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Rating the Met Gala 2023 looks
Hiya! Ever wondered what I make of celebrity style. Obviously celebrities have stylists like me and designers make designs for them and in this blog, I will be rating them.
I’ll be telling you if the colours suit their skin tones even though that is hard to gauge without doing Colour Analysis. I’ll also tell you if the shapes work for their bodies and if the outfits have drama worthy of a Met gala.
The theme for 2023 was Karl Lagerfeld: A line of beauty. This of course is a tribute to his death in 2019. Karl was a fantastic designer, made some beautiful pieces for Chanel. He apparently wasn’t the best person though. Now that aside, this gala celebrates his work for Chanel and the brand itself which is nice to see. So, let’s get into it!
Karl Lagerfeld tributes
Cara Delevigne was a guest who was particularly close with Karl. You can see her walking with him at the end of many fashion shows. Her look was a Karl Lagerfeld, and with his initials KL sewn into the shirt. This look takes his classic white shirt and has opened it up, necklace nicely running down the open front to a short skirt. The train is perfect for Met drama and the look, although cool and trendy is still dramatic enough. She doesn’t look like she’s in a Karl costume, just touchingly tributing a friend. Colourwise, the white hair probably isn’t the best for her skin tone but works well for the overall outfit.
Doja Cat has taken her namesake into her look and transformed into a glamorous version of Karl’s kitty Choupette. Some people took the cat theme a little far but I think Doja has the perfect dose of fun and style. She’s covered in jewels and fur in an outfit cut close to her proportionate body, showing off its curves nicely. Does she suit silver, probably not, she appears to have warm skin. But her muse was a white cat so fair enough. Doja has even taken the look as far to subtly catify her face, don some sleek ears and meow when interviewed. Ticks all my boxes!
Key Huy Quan is wearing Dior and has been styled to look like Karl Lagerfeld without going too far. The outfit fits him well, and has been decorated with all of Karl’s quirks: sunglasses, slightly large collar, tie pin and gloves. Just what the doctor ordered.
Michelle Yeoh is wearing Karl Lagerfeld, a gorgeous dress that looks like Karl’s shirt and trousers but transformed into a gown with plenty of chic glamour. The cool shirt tilts off her shoulders and goes down into big flowy sleeves. Michelle is slim but this doesn’t overpower her frame as even with all the fabric, her body is still highlighted with a high waist. I believe she has winter colouring. Her skin is cool with pink undertones and the white and black which only a winter she can pull off she certainly is.
Jeremy Pope is having a Met high drama moment in Balmain. The massive frilly cape with a big Karl Lagerfeld face in monochrome trails behind him looking quite artistic. I wonder how it was made! The look is stunning yet simple. He’s wearing a plain black flared suit at the front yet he lets his back do all the talking. Here – I’ve met the theme.
Lilly Collins is wearing a Vera Wang dress with KARL written in big sparkly letters on the train. Very Met indeed. The dress has a corset style white top and flares out into a black skirt, creating a 50’s style silhouette. This is nice on her slim frame as it makes her look curvy and feminine. Her skin feels quite winter to me. She’s very fair with striking dark contrasting features – a winter calling card.
Glenn Close dazzles like an ice queen in a silvery blue Erdem gown. Her skin feels very cool to me, either summer (it’s a cool season) or winter as she has plenty of pink undertones. Her snowy white hair looks lovely and her face is framed by her hair and large Karl collar. This doesn’t feel oversized on her – she can take it. She also has many necklaces draped which was also very Karl (he liked them over his shirt and tie). Now, a lot of drama is going on upstairs and she could look top heavy but she doesn’t! This is as she has a lovely big train flair out, making her top and bottom equal. And giving her plenty of Met dramaaa
Chanel
Just as celebrities are wearing Karl Lagerfeld, they are also wearing Chanel, the brand Karl tirelessly designed for until his 2019 death.
Very cute to match her doll-like sweetness but perhaps more of a party dress than the dress you choose for the Met gala. Despite that, it fit her well. The round curves in the top and bottom of the dress add more volume to her petite frame and the in and out shape also. The dress is very pleasing to me in a design sense. There’s also the bows and flowers that feel typical of Chanel. Wearing long black gloves and thick black tights and heels add lots of extra length to her body, making her limbs look long.
Lizzo also looks fantastic in Chanel. I love a pearl and it’s always nice to see them in draped in interesting ways. The dress has them laid over a black dress, framing her face nicely. They then come down into a belt that looks like a 90’s chain belt typical of the brand. Lizzo is a bright and fun character and I’d prefer to see her in a bright colour to match it. However I think the white has enough brightness to lift her as the black could have brought her down.
Nicole Kidman is wearing a Chanel number from her Chanel No.5 perfume advert filmed by Baz Lurhman in 2004. I think it’s lovely to have such a personal touch and also appreciate the rewear for the environment. It’s great that more celebrities are doing it and also nice to see things reworn in new ways after a long time. The light pink colour looks lovely and sweet on her and the delicate feathery fabric with a sweeping train gives her an ethereal beauty.
Suits
Many celebrities donned a suit for the Met Gala, here are some of my favourite interesting takes.
