Famously referred to as the ‘Super Bowl of Fashion’ by André Leon Talley, the first Monday in May means everyone is talking about the Met Gala. The red carpet was swapped out for a pale cream with blue and red stripes, and celebrities from all industries put their best dresses on to honour ‘Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty’. As they made their grand entrance, a trend of flowers, tulle, embellishments, bows, monochrome, trains, and cats started to emerge. Here are our picks for the best-dressed:
Lil Nas X
Lil Nas X took inspiration from Doja Cat’s iconic Schiaparelli look, arriving entirely unrecognisable. The nine-hour transformation was done by Pat McGrath, who was also behind Doja Cat’s bedazzled look. With Swarovski crystals and pearls attached over a layer of silver body paint, all he actually wore was an embellished thong, a face mask, and platform boots.
Janelle Monáe
Janelle Monáe’s series of looks began with a dramatic black and white asymmetric overcoat from Thom Browne and a white leather bag shaped like a cat (of course). She then shed her coat to reveal a black mesh naked dress over a sequinned black bikini. The structured hoop dress was lined with rows of diamanté, and her bikini straps were adorned with pearls.
Jenna Ortega
Jenna Ortega was another star dressed by Thom Browne last night, giving a nod to Karl with this collared shirt under her dress. Channelling her onscreen persona Wednesday Addams, her gothic high-low corset dress was made of tweed and featured gold chains of pearls wrapped around the skirt and train.
Doja Cat
Doja cat took her name to the next level, dressing up as Karl Lagerfeld’s cat Choupette and meowing when interviewed by Emma Chamberlain on the red carpet. Her flowing gown, by Oscar De La Renta, featured a feathered train and a sequin hood with cat ears. She accessorised with a metallic headpiece and diamond rings, claw-like nails, and prosthetics— a great effort for her first Met ball.
Cardi B
Keeping it classy, Cardi B went for a shirt and tie under her gigantic black dress from Chenpeng Studio. The dress was covered in Chamelia flowers, representing the house of Chanel and Karl in one look. Not her only look of the evening, Cardi left her hotel in a dramatic pink corset dress with a huge peacock-style back from Miss Sohee, which she changed out of ahead of the red carpet.
Teyana Taylor
Another celebrity dressed in Thom Browne, Teyana Taylor reinvented the tweed suit with this low-rise cutout maxi skirt with stitches up the side and a dramatic train. Her suit jacket included built-in gloves and a classic Karl Lagerfeld shirt and tie. She accessorised with a Chamelia bag and a netted veil over her sunglasses.
Rita Ora
Rita Ora embraced the naked dress trend in this gothic mesh Prabal Gurung off-the-shoulder gown with an extremely long floral train. Embroidered with black flowers and featuring a matching floral choker, Rita paid homage to Karl, with the chains and pearls hanging from her elaborate acrylic nails.
Anne Hathaway
As the new face of Versace, Anne wore this custom dress designed by Donatella, which incorporated tweed and chamelia through the design and texture. The dress’ high slit separated two sections held together with safety pins, a reference to Versace SS94, and these were adorned with pearls to link to Chanel.
Elle Fanning
Elle Fanning looked stunning in this Vivienne Westwood bridal gown that paid tribute to her first ever fashion show, walking in Chanel’s FW11 haute couture collection. She carried a bouquet of daisies and wore a daisy flower crown to signify the way Karl styled her for the Little Black Jacket book, and she accessorised with a 1955 Cartier coffee bean necklace similar to the one Grace Kelly wore.
Written By Lucy Walshe
Header Image By Mia Washbrook
