Phil Oh Captured the Biggest, Best Tributes to Karl Lagerfeld at the 2023 Met Gala

A few themes were inevitable on the Met Gala 2023 red carpet last night. Since the evening honored the late Karl Lagerfeld, pearls, black-and-white color schemes, and camellias were surely going to make an appearance on the Met steps. Still, celebrities found innovative ways to interpret Lagerfeld s prolific output. Rihanna arrived in a Valentino Haute Couture cape covered in camellias and a dramatic ballgown, looking like one of the couture brides Lagerfeld was so well-known for. Lil Nas X parlayed Lagerfeld’s love of his Birman cat Choupette into a ton of silver body paint and Swarovski crystals. And many Chanel muses arrived in archival designs originally made by Lagerfeld. On hand to capture the scene was Phil Oh, Vogue’s resident street-style photographer.

Lagerfeld was certainly not a minimalist, and so it made sense that the Met Gala in his honor would be resplendent with mile-long trains, sky-high heels, and mind-bending prosthetics (looking at you, Doja Cat!). Jeremy Pope’s 30-foot Balmain train was even finished with a portrait of Lagerfeld. Gisele Bündchen and Nicole Kidman both returned to Chanel designs they had worn in the early 2000s: Bündchen was resplendent in a white cape, while Kidman brought back the frothy pink gown she originally wore in a Chanel No. 5 commercial. Good design never goes out of style.

Below, see more of Phil Oh’s photos from the 2023 Met Gala.