Everything You Need To Know About the 2023 Met Gala

The Met Gala, fashion’s biggest event, is taking place this coming Monday, May 1. This year’s theme is “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty.” There will be an exhibition put on by the Costume Institute honoring the late fashion mogul, with more than 150 pieces on display and many sketches. Attendees are expected to show up in attire that honors Lagerfeld. 

Image via Harper’s Bazaar

Throughout the course of his life, Lagerfeld designed for a number of brands, including his eponymous label, and fashion houses like Balmain, Fendi, Chanel, and Chloé. This wide variety means this year’s theme is ripe with inspiration, so there is opportunity for prolific memorable moments. 

This year's theme is controversial, however. While the Met Gala has had themes honoring fashion designers in the past, Karl Lagerfeld’s problematic history is making people question whether he should be receiving such a public exaltation. Throughout his life, Lagerfeld made many fatphobic comments about women’s bodies. He also made controversial statements about the #MeToo movement, and about migrants and the LBGTQ community. 

That said, the Met Gala is an event that is highly anticipated each year, so what should we expect from the 2023 event?

What Kind of Looks Should We Expect on Monday? 

We can expect to see lots and lots of tweed. As tweed is a material iconically used by Chanel, which Karl Lagerfeld served as the creative director of for many years, we can expect to see tweed used in many expected and unexpected ways on Monday. Similarly, there will probably be many gold chain details. Lily-Rose Depp’s 2019 Chanel Met Gala look is exactly the kind of thing that would be perfectly in fitting with this year’s theme. 

Photo: Neilson Barnard via British Vogue

Lagerfeld’s own iconic look included fingerless gloves and sunglasses, which we will likely see recreated by male attendees of the Gala. While his own look was interesting and iconic, however, I am hopeful that male attendees of the Gala will go beyond recreating his likeness and show some extra creativity. 

Also iconically Lagerfeld was his white cat, Choupette. I would be completely shocked if a white cat didn’t make an appearance on the Met Gala carpet in some form. Kim Kardashian, a regular attendee of the Gala, posted photos on Instagram of her and Choupette, taken during a visit to Karl Lagerfeld’s office in Paris this week, which she went to to “get a little inspiration” for the Met Gala. 

Image: Kim Kardashian via Instagram

How is the Guest List Decided? 

There are a few ways to get invited to the Met Gala. Tables can be purchased by brands or by companies. Valentino, for example, might buy a table, and then invite celebrities to represent the brand to attend. Instagram, similarly, has purchased a table and invited celebrities to be guests of the company. The Met museum can also extend invitations, which is how AOC, for example, has attended. 

Anna Wintour famously gets to approve looks and guest lists for the Met Gala, though this is definitely not as involved as it sounds. The Vogue editorial director simply approves guest lists and is involved with the initial stages of fashion concepts. 

How to Watch

This year’s Met Gala will be livestreamed by Vogue on Monday at 6:30 pm eastern time.