Met Gala 2023 highlights include Rihanna walking in fashionably late, an Alia Bhatt debut and Doja turning Cat

The Met Gala got underway with a march of celebrities down the cream-coloured carpet. This year's theme is Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty, which seeks to celebrate the life and work of the controversial German fashion designer. 

Read here why the 2023 Met Gala theme celebrating Karl Lagerfeld attracted controversy. The late designer helmed several high fashion houses like Chanel, Balmain, Fendi and his own eponymous brand.

Ditching the red carpet:

• The carpet at the Met Gala was not the usual red-coloured one this time, just like the Academy Awards. A cream-coloured carpet with swirling red and blue lines replaced the red carpet to honour Karl Lagerfeld's concept of the "line of beauty" or the "serpentine line".
• The "serpentine line" in relation to the German designer comes from William Hogarth's book The Analysis of Beauty which describes Lagerfeld's artistic style to be centred around this line of beauty. 

Who wore what?

Every year fans and fashion enthusiasts await the Met Gala to see how celebrities and artists dress up to the theme and wow the audience. The stairs leading up to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City have seen some awe-inspiring and over-the-top outfits over several years, from Katy Perry's chandelier gown to Kim Kardashian straight up wearing Marilyn Monroe's dress that was sitting in a museum. 

The biggest stars: Rihanna and A$AP Rocky

Rihanna has come to be known as the queen of the Met Gala costume, managing to awe the audience every year. And this time seems to be no different. In fact, Rihanna and her partner A$AP Rocky turned up fashionably late to the event as usual (save the best for the last?). 

Rihanna did not disappoint as any Met Gala-related news on social media is filled with the singer's moment on the cream carpet. Honouring Lagerfeld, Rihanna turned up at the museum wearing a dramatic white Maison Valentino gown with a sweeping train. She also added a cape covered in the  Camellia flower (Chanel's flower) that engulfed her torso and head. 

The pair of sunglasses with faux eyelashes attached to them became the internet's favourite thing of the night. 

Right before stepping onto the cream carpet, en route to the destination, Rihanna pulled off another look in an opulent Fendi fur coat from 1997. 

Did Rihanna nail the theme? Rihanna did honour Lagerfeld's by dressing up as a bride in white, one of his bridal looks from the 90s, while also incorporating the brands he famously worked for - from Chanel to Valentino. 

A$AP Rocky on the other hand wore a Gucci ensemble, with a high-low plaid pleated kilt over his baggy jeans. The look is in reference to an outfit Lagerfeld wore to close the Chanel runway in 2004. 

Indian celebs at the Met Gala

• Alia Bhatt made her debut at the Met Gala wearing a Prabal Gurung white gown embellished in pearls. It was in reference to Karl Lagerfeld's bridal designs and his love for pearls. Nepalese-American designer Prabal Gurung also accompanied Alia Bhatt down the cream carpet. 

• Priyanka Chopra wore a black and white Valentino gown and arrived hand in hand with beau Nick Jonas. She paired the dress with a diamond necklace and earrings. 

• Isha Ambani also attended this year's Met Gala wearing a Prabal Gurung black saree. And entrepreneur Natasha Poonawalla went quirky in a mirrored Schiaparelli gown. 

• On the other side, Deepika Padukone was trolled on social media for sharing behind the scenes moments from Oscars right before what netizens said was Alia Bhatt's Met Gala debut. 

Kim Kardashian and the Jenners

It seems Met Gala is never complete without the Kardashians and the Jenners walking up the cream carpet. Turns out the rumours of the beauty moguls not being invited this year are all false. 

• Kim Kardashian was dripping in pearls as she showed up at the event. The SKIMS founder more or less wore pearls on top of a shapewear. The white midi dress is a custom Schiaparelli made entirely of strands of pearls. Pearls were a Lagerfeld favourite during his time at Chanel. She was accompanied by her daughter North West.

• Kendall Jenner went no-pants for her Met Gala look as she's made it a trend since 2022. She wore a collared bodysuit with a sheer cape and platform shoes all in Lagerfeld's signature black and white colour combination. 
• Kylie Jenner stunned the paparazzi wearing a red Jean Paul Gaultier asymmetric dress with a thigh-high leg slit and also donned a two-toned robe in baby blue and bright red colours.

Paris Hilton makes Met Gala debut

Among those who made their first-ever Met Gala appearance was the hotel heiress Paris Hilton. Hilton wore a leather mermaid gown with rhinestone bustier and gloved sleeves. It's a surprise that this is the first Met Gala that the socialite and the OG influencer is attending. 

Celebs who became Karl Lagerfeld's pet cat Choupette:

Among the celebs who served the most jaw-dropping looks were Jared Leto, Doja Cat and Lil Nas X. All three of them paid homage to Karl Lagerfeld by turning into his pet cat Choupette one way or the other.

• Jared Leto literally became Choupette wearing a full cat outfit with its head to the Met Gala. He looked like an oversized cat. 

• Doja Cat did not turn into a literal cat but she wore a Choupette-themed look, showing up in a white gown with a cat ear hood and prosthetics to her face.

• Lil Nas X went wild and almost naked as a sparkling cat. The singer-rapper turned up in full-body crystallized cat look and makeup, wearing nothing but a silver Dior thong and chunky silver glitter platform boots.

• His face was also covered in silver and gem makeup with pearls flowing down his neck and chest.

A lot of celebrities wore black and white ensembles to Met Gala, keeping in check with this year's theme of honouring Karl Lagerfeld. Black and white colour combination was Lagerfeld's signature look. Though, some celebrities did show up some colours, mostly red, like Kylie Jenner and Pedro Pascal.