Met Gala 2023: Choupette Cosplay, Karl Lagerfeld Copycats and a Few Surprises
By Ashley Wong May 2, 2023 12:08 pm ET The first Monday in May has come and gone, leaving a trail of archival Chanel and homages to a fashion-famous cat. This year’s Met Gala was held in honor of the late designer Karl Lagerfeld, one of the most recognizable figures in fashion. For the annual museum fundraiser, stars turned out in outfits meant to honor his storied career at luxury houses including Chloé, Fendi and Chanel, as well as his personal style. There were surprises, too, including pregnancy announcements and at least one uninvited guest. Here, see how attendees paid tribute to Mr. Lagerfeld—and his beloved Choupette—on the red carpet, plus other moments you may have miss
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The first Monday in May has come and gone, leaving a trail of archival Chanel and homages to a fashion-famous cat.
This year’s Met Gala was held in honor of the late designer Karl Lagerfeld, one of the most recognizable figures in fashion. For the annual museum fundraiser, stars turned out in outfits meant to honor his storied career at luxury houses including Chloé, Fendi and Chanel, as well as his personal style. There were surprises, too, including pregnancy announcements and at least one uninvited guest.
Here, see how attendees paid tribute to Mr. Lagerfeld—and his beloved Choupette—on the red carpet, plus other moments you may have missed.
Purrfect cat cosplay
Leading up to Monday night, a question loomed: Would Choupette, Mr. Lagerfeld’s beloved 11-year-old Birman cat, be padding down the red carpet?
Though his feline companion—lavished with maids and multicourse meals in crystal bowls—didn’t make an appearance, her spirit was present on the Met steps. The rapper Doja Cat arrived in an Oscar de la Renta hooded gown topped with cat ears and a full face of feline prosthetics. Her commitment to the bit continued inside the event, where she gave an interview with Emma Chamberlain entirely in meows.
Actor Jared Leto donned a massive Choupette costume, and Lil Nas X went the glam route with silver body paint, head-to-toe crystals and pearls, long gem-studded cat claws and a Dior thong. He too opted to speak in meows.
Some tributes were more understated, such as Chloe Fineman’s Choupette-shaped pink bedazzled purse from Judith Leiber and Janelle Monáe’s white cat plushie purse from Thom Browne.
Karl cosplay, too
Several paid tribute to the iconic designer with style impersonations. “Everything Everywhere All at Once” actor Ke Huy Quan transformed himself into Mr. Lagerfeld with a Dior look full of classic references to the designer’s signature style, such as fingerless leather gloves, heavy diamonds and chains, dark sunglasses and a sharp pinstripe suit.
Jessica Chastain, Teyana Taylor and Cara Delevingne also brought their own spin to the Lagerfeld look. Ms. Taylor donned a Thom Browne tweed set with cutouts and dark sunglasses, while Ms. Chastain chose an icy-blonde wig—slightly warmer than Mr. Lagerfeld’s light shade—and a black Gucci gown.
Jeremy Pope shows off his extra-long cape that featured Karl Lagerfeld’s face.
Photo: WWD via Getty Images
Ms. Delevingne, who was close to the late designer and debuted a gender-neutral clothing collection called “Cara Loves Karl” last fall, sported a short gray hairdo, a capelike white shirt, leather leg warmers and fingerless leather gloves. Actor Jeremy Pope unfurled a fuzzy Balmain train more than 30 feet long emblazoned with Mr. Lagerfeld’s face.
Designs from the Lagerfeld vault
Stars also dipped into Mr. Lagerfeld’s substantial archive for their looks. Gisele Bündchen wore a white beaded gown with an enormous feathered cape from Chanel’s spring/summer 2007 collection.
Nicole Kidman wore the gown from her famous 2004 Chanel No. 5 advertisement, in which the actress runs from paparazzi through Times Square followed by a dramatic train of pink feathers.
Margot Robbie also wore a remake of one of Mr. Lagerfeld’s designs—a black Chanel gown with a transparent bodice featuring gold-chain boning, worn by Cindy Crawford in 1993.
Baby bumps revealed
The carpet also became a launchpad for personal announcements: Serena Williams and Karlie Kloss, both pregnant for a second time, unveiled their baby bumps publicly. Ms. Williams, alongside her husband Alexis Ohanian, arrived in Gucci pearls and tulle, while Ms. Kloss stepped out in a long black Loewe gown and more stacks of pearls.
One of the evening’s most high-profile guests was its most lowbrow: A cockroach scuttled onto the carpet toward the end of the night. The six-legged star was met with raucous cheers, applause and its own paparazzi moment—before sadly being squished about 40 minutes later. Quite the way to go!
Rihanna’s red-carpet closer
No Met Gala is complete without RiRi. The singer and businesswoman, who skipped last year’s event, teased her look the day before on Instagram with pictures of a fuzzy Chanel minidress and Chanel logo-shaped glasses, sending her fans into a frenzy.
But the singer, known for her fashionably late entrances, was the last person to arrive that evening. With her second baby bump on display and partner ASAP Rocky in tow, Rihanna chose a billowing white silk Valentino gown and a cape covered in 3-D white camellias—a Chanel signature.
Rihanna’s arrival served as a finale for the annual fashion event.
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Write to Ashley Wong at [email protected]
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