Pearls, Camellias, Bows and Beauty. The Met Gala Honors Karl Lagerfeld With CHANEL Icons

met gala honors Karl Lagerfeld hero IIHIH

The annual fundraiser, the Costume Institute’s Met Gala, took place in New York last night with a theme inextricable from fashion. This year celebrities, models, museum patrons, fashion designers and others honored legend Karl Lagerfeld, his work, his legacy and his style with a dress code titled In Honour of Karl. Best known as the Creative Director for CHANEL since 1983 until his death, he was also the creative director for fashion brands Fendi and Karl Lagerfeld.

Met Gala Honors Karl Lagerfeld

Conan Grey Met Gala Honors Karl Lagerfeld
Singer songwriter Conan Grey’s accessories and suit were as CHANEL as you can get

Kicked off by last night’s event, a large exhibition, Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art examines his life and his iconic designs. The show spotlights Lagerfeld’s unique working methodology, focusing on the late designer’s stylistic vocabulary as it was expressed in “through lines”—aesthetic and conceptual themes that appear time and again—in his fashions from the 1950s to his final collection in 2019. More than 200 objects are on display, and Lagerfeld’s sketches accompany most of the pieces, underscoring his complex creative process and collaborative relationships with his premières d’atelier.

karl lagerfeld a line of beauty at the met
The exhibition will be on view at The Met Fifth Avenue through July 16, 2023.

While past themes have left attendees a little confused as to what to wear, there were more than enough iconic KARL and CHANEL cues to assure that everyone would find something to fit the theme.

cardi b Met Gala Honors Karl Lagerfeld
Cardi B made multiple outfit changes during the evening.

Fans of CHANEL will recognize the numerous embellishments synonymous with the French Fashion House such as camellia flowers, strands of pearls, gold chains, the Maltese cross and black bows.

Camellias in fashion at the 2023 Met Gala
Chanel camellias spotted in fashion at the 2023 Met Gala
Liu Wen and Cardi B in beautiful camellia-embellished gowns
Liu Wen and Cardi B in beautiful camellia-embellished gowns
Pearls Met Gala Honors Karl Lagerfeld
Pearls, a Chanel staple, at the 2023 Met Gala
The Black Bow spotted at The 2023 Met Gala
The very French Black Bow, a Chanel icon. spotted at The 2023 Met Gala

Fans of Karl Lagerfeld’s personal will recognize the numerous homages such as fingerless gloves, black sunglasses, starched white collars and cuffs and cats. Yes, he loved cats.

Met Gala Honors Karl Lagerfeld
less subtle homages to Karl at the gala included Jeremy Pope’s giant Karl train

Well-known personalities wore ensembles that ranged from elegant to sexy. Here’s a few we felt worth sharing.

Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner and Kendall Jenner
It’s not a Met Gala if Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner and Kendall Jenner aren’t there!
Penelope Cruz and Dua Lipa
Penelope Cruz and Dua Lipa in Chanel
Rachel Brosnahan and Amanda Seyfried Met Gala Honors Karl Lagerfeld
Rachel Brosnahan and Amanda Seyfried went sheer.
Rita Ora and Jessica Chastain Met Gala Honors Karl Lagerfeld
Rita Ora and Jessica Chastain looked terrific
Kristen Stewart and Sofia Coppola met gala 2023
Kristen Stewart and Sofia Coppola donned black ribbon neckties
Billie Eilish and Paris Hilton Met Gala Honors Karl Lagerfeld
Billie Eilish and Paris Hilton sparkled in Black

And of course, Rap Royalty:

Yung Miami and Sean Combs met gala
Yung Miami and Sean Combs, Met Gala 2023
ASAP Rocky and Rihanna, Met Gala 2023
ASAP Rocky and Rihanna, Met Gala 2023
rihanna at met gala 2023 IIHIH
A pregnant Rihanna wore many Karl-like items; the fingerless gloves, camellia cape and earrings, eyewear and pearls.

It wouldn’t be a typical Met Gala without some truly bizarre outfits like the cat suits, literally, worn by Doja Cat and Jared Leto.

Doja Cat, 2023 Met Gala
Doja Cat, 2023 Met Gala
Jared Leto, Met Gala 2023
Jared Leto, Met Gala 2023

Or the odd ensembles worn by Lil Nas X, Janelle Monae and Erykah Badu.

Lil Nas X, Met Gala 2023
Lil Nas X, Met Gala 2023
janelle monae met gala 2023
Janelle Monae revealed a sequined bikini under her hoop skirt and jacket
Erykah Badu, Met Gala 2023
Erykah Badu, Met Gala 2023

all images courtesy of Getty