(CNN) At the Met Gala in New York City last night, celebrities stopped to pay homage to the late designer Karl Lagerfeld, the centerpiece of the Fashion Institute’s spring exhibition “Karl Lagerfeld: The Beauty Line.”
Among the A-Listers in attendance, trends included an emphasis on florals (like Chanel’s classic camellia flower) and fans (one of Lagerfeld’s favorite accessories), as well as co-ords on the suit, tweed, and classic black-and-white color palette. There were also a series of increasingly elaborate trains covering the red carpet — each marking a fashion moment and an artful dressmaking move, perhaps, by ensuring breathing space (and standing!) among their peers.
Actor Jeremy Pope (pictured above) had perhaps the cutest and most iconic trains — his Elman gown, which featured a black-and-white Lagerfeld look, swept the floor at a height of 10 meters (about 33 feet), according to the fashion house. Instagram. The garments required more than 5,000 meters (over 16,400 feet) of silk and chiffon and 70 seamstresses.
Rihanna on the red carpet at the 2023 Met Gala on May 1 in New York City.
Arriving late to fashion, Rihanna closed out the red carpet in a custom silky white Valentino dress that was an homage to the wedding looks that They often closed Chanel Lagerfeld shows. The look, according to Valentino’s Instagram, included a 5-meter (16.4-foot) train and a silk cape with 30 camellia flowers.
Gina Ortega on the red carpet at the 2023 Met Gala on May 1 in New York City.
An homage to Lagerfeld’s personal style and classic Chanel corsets, this custom Thom Browne look for “Wednesday” star Jenna Ortega highlighted “crippled precision and loose tailoring,” according to a press release.
Ortega wore a short black chiffon tweed jacket with a matching wrap coat over a black beaded tulle mini skirt. The jacket and skirt were also embroidered with gold alloys and pearl chains.
Glenn Close on the red carpet at the 2023 Met Gala on May 1 in New York City.
Meanwhile, Glenn Close stunned in an Erdem Eau de Nil dress. Erdem Moralioglu, the brand’s creative director, designed the dress with Lagerfeld in mind: The crystal embroidery was inspired by the randomly draped jewels that appeared at Lagerfeld’s first Haute Couture show for Chanel in 1983, according to Erdem on Instagram.
The floor-length gown was influenced by model Devon Aoki at a later 1999 fashion show. The collar and cuffs were odes to Lagerfeld’s signature look.
Rita Ora on the red carpet at the 2023 Met Gala on May 1 in New York City.
Rita Ora and Gigi Hadid wore similar dark and sloppy looks for the event. Ora wore a black silk tulle dress by Atelier Prabal Gurung that featured a long chiffon skirt with numerous hand-embroidered silk organza and satin flowers — and accessorized with long chains attached to her nails. Citing fans and florals, Williams said during a Vogue livestream from the carpet that Hadid’s Givenchy dress was “inspired by some of Karl’s favorite things.”
Supermodel Gigi Hadid leaves the Mark Hotel in New York City for the 2023 Met Gala on May 1.
“Karl was always so forward-looking and not so nostalgic, so we wanted to create something fresh and also speak to the ingenuity of Atelier Givenchy,” added Williams.
From left: Pier Paolo Piccioli, Creative Director of Valentino, and Florence Pugh on the 2023 Met Gala red carpet on May 1 in New York City.
Florence Pugh debuted a new hairdo and a Valentino dress. “For the event, the face of the house… entered a backless white silk taffeta dress with black silk chiffon knot detailing, tailored for her using 64 meters of silk,” the house said in an Instagram post. To go along with the look, Florence wore a black feathered Valentino tiara.
CNN’s Scotty Andrew contributed to this report.