NEW YORK, May 1 (Portal) – A giant, fluffy, white, blue-eyed Burmese cat mascot climbed the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Monday in tribute to Karl Lagerfeld’s beloved pet “Choupette,” later revealed to be actor Jared Leto. This gives a whole new meaning to this year’s Met Gala “Honoring Karl” dress code.
In another tribute to the famous cat, American rapper and singer Doja Cat wore a fake cat nose and a hooded Oscar de la Renta dress with cat ears.
The Met Gala, which is invitation-only and famous for its A-list celebrities and extravagant outfits, is a win for New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and marks the opening of the Costume Institute’s annual fashion exhibition.
The upcoming exhibition, Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty, celebrates the work and life of the late German designer, who was creative director for fashion houses such as Chanel and Fendi, as well as his eponymous brand. This year’s guests should dress “in honor of Karl”.
“Karl loved romance, but he also loved something outlandish and wicked,” said American fashion designer Michael Kors.
Many celebrities opted for looks that were très romantique and ancien, with no shortage of pastel vintage Chanel dresses, pearl necklaces and camellias, Chanel’s official flower, on the red carpet.
There was no lack of bling either.
Meta Gala Co-Chair Dua Lipa wore a vintage 1992 Chanel Haute Couture Fall cream tweed dress and paired it with a never-before-seen 100-carat diamond necklace from Tiffany & Co.
[1/4] Jared Leto, dressed as Karl Lagerfeld’s cat Choupette, poses at the Met Gala, an annual benefit gala benefiting the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art with this year’s theme “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” in New York City, New York, USA. May 1, 2023. Portal/Brendan Mcdermid
American rapper Lil Nas X presented himself covered from head to toe in metallic silver body paint, crystals and pearls along with a jeweled cat mask.
Meta Gala Co-Chair and Ghanaian-British screenwriter-actress Michaela Coel wore a nude, semi-sheer, long-sleeved Schiaparelli gown embellished with 130,000 crystals, straight rows of corn and gold accessories including a diamond-gold turtleneck chain.
Vogue editor Anna Wintour, who has organized and directed the event since 1995, told Coel that she chose her to co-chair because she is not afraid to be herself and that Karl’s journey was to learn, not afraid to be yourself, the actress told Vogue.
The so-called Oscars of the East Coast are also co-chaired this year by Spanish actress Penelope Cruz, Swiss tennis star Roger Federer and Wintour.
“[Lagerfeld]was sassy and funny and gave us such brilliant fashions all his life,” American fashion designer Marc Jacobs told reporters on the carpet.
American basketball star Brittney Griner walked the red carpet in a champagne Calvin Klein suit and said it felt “crazy” to be in the spotlight at an event like the Met.
Singer Rihanna was the last to saunter up the stairs and told reporters she felt “expensive” in an all-white hooded Valentino dress covered in oversized camellias.
(This story has been refiled to correct the formatting in paragraph 13.)
Reporting by Ben Kellerman in New York; writing by Doyinsola Oladipo in New York; Edited by Michael Perry
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