Les Deux Tigres

The MET Gala traditionally takes place on the first Monday of May, and this year was no different. On May 1^st the Costume Institute hosted the party to celebrate the launch of their new exhibit Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty. 

The dress code was very broad, the guests should preferably wear outfits inspired by Karl Lagerfeld. Some dressed like the late designer or as his cat (hi Doja Cat and Jared Leto), but most of the attendees ended up wearing black and white, or Chanel garments. There were also some (mainly fashion figures) that wore vintage or past runway pieces Lagerfeld designed during his tenure at the houses of Chanel, Fendi and Chloé or his own eponymous label. 

The MET Gala is usually where the Hollywood stars show their fashion prowess and take their biggest style risks. So considering that… This year was a bit lackluster. There were a lot of great outfits, but also, there is this lingering feeling that we could have more. That being said, let’s discuss the best outfits of the night, from the furry, to the kind of on theme and the incredible ones.

Anitta in Marc Jacobs

Anitta wore a black Marc Jacobs dress, white gloves, and the brand’s iconic platforms (sparkly version). While the dress shape is simple, the added camelia at the waist, the one jutting shoulder and the train add an interesting touch that homages Karl’s legacy without being overwhelming or boring.

Anne Hathaway in Atelier Versace

Anne Hathaway wore a white tweed strapless dress and jacket by Atelier Versace. This is one of my favorite outfits of the night for so many reasons, and one of them is how they incorporated both Karl and Versace’s motifs. The dress features three big classic Chanel tropes: tweed, pearls and camelias. At the same time it hugs the figures beautifully, it is sexy, and it features safety pins (with pearls!) along all the cutouts. The hair adds a volume the garments lack and an extra layer of drama, and the jacket adds a posing device while keeping Anne warm later in the evening.

Ava Max in Christian Siriano

Ava Max wore a white Christian Siriano gown that featured a pearl embroidered top and bonnet.  It looks like a wedding gown, which is a dress that appears at the end of every couture collection.

Bad Bunny in Jacquemus

Bad Bunny wore a Jacquemus white suit and long shawl with embroidered flowers. One thing that could make this outfit better was if the flowers were camelias.

Camila Morrone in Rodarte

Camila Morrone wore a white lace and black velvet Rodarte dress. It’s simple, it’s elegant, and it’s beautiful. Love how the lace looks almost like a bib.

Cara Delevingne in Karl Lagerfeld

Cara Delevingne wore a white shirt dress, black leather fingerless gloves and leg warmers by Karl Lagerfeld (the eponymous brand). Basically, she dressed as a more feminine version of Karl. And it worked, I really liked this outfit.

Cardi B in Chen Peng Studio

Cardi B wore a black velvet Chen Peng dress with a faux shirt, and matching gloves and headband. This is another one of my favorite outfits of the night. I love the design and execution. It mixtures motifs from Karl’s work and his personal style. The grey wig was the cherry on top. I absolutely love this look.

Carla Bruni in vintage Karl Lagerfeld

Carla Bruni wore a black and white vintage Karl Lagerfeld dress.

Devon Aoki in Jeremy Scott 

Devon Aoki wore a black and white Jeremy Scott dress. The draping in the white bodice gives a beautiful shape and movement in the dress, while the wings and black sequin skirt keeps it the right amount of fun for a Jeremy Scott design.

Doja Cat in Oscar de la Renta

Doja Cat was one of (and arguably the best) celeb cosplaying as Karl’s beloved cat Choupette. The singer wore a white Oscar de la Renta gown that featured a cat eared hood and started in a grey bejeweled bodice and descended into a white bejeweled skirt and fur train. Loved the dress and the makeup. Meow!

Dua Lipa in vintage Chanel

One of the hosts of the night, Dua Lipa wore a vintage Chanel gown from the Fall 1992 Couture collection. And this is really beautiful, easily my favorite outfit from the gala. Besides being a gorgeous design from one of the most iconic eras of Lagerfeld at Chanel, the dress fits her really well. Also, the styling with the loose curls and the necklace… chef’s kiss.

Florence Pugh in Valentino 

Florence Pugh wore a white strapless Valentino gown with a black feather headpiece. While this is not my favorite look by neither Florence nor Valentino, I still enjoyed. The dress was beautiful but a little bare and crinkly, but the headpiece is what makes this outfit.

Gisele Bundchen in Chanel

Gisele Bundchen wore a Chanel gown from the Spring 2007 Couture collection. The white stripes over the sheer panel is beautiful, but what makes this outfit is the long feathered cape. Buuut… if she wore the hood as it was showcased on the runway, it could have been better.

