Everything you need to know about Anna Wintour’s annual Met Gala 2023 in New York City
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A-listers and fashion icons have made the white carpet at the 2023 Met Gala one to remember as stars paid homage to the late fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld.
Tennis superstar Serena Williams dropped a bombshell at the event by revealing she is expecting her second child with husband Alexis Ohanian.
Jennifer Lopez sported serious side boob in a daring custom Ralph Lauren dress while Gigi Hadid stunned in a Givenchy sheer black gown.
A strong Aussie contingent was among the first to hit the carpet with Australian superstar Nicole Kidman and country music chart topper partner Keith Urban early starters.
The event at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is known as Superbowl of fashion as it more significant than the Oscars in terms of who wears what.
The aim of course is to raise as much money as possible for The Costume Institute, with Vogue boss Anna Wintour raising more than $175 million over her two decades at the helm.
It is an invite only event with a coveted ticket costing more than $50,000.
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The theme of the gala aligns with the exhibition that it opens each year. In 2023, that is Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty, celebrating the German fashion designer that was best known for his work with Chanel. He died in 2019 at the age of 85.
Vogue boss Wintour and British actor Bill Nighy confirmed their romance with their debut joint appearance at a major event, three years after first sparking rumours they were an item.
Wintour wore an elegant Chanel gown and coat, while the Love Actually star complemented her perfectly in his navy suit.
“It is a very emotional night for me, I loved Karl so much and it is just wonderful to see so many people who are turning out to honour him and give him the recognition that he so deserves,” Wintour said on the carpet.
“You really see (in the exhibition) that for 65 years, Karl was just so creative, so visionary, invented so many things and at the same time I think was intrinsically the chicest designer that you could ever imagine. I always love to see what everybody is wearing on the carpet and I have been lucky enough to have a sneak preview of what some of our guests are wearing and I am just so grateful that they have made such an incredible effort and I know how thrilled Karl would have been.”
Baz arrived with Kidman who was wearing a dress from a 2004 ad he directed, and they walked the carpet together with Baz in a Paspaley longline suit with a kilt detail in classic Chanel black and white. He is known for helping Wintour bring to life the vision for the Met.
As always, Kim Kardashian made a splash alongside the biggest names in popular culture, from sport to music and fashion as she wore a dress by Schiaparelli.
Kendall Jenner wore Marc Jacobs while her sister Kylie Jenner wore JPG x Haider Ackermann.
Kidman wore the custom dress made for the CHANEL N°5 advertising campaign she starred in that was directed by Baz Luhrmann in 2004.
The dress is made of pink silk tulle with a long train of 4 meters in circumference. The dress is embroidered with 250 pink feathers and over 3000 silver crystals and sequins and finished the look with Chanel shoes.
“Karl concocted this out of his head,” Kidman said of her dress on the carpet. “I have the sketches when he was drawing it and then we fitted it. I remember fitting it repeatedly and I think my deep, deep sort of love of Karl came through this time together because I knew him very very well and so to be able to honour him and to wear this dress now for Chanel and show I suppose the way these couture gowns last and the exquisiteness and if you take care of them and love them, they are timeless.”
She continued: “To be able to wear the same thing 20 years later and it still holds ... there is whimsy to it and it is so light as a feather and it is unbelievably comfortable but it is all hand made.”
Chanel Ambassador Margot Robbie, wore a black silk chiffon dress embellished with clear plastic and gold metal chains, look 62, from the Haute Couture Spring-Summer 1993 collection.
She donned the outfit with Chanel bag, shoes, Coco Crush rings in 18K yellow gold and diamonds Chanel Fine Jewelry.
“I’m thrilled they’re honouring him tonight—he’s exceptional,” Robbie said.
Miranda Kerr’s Dior gown was fit for a princess, complete with a sleek Old Hollywood updo and bold wine-stained lip, the picture of Parisian glamour.
Jared Leto showed up at the Met Gala as Choupette, Karl Lagerfeld’s cat.
American rapper Doja Cat continued the feline theme with an Oscar de la Renta hooded gown and prosthetics.
