Met Gala 2023: Best Red Carpet Moments

Updated: May 1, 2023 10:24 PM EDT | Originally published: May 1, 2023 7:43 PM EDT

On the first Monday in May, the famed steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art were filled with fashion insiders, art enthusiasts, and celebrities who came dressed to the nines to celebrate fashion’s biggest night, the annual Met Gala. This year, attendees took inspiration for their looks for the night from the museum exhibit, Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty.

Lagerfeld, who died in 2019, was a distinctive talent in the world of fashion. Best known for his work as the creative director at Chanel, over which he presided for three decades, he was also the creative lead at Fendi and his own eponymous line. Lagerfeld was equally famous for being an outsized personality in the industry—his dramatic signature uniform of a tuxedo and high collared shirt, powdered white ponytail, fingerless gloves, and sunglasses, only upstaged his sharp wit, which he used to deploy irreverent, wicked, and sometimes cruel bon mots on many occasions.

While some attendees, like gala co-chairs Dua Lipa and Penelope Cruz wore Chanel couture gowns from the house’s 1992 and 1998 collections, respectively, others like Quinta Brunson—who donned a shimmering pale pink Prabal Gurung column gown with a dramatic train and a camellia embellishment, a nod to Chanel’s trademark blossom—paid homage to Lagerfeld’s work at Chanel with looks by other designers. Others, like the designer Tommy Hilfiger, chose to channel the legendary designer himself in a suit he designed with vintage Chanel fabric and a high-collared shirt gifted to him by Lagerfeld, something that Lagerfeld, who once referred to himself as “a caricature of myself,” would no doubt be amused by. Others took a more conceptual approach to the theme, like Michaela Coel, who embodied the spirit of Lagerfeld in a sheer gold embellished gown by Schiaparelli.

However, the most scene-stealing look of the night may have gone to Doja Cat, who channeled Choupette, Lagerfeld’s beloved and very glamorous cat, on the red carpet in a glittering white Oscar de la Renta gown and a prosthetic cat nose for her Met Gala debut.

Here’s a look at the best (and most outrageous) looks from the Met Gala red carpet.