On May 1, the Met Gala returned for the annual celebration of the Costume Institute’s upcoming exhibition, which pays tribute to the late Karl Lagerfeld the late designer who helmed fashion houses such as Chanel, Fendi, and his own eponymous line and raised funds for The Met’s Costume Institute. The 2023 spring exhibition is titled ‘Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty’, which Andrew Bolton, the Met’s curator, explained will not be a straightforward retrospective, but will pay tribute to his life’s work in a unique manner. “At its heart the exhibition will look at the evolution of Karl’s two-dimensional drawings into three-dimensional garments,” he told WWD. “We could not do a traditional retrospective. For one thing, I think Karl would have hated that.” He added, “even though one of his facets was that he was a historicist, and he would revisit themes in his work, he was always looking to the future in his own work. He hated looking back at the past, It was something he had a very conflicted relationship with.” Karl Lagerfeld passed away in 2019 at the age of 85 and was one of the most prolific fashion designers and owned some of the biggest fashion houses in the world.  

The red carpet was the highlight of the night, with celebrities and fashion icons showcasing Karl’s work. Billie Eilish wore a stunning in a black, see-through lace custom Simone Rocha gown. Other notable outfits included Rihanna’s dramatic white Valentino gown festooned with giant white sculptural flowers that swathed her torso, arms, and head, while A$AP wore a Gucci ensemble including a plaid kilt and a stack of belts around his waist. Jared Leto dressed as Choupette, Lagerfeld’s beloved fluffy cat, exclaiming “C’est moi, Choupette!” Doja cat also dressed up as Choupette to pay homage to Lagerfeld, wearing a crystallized creation by Oscar de la Renta. Her custom gown featured a feathered train and a hood complete with cat ears, and facial prosthetics to give her a feline snout.