Margaret Zhang is wearing Chloé, which is the same dress as Olivia Wilde but in black.
Australian model Adut Akech stunned the red carpet in a Carolina Herrera dress.
Anne Hathaway paid homage to Karl’s Chanel tweed and slight nod to Versace with pins—“Marriage between Versace and Chanel”. She also wore Bulgari rings.
Salma Hayek showed up on the carpeted steps an entirely red-hot Gucci ball gown. The ensemble consisted of a glossy red bustier with off-the-shoulder pearl straps, as well as a sparkling crimson skirt made up of ruffled tiers.
Lily Collins rocked a dramatic two-piece look designed by Vera Wang that included a white bustier top and a black skirt that read “KARL” in large silver letters on the back.
To complete her outfit, the star sported sleeves on her elbows, moody dark red lip and a show stopping Cartier diamond necklace.
Penelope Cruz, Roger Federer and Dua Lipa are on the panel of co-Chairs for the event that is the brainchild of Vogue boss Anna Wintour.
Kardashian is tipped to make a statement as she did last year when was sewn into a dress once worn by Marilyn Monroe.
It has been claimed the reality star and business mogul will wear an outfit inspired by Lagerfeld’s beloved 11-year-old Burman cat, Choupette, which had its own nanny.
Although unlikely due to the controversial statement that it would make, rumours have suggested Meghan Markle may attend.
Kodi Smit McPhee is a vision in a fanned out tailored collar with a pop of blue, the latest in a string of innovative menswear looks on the red carpet.
A smattering of top Aussie identities walk the red carpet each year with Margot Robbie expected to walk the red carpet months out from the release of her much hyped film, Barbie.
Wintour is besties with director Baz Luhrmann and his wife, Catherine Martin, who are always intimately involved in the curation of the nights event.
“It is the ultimate celebration of creativity,” Vogue Australia’s Edwina McCann said. “You could say the Oscars are usually quite tame, yet the Met Gala is really an opportunity to make bold choices while celebrating creativity at its best.”
Dua Lipa, Co-chair for The Costume Institute Benefit, wore a long corseted dress in ivory wool tweed with a matching bolero jacket, look 97, from the Haute Couture Fall-Winter 1992 collection for the carpet. CHANEL shoes.
Penélope Cruz, Co-chair for The Costume Institute Benefit and CHANEL Ambassador, wore a custom long dress with a large shawl collar in light blue organza embroidered with silver sequins and a silver leather belt embellished with pearls inspired by look 81, from the Haute Couture Spring-Summer 1988 collection.
American singer Lizzo wore a custom a black silk crêpe dress with a glass pearls harness, inspired by look 129, from the Fall-Winter 1991/92 Ready-to-Wear collection. She donned the look with Chanel accessories, shoes and bag.
Chanel British model Naomi Campbell wore a pink draped silk satin dress embroidered with scrolls of silver sequins and glass beads, look 48, from the Haute Couture Spring-Summer 2010 collection.
Amanda Seyfried dripped in gold at the 2023 Met Gala—specifically, in a gold chainmail minidress on the red carpet, with her blonde hair styled in voluminous waves. She paired the eye-catching look with matching gold heels and a statement red lip.
Brazilian model Gisele Bündchen, wore a dress in white silk tulle embroidered with vertical stripes of white sequins and a white silk tulle long cape embellished with feathers and camelias, look 58, from the Haute Couture Spring-Summer 2007 collection. She finished the look with a Chanel bag and shoes.
INSIDE THE EXHIBITION
Seven words from Lagerfeld adorn a doorway at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s exhibit to honour the late, legendary designer: “Fashion does not belong in a museum.”
Andrew Bolton, who masterminds the New York museum’s blockbuster Costume Institute shows each year, told New York Post those are the words Lagerfeld said to him when they met.
“He believed fashion was not art — it belonged on the street. So, I really don’t know what he would think of all this! I’m not sure he would come,” Bolton said.
Originally published as Everything you need to know about Anna Wintour’s annual Met Gala 2023 in New York City