By Chiara Piacentini
Staff Writer
Just like every other year, this year’s Met Gala guests did not fail to impress. The theme was “in honor of Karl,” Karl being the late Karl Lagerfield, former creative director of Chanel, who passed away in 2019.
Doja Cat made a lasting impression for her first ever Met Gala appearance dressed as a cat—a tribute to Lagerfield’s cat, Choupette—and played the part too. In an interview—if you could call it one—with Emma Chamberlain (reporting for Vogue), she answered every single one of her questions with a simple “meow.”
Lil Nas X, wearing nothing but a cat mask, silver body paint, and a thong, followed suit, responding to reporters’ questions while walking the red carpet with a series of meows.
But they were not the only two to turn heads. Jared Leto dressed in what appeared to be a Choupette costume before taking off the suit to reveal an all-black ensemble with a swirling black cape. Even Serena Williams attended in a gorgeous black and white dress and announced that she is pregnant with her second child.
Later on in the night, a cockroach decided to crash the party and walk the red carpet. It was so riveting that photographer Kevin Mazure snapped some photos of it walking on the floor and up the stairs (sadly, it later met its demise as it was stomped on. The killer’s identity is unknown).
After that whole spectacle, Rihanna, acknowledged as the queen of the Met Gala, arrived fashionably late in a stunning maternity bridal dress alongside her long-time partner, A$AP Rocky.
Other notable celebrities who came out that night included the Kardashian sisters (minus Khloé and Kourtney), Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B, Jenna Ortega, Lizzo, Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish and Sydney Sweeney.
On the other hand, celebrities who were expected to make an appearance ended up being disappointing no-shows. This included Taylor Swift, Bella Hadid, Zendaya, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez and Miley Cyrus.
Jennifer Lopez also surprised fans by coming alone to the event. However, Ben Affleck reported he could not be in attendance because he had “work commitments that he could not get out of.”
Taylor Swift understandably could not show up given that she is still on her Eras Tour; her next concert is coming up on May 5 in Nashville, T.N. Zendaya did not confirm why she skipped but her schedule is also packed, so it’s possible she did not have time as well. Grande did not explain her absence either, but she has not attended the Met Gala in the past four years and this year, she’s currently filming the movie adaptation of Wicked. Gomez didn’t report on why she failed to show up but it’s likely because she has also been very busy lately; she recently wrapped up the third season of “Only Murders in the Building” with co-star Meryl Streep. Unfortunately, as of right now, it is unclear as to why the other celebrities mentioned weren’t present at the event.
However, these absences could also be attributed to Lagerfield’s controversial comments he made during his career. He made his feelings about plus-size models clear: “No one wants to see curvy women on the catwalk.” On the topic of sexual assault, he said that he was “fed up” with the #MeToo Movement.
Some guests at the Met Gala appeared to dress up in defiance against the late creative director. Lagerfield hated the color pink. Twelve celebrities, including Jennifer Lopez, Sydney Sweeney and Ashley Graham came out wearing the hue he so despised.
Whether dressed in defiance or not, every Met Gala outfit brought an interesting flair to the event and all of the creative designers for each dress deserve to be recognized for their inventiveness.