Emma Chamberlain is wearing a sky blue Miu Miu two piece that is chic and cool, just what you’d expect from an influencer. The cropped jacket and low skirt make way for a sparkly tummy to peak out, just the kind of fun Karl would have liked. Although the look is fairly covered up, she has sexiness in a large slit in the skirt and just the line of her stomach. It’s nice to see some colour at this gala and the shade of blue she’s chosen looks lovely against her skin. I do detect some warmth both in her skin and hair. My only qualm is her eye making is a little distracting – less of that please. Also the white sock and heel combo is a chef’s kiss for me. Love that preppiness!
Taika Waititi surprised me with a take lovely new take on a suit by Prabal Gurung. Extended to a full length but not overpowering him as he lets a single cream leg poke out, matching the string of pearls coming from his Chanel flower. There’s a sensual mix of feminine and masculine in the silks and details worn confidently paired with a simple short haircut that lets the outfit do the talking. One of my favourite menswear looks of the night – ticks all around!
Bella Ramsay wears Thom Browne, a designer that has really come through this Met Gala. So many great looks and this was certainly one of them. Simple and well fitting with plenty of fun in the pearls falling like rain and the pleated skirt over trousers. Cool and fun, hitting the brief perfectly and looking great on Bella.
Jenna Ortega is another Thom Browne star looking preppy and cool in a suit that has been taken to a whole new level. The jacket cropped, over a shirt, bow tie and corset with a cute ruffled skirt that extends into a train. Jenna is petite in frame and all the short cropped elements make her look proportionate. The train is around the back as not to overpower her. The short skirt makes way for some calf socks and brogues which I love/need. The whole style feels very her character in Wednesday. Now in this show, it has been lighted to make her look more pale to fit her gothic part but I see a lot of warmth in her hair and skin as an actress. So black might not be her best fit but she does look fantastic. There’s also plenty of gold and pearly chains draped around her that match her warmth.
Wrong Colours
Jessica Chastain is wearing a black dress by Gucci, a designer I haven’t been particularly fond of as of late anyway. She’s debuting blonde hair which looks a bit too cool for her warm skin tone. Jessica is a spring in my opinion and I thought her red hair was lovely. Being a spring makes black look to dark on her, she’s best off with vibrant shades. Her body also seems like an hourglass – curvy and proportionate. The shape of the dress is mostly fine with the in and out but I don’t think the see-through is necessary. The necklace is also a bit too long and falling in an awkward position over the neckline. Is it part of the dress? Who knows…all I know is it should have either sat on the patch of skin above or wasn’t even needed.
Margot Robbie is in vintage Chanel with of course is great for the theme but not for her. She appears to be quite fair and could be a Summer. Summer’s look overpowered in black and Margot’s whole appearance seems to look flat and almost sad in this black. She needed a soft pastel to go with her delicate skin. The shape is fine but the dress is general is a little plain and kind of meh. Margot is beautiful – she could be wowing!
Gigi Hadid is wearing a lovely Givenchy dress…..it just isn’t the right colour for her warm skin. I feel in my bones that Gigi is an Autumn. I also can’t say enough how nice her honey coloured hair was and how this pale blonde is draining the colour from her face. Similarly, this black dress also is taking away too much from her. Gigi would have suited a salmon, gold, brown or any other gold based Autumny tones to go with all her golden tones. I love the dress itself, a cool corset giving her feminine shapes, cut outs and lovely lacey layering. It’s just not for her.
Wrong Shapes
Stephanie Hsu is in a Valentino dress that’s hot off the runways but for me it isn’t a fit. In my opinion, Stephanie isn’t very curvy and seems to have broad shoulders and bust. I’d like to give her more curves and balance out the bottom half by emphasising her waist and flaring out into a big skirt. Her bust should also be able to breathe. It looks a little trapped in that high neck which I know is Karl but it isn’t right for her. it’s also too much up top detail which draws our eye up to see the imbalance. A v, scoop neck, open shirt (still on theme), square neck, sweet heart etc would have been better for her.
Alexa Chung’s Roisin Pierce outfit is such a disappointment to me. I have been a fan of Alexa’s style for a long time and this for me is confusing. She’s usually very chic – now she looks more sheep. There’s way too much going on here and none in harmony. An oversized headpiece, big frilly top, little detailed skirt and black shoes??? Nope! Also what about this meets the brief?
Letitia Wright has been done dirty by her stylists in this Prada suit in my opinion. I really like her and this feels very disappointing. The top half is too wide and big on her and the trousers also look awkward. There’s a big sparkly collar but other than that it’s just a bit too plain– give her something special! Also I think her skin could be warm and could take more warmth of colour.
Nina Ricci is in a Fendi Couture dress that is fitting her poorly in my opinion. It’s baggy on the back which shouldn’t fly on the Met Gala. The v neck is also a little high and unnecessary. The off gold is a weird tone and is making her cool skin look pink in an odd way. In general the look doesn’t suit her, she’s cooler and more alternative than this.
Thank you for reading this! These are just my opinions so I hope I haven’t offended anyone. You can find the Youtube video version of this (with more outfits) on my channel here.
If you’d like some help picking the perfect outfit for an occasion that suits your skin, body and style then book a FREE discovery consultation and we can start you off on your Personal Styling journey together 🙂