He Cong in Sacai

He Cong wore a black and white pleated outfit by Sacai. With the collared top, black tie and fingerless leather glove, the inspiration couldn’t be clearer: Karl’s iconic look.

Jared Leto in Karl Lagerfeld

Okay, this is not my favorite outfit of the night. But I did like to see someone cosplaying as Choupette in a full costume.

Jenna Ortega in Thom Browne

Jenna Ortega wore a Thom Browne outfit that looks like Thom Browne meets Chanel meets Wednesday. And I love it. The black tweed, the chains, the ruffles, the socks, the fingerless gloves. The only thing that could make it better would be if the lining on the train was also black.

Jennifer Lopez in Ralph Lauren

Jennifer Lopez wore a black velvet and blush pink silk dress by Ralph Lauren. I’m not 100% sure how this fits the theme, besides the flower on the neck, but I do like this take on a J-Lo naked dress.

Kendall Jenner in Marc Jacobs

Kendall Jenner wore a black and silver sequined bodysuit by Marc Jacobs. This outfits left me a bit conflicted. At the same time I think it is a clever take on the theme, the more I look at it, the more I see a playboy bunny.

Kim Kardashian in Schiaparelli

Kim Kardashian wore a pearl and silk Schiaparelli dress with a white cape. The dress is beautiful, the cape is also cool, and this hairstyle was the right choice. Buuut… I can’t help to see it as the lovechild of last year’s Marilyn dress and Lupita Nyong’o’s 2015 Oscars pearl dress.

Lila Moss in Fendi

Lila Moss wore a blush fur Fendi dress from the Fall 2018 Couture collection. While the garment is stunning, it could have looked even better with different poses and face expressions.

Lily Collins in Vera Wang

Lily Collins wore a black and white Vera Wang gown with Karl written in silver on the train. This dress is stunning, especially the quilted bodice.

Lily James in Tamara Ralph

Lily James wore a black leather Tamara Ralph dress. It’s beautiful, it’s on theme, I like the camelia.

Margaret Zhang in vintage Chloé

Margaret Zhang wore a black violin dress from Chloé’s Spring Summer 1983 collection. Olivia Wilde actually wore the same dress but in white, but I think Margaret made it work better. The black looks more sober, and her only accessories were a thin bracelet and sleek blue hair. I believe the minimal styling is great because it showcases the design and savoir-fare on the gown.

Maya Hawke in Prada

Maya Hawke wore a white mini dress and long coat embroidered with mini flowers (?) by Prada with matching pumps and tights. I just love the whole outfit specially with the “messy” hair. It gives a modern take to the late eighties / early nighties vibe.

Michaela Coel in Schiaparelli

Michaela Coel wore a bronze embroidered Schiaparelli gown. I’m not sure how this dress fits the theme, but I like it.

Miranda Kerr in Dior

Miranda Kerr wore a white embroidered Dior gown. It’s simple, it’s cute, and I like it.

Naomi Campbell in Chanel

Naomi Campbell wore a silver and pink silk dress from the Chanel Spring 2010 Couture collection. It’s simple, it’s classic, it’s elegant, the perfect outfit for one of the greatest supermodels of all time to wear for a gala in homage to one of the greatest fashion designers of all time.

Nicole Kidman in Chanel

Nicole Kidman wore a light pink vintage Chanel dress that featured a feathered train. This was actually the dress she wore for an ad campaign for the brand in 2004.

Olivia Rodrigo in Thom Browne

Olivia Rodrigo wore a strapless black and white Thom Browne dress. This is a different style of what she usually wears, and something she actually should wear more. The fringes and the flowers make this garment look like a beautiful abstract painting.

Paris Hilton in Marc Jacobs

Paris Hilton wore a black Marc Jacobs gown with a camelia choker. This is a great way to debut on the MET Gala.

Pedro Pascal in Valentino

Pedro Pascal wore a red coat and shirt and black shorts and tie by Valentino. So, daddy’s outfit doesn’t fit the theme, and it’s unclear for which season they were dressing for. But overall, this is a fun outfit.

Phoebe Bridgers in Tory Burch

Phoebe Bridgers wore a black strappy Tory Burch gown with pearls in the piping. It’s simple on its lines, but elegant and interesting.

Rihanna in Valentino

Rihanna wore a white Valentino gown with a separate hood embroidered with giant flowers. As always, her outfit was iconic, even if not my favorite (can anything top her yellow Guo Pei?).