Best Dressed: MET Gala 2023

The first Monday in May – the biggest night in fashion, aka the MET Gala. If you’ve been living under a fashion rock, and aren’t sure what the MET Gala is, let me fill you in! While the gala has become known for it’s over the top looks from high profile attendees, at its core it’s a fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. The event welcomes entertainment A-listers, fashion industry creatives and those who can shell out $50,000 for an individual ticket. Each year there is a theme, which guides the fashions for the night, but also correlates to the new fashion exhibit opening at the museum, put on by the Art Costume Institute.

The MET Gala theme for 2023 is ‘Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty.’ Karl Lagerfeld was a German fashion designer and the long-time creative director for Chanel before his death in 2019. He was a regular attendee at The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute, and an icon in the fashion world, so it makes sense the event would honor him. According to a Vogue article detailing this year’s theme and fashion guidelines, attendees are expected to take the dress code in one of three directions: vintage Lagerfeld, modern Fendi/Chanel or a look inspired by the designer’s own signature style. There is a bit of controversy around Mr. Lagerfeld, who was known to have no filter. He once called Adele “too fat,” and he supported a designer who was accused of sexual misconduct, saying models should expect it in their industry. While he most certainly had flaws, he was still a creative genius, and played a big role in the world of fashion.

With the controversy surrounding Karl, I wondered what we would see on the red (or in this case cream) carpet. But everyone who knew him personally and spoke of him had nothing but positive things to say. And for the first time, in my opinion, it felt like the majority of attendees actually followed the theme. You could say they understood the assignment! Because of the theme, the looks were a bit (the very littlest bit) more subdued than we have seen on Met Gala red carpets of the past. Think more couture, less costume. But, they were still over the top in their own ways, and unlike anything anybody else is wearing on this Monday night! We saw lots of black (a Karl staple) but a lot of soft and airy hues too, with plenty of shimmer mixed in. Lagerfeld took Chanel back to the days of Coco’s original designs, and that reallyt was embodied in the looks we saw tonight. It felt very Parisian art deco – eye candy for sure!

Here are my picks for best dressed at the 2023 Met Gala.