as Choupette, Karl Lagerfeld's famous feline friend, who cropped up in the form of crystal-embellished minaudières (Chloe Fineman) and a purrfect gown involving a set of cat ears (Doja Cat). Keep scrolling to see all the best looks from the Met Gala 2023.
SEE: All Of The Best Celebrity Looks At The Met Gala 2023
1 of 80Rihanna, wearing Valentino, and A$AP Rocky, wearing custom Gucci
2 of 80Pedro Pascal wearing Valentino
3 of 80Lily James wearing Tamara Ralph
4 of 80Tems wearing Robert Wun
5 of 80Yung Miami wearing Act N°1
6 of 80Olivia Rodrigo wearing Thom Browne
7 of 80Adut Akech wearing Carolina Herrera
8 of 80Florence Pugh wearing Valentino
9 of 80Janelle Monáe wearing Thom Browne
10 of 80Elle Fanning wearing Vivienne Westwood
11 of 80Amber Valletta wearing Karl Lagerfeld Couture
12 of 80Ashley Park wearing Michael Kors
13 of 80Vanessa Hudgens
14 of 80Camila Morrone
15 of 80Alton Mason wearing Karl Lagerfeld Couture
16 of 80Mary J. Blige wearing Burberry
17 of 80Viola Davis wearing Valentino
18 of 80Priyanka Chopra Jonas wearing Valentino
19 of 80Rachel Brosnahan wearing Sergio Hudson
20 of 80Paris Hilton wearing Marc Jacobs
21 of 80Aubrey Plaza wearing Stella McCartney
22 of 80Daisy Edgar-Jones wearing Gucci
23 of 80Teyana Taylor wearing Thom Browne
24 of 80Yara Shahidi wearing Jean Paul Gaultier
25 of 80Jennifer Lopez wearing Ralph Lauren
26 of 80Cardi B wearing Chenpeng Studio
27 of 80Lil Nas X
28 of 80Lizzo wearing Chanel
29 of 80Kylie Jenner wearing Jean Paul Gaultier
30 of 80Gigi Hadid wearing Givenchy
31 of 80Michelle Yeoh wearing Karl Lagerfeld Couture
32 of 80Jenna Ortega
33 of 80Kendall Jenner wearing Marc Jacobs
34 of 80Kim Kardashian wearing Schiaparelli Haute Couture
35 of 80Anne Hathaway wearing Atelier Versace
36 of 80Serena Williams
37 of 80Salma Hayek wearing Gucci
38 of 80Kristen Stewart
39 of 80Suki Waterhouse wearing vintage Fendi
Suki's dress was designed by the late designer for SS19.
40 of 80Jessica Chastain wearing Gucci
41 of 80FKA Twigs wearing Maison Margiela
42 of 80Marion Cotillard wearing archive Chanel
Marion wore a dress from Chanel AW07 Couture.
43 of 80Doja Cat wearing Oscar de la Renta
44 of 80Halle Bailey
45 of 80Sydney Sweeney wearing Miu Miu
46 of 80Margot Robbie wearing Chanel
47 of 80Ashley Graham wearing custom Harris Reed
48 of 80Precious Lee wearing Fendi
49 of 80Amanda Seyfried
50 of 80Karlie Kloss wearing Loewe
51 of 80Lila Moss wearing vintage Fendi Couture
52 of 80Imaan Hammam
53 of 80Gisele Bündchen wearing vintage Chanel
Gisele also dug into the archives to retrieve this bridal look from Chanel SS07 Couture.
54 of 80Eva Chen wearing Fendi Couture
55 of 80Kate Moss wearing Fendi Couture
56 of 80Maya Hawke
57 of 80Ice Spice wearing Balmain
58 of 80Irina Shayk wearing archive Yohji Yamamoto
59 of 80Naomi Campbell wearing vintage Chanel
Naomi Campbell stole the red carpet with this silver leaf and draped satin gown from Chanel SS10 Couture.
60 of 80Karen Elson
61 of 80Michaela Coel wearing Schiaparelli Haute Couture
Michaela wore custom-made jewellery by Emefa Cole, who only had one month to complete the pieces before the Met Gala. Michaela's brief? She wanted to be 'dripped in gold'. The SMO Gold (Single Mine Origin Responsibly Sourced Gold) in question came from West Africa - specifically the Ity Mine, Côte d'Ivoire - which was important to them both. 'This subject is very important to us both firstly because of our shared West African heritage,' Cole told Grazia. 'Anyone of West African heritage has an intrinsic link to gold, it is a huge part of community and culture, and so it was incredibly important to ensure the gold used in this collection left a positive legacy for both the environment and the community that would last well after the moment of the Met Gala.'
62 of 80Gabrielle Union wearing Prada
63 of 80Vanessa Kirby wearing vintage Chloé
64 of 80Maude Apatow wearing Chloé
65 of 80Olivia Wilde wearing Chloé
Olivia's custom-made gown was inspired by a dress from the archives.
66 of 80Ariana DeBose wearing Altuzarra
67 of 80Quinta Brunson wearing Prabal Gurung
68 of 80Anok Yai wearing Prabal Gurung
69 of 80Quannah Chasinghorse
70 of 80Phoebe Bridgers wearing Tory Burch
71 of 80Nicole Kidman wearing vintage Chanel
Nicole brought out an oldie but a goodie for this year's Met Gala, recycling the same dress she wore to star in the original advert for Chanel No5. Like the perfume, it's an absolute classic.
72 of 80Liu Wen wearing Tory Burch
73 of 80Emily Ratajkowski wearing Tory Burch
74 of 80Taika Waititi and Rita Ora, wearing Prabal Gurung
75 of 80Emma Chamberlain wearing Miu Miu
76 of 80Dua Lipa wearing archive Chanel
Dua's corseted tweed gown was first modelled by Claudia Schiffer, one of the original supermodels, at the brand's couture show in 1992.
77 of 80Penélope Cruz wearing Chanel
78 of 80Nichapat Suphap wearing Louis Vuitton
79 of 80Anna Wintour, wearing Chanel, and Bill Nighy
80 of 80