The Cut - Everything We Loved at the Met Gala

It really happened: Rihanna, swathed in a shroud of fabric roses, finally arrived at the Met at a whole ten o’clock p.m. That’s on time in Rih hours, no? Believe us when we say it was well worth the wait.

Among the standout fashion surprises: Bad Bunny’s back. (Trapezii looking fab, Benito!) Speaking of body-part reveals, Pedro Pascal brought two very special guests: his own bare knees. Attending solo for the first time since 2006, Gisele came dressed for revenge, and she positively floated up the steps. Some were dripping more than others. (We’re looking at you, Lil Nas X.)

Pete and Kim had what looked to be an amicable little Met Gala reunion — in the presence of Usher. The biggest non-fashion trend of the night? Pregnancy announcements. Congratulations to the fabulously expecting mothers. That said, mamas Kim and Kylie left us wondering, Are kids even allowed at the Met Gala? Meanwhile, Kendall was looking pretty friendly with Bad Bunny. And lastly, is Anna Wintour dating Bill Nighy?

The night was not without it share of controversy. In fact, the announcement that this year’s theme would honor Karl Lagerfeld was met with mixed reactions. The late designer was known for making anti-immigrant comments. Fashion critic-at-large Cathy Horyn writes in her review that, rather than contend with the man’s, let’s say, complex persona, the Met exhibit dedicated to Lagerfeld is “far less concerned with the man and the myth than the work he produced over his seven-decade career.”

There’s one Lagerfeld that clearly no one had trouble getting behind: Choupette, the designer’s beloved pet cat. Several couture-ified odes to the famous feline circulated on the Met steps.

This morning, we chatted with our celebrity correspondent and pop-culture expert, Evan Ross Katz, about what stood out for him at last night’s Met Gala. Here is what he said: “My biggest takeaway from the Met Gala was less about the event itself — which was pretty status quo and more thematically aligned than recent past ones — and more about the cultural appetite for viral moments at an event like this. Some of the night’s best carpet moments (Teyana! Naomi!! Nicole!!) were simply not the kind of capital-L Lewks that garner attention in the way that Jared Leto, Lil Nas X, and Doja Cat’s stunts were able to. Since niche no longer exists, and everything veers disturbingly into monoculture, the gala becomes more mythologized than actually observed.”

There were many dazzling looks last night (and you can see them all here), but after sleeping on it, we picked the ones that left the biggest impression on us, just for you, dear newsletter reader.

I love when someone commits to the bit. At the Met Gala, I’m talking about Doja Cat. Not only did she wear a stunning Oscar de la Renta gown, but the face prosthetics to look like Karl Lagerfeld’s cat, Choupette, coupled with her answering all her questions in cat voice, won my Best of the Night. —Joanna Nikas, deputy style editor

It’s a tie between Penélope Cruz and Dua Lipa. One of Lagerfeld’s many muses, Cruz led his final show in 2019, just a few weeks after his death. And we all know the best part of any Chanel show is waiting to see whom the bride will be, so it was a nice touch for her to arrive this year in Chanel couture. Lipa, one of the gala’s co-chairs, also wore a Chanel couture gown — from 1992 — paired with a never-been-seen-before Tiffany & Co. necklace. Both of them looked classic but not too simple! —Brooke Marine, culture editor

Okay, I also loved Dua’s look — especially the 100-plus-carat diamond roughly the size of a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup — but I couldn’t help but miss the little hat Claudia Schiffer wore with the gown on the fall ’92 runway. But then, I generally liked the vintage Karl looks best: Why imitate when you can excavate? Naomi in sari-inspired spring 2010 Chanel couture, Lauren Santo Domingo in ’89 Chanel couture, and honorable mention to the Chloé girls, who split the difference, doing updated versions of dresses from Karl’s Surrealist-literalist 1983 collections, the best of the bunch being Vanessa Kirby’s shower dress (and, take from this what you will, she wore the fall ’83 original). —Matthew Schneier, features writer

As someone who loves to wear articles of clothing that can double as blankets out in public, Maya Hawke is my Met Gala winner. Hitting that (not-so-white) carpet cocooned in a giant (blindingly white) Prada coat that I can only describe as an extremely chic, textured duvet cover? Iconic. The collar is so high you could take a nap during dinner in that thing and no one would know. —Catherine Thompson, power editor

Gasps all around for Gisele Bündchen’s revenge-dress–feathered-cape situation. It was heaven! Literally — she looked like an angel. Only a supermodel could pull off twirling around in that many wispy feathers without making a mess. —Jen Ortiz, deputy editor

My favorite look was Anok Yai’s Prabal Gurung dress. Her skin was radiant, and she looked — and I mean this in the absolute best way — like a shimmering jellyfish come to life. It felt like she really understood the theme and had fun with it. Even though her dress was very structured, there was something very playful about it — maybe the flowy, streaming fringe at the bottom or the gold-and-silver coloring. The whole thing just worked. —Asia Milia Ware, fashion and beauty writer

I am sorry to say that one of my favorite Met Gala looks was Kendall Jenner’s after-party onesie. It’s a sheer, sequined situation with a black harness and thong and pearl detailing, a re-creation of a Chanel spring-summer 1994 look. It was apparently put together by Nensi Dojaka, who makes wonderful overpriced lingerie, but it seems to be pretty much an exact replica of the 1994 piece. My other favorite was, of course, Anne Hathaway, and honorable mention to Brian Tyree Henry, who is always perfect! —Sangeeta Singh-Kurtz, senior writer

Doja Cat looked utterly unreal, and she’s a top contender, but it’s a tie for me between Dua Lipa and Anne Hathaway. Hathaway really sealed the deal, wearing Versace, and looked ethereal in that white with gold embellishments. But Dua’s vintage Chanel bride dress paired with a gobsmacking Tiffany diamond was classic and surreal in just the right way. It’s a dress that turns heads, as any good Met look does —Danya Issawi, fashion news writer

Apparently, there are two ways to dress up as Karl’s beloved Choupette, who unfortunately was not in attendance and not Kim K’s plus-one, as I had hoped: (1) Jared Leto — terrifying, not fun, and (2) Doja Cat — cute, fun, sparkly. We love a stunt. —Chinea Rodriguez, shopping writer

From Rita Ora’s chain-embellished nails to Anok Yai’s glowing skin, here are our favorite looks from the night, inspired by the late Karl Lagerfeld, creative director of French fashion house Chanel.