Stars shine at Met Gala in honour of designer Karl Lagerfeld

This year’s gala celebrates the life and work of German-born designer and coincides with a new Costume Institute exhibition.

Top stars from the worlds of fashion, film, politics and sport have celebrated the late king of couture, Karl Lagerfeld, at the annual Met Gala.

Among the guests was actor Jared Leto who dressed up for the red carpet as Lagerfeld’s cat Choupette. The pampered cat had sent her regrets earlier in the day for not attending, with the feline’s Instagram account giving thanks for the tribute.

Oscar winners Nicole Kidman and Michelle Yeoh, singers Cardi B and Bad Bunny, basketball superstar Brittney Griner and models Gisele Bundchen and Kate Moss were also among the hundreds invited to the event on Monday night at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Griner, twice an Olympic champion, has pledged to use her prominence after being freed in a high-profile prisoner exchange after nearly 10 months of detention in Russia to campaign for the release of other Americans detained abroad.

“I was able to come home,” Griner told Vogue at the star-studded gala. “A lot of families that don’t get the availability, you know, that I have with media so every day just being there, being a voice for those families so they’re not feeling left behind or forgotten at all.”

The event’s guest list is decided by Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, who took over the charity gala in the 1990s and transformed it into one of the fashion industry’s biggest extravaganzas.

The event is always held on the first Monday of May, and this year celebrates German-born Lagerfeld, coinciding with the opening of a Costume Institute exhibition dedicated to his life and work.

Lagerfeld, who died in 2019, created clothes for Chanel, Fendi, and Chloe as well as for his eponymous label, and most of the stars wore his vintage designs or outfits that reflected his aesthetic. Black and white were the dominant colours and many were draped in pearls.

Rihanna was the last to arrive, and with her partner ASAP Rocky, had the red carpet to herself.

Cloaked in white Valentino, airy camellias — the flower synonymous with Chanel — adorned the hood of her cape.

The singer, who is expecting her second child, wore white fingerless gloves mirroring those favoured by Lagerfeld, who was also known for being late.

Lagerfeld also caused controversy, criticising larger women despite a public struggle with his own weight, and deriding the #MeToo movement and those who came forward with claims of sexual misconduct.

“The show is really focusing on Karl the designer, his works rather than his words,” Costume Institute head curator Andrew Bolton told the AFP news agency. “We haven’t included any of his more controversial or offensive comments.”

The ball is invitation-only, with single tickets costing $50,000 and tables starting at $300,000.