Issues I have with the 2023 Met Gala:

1. The theme: For those who don’t know, the Met Gala’s theme this year was “In Honor of Karl,” a tribute to and examination of the career of recently deceased fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. Though Lagerfeld has undeniably earned his place in fashion history after working at and redefining fashion houses like Balmain, Patou, Chloé, and Chanel, Lagerfeld’s history of problematic statements and the too-recent Chanel Met Gala theme in 2005 made this year’s focus feel iffy.
2. The above-average showing of looks: why were the looks this year actually good?? Why did the celebrities and their stylists choose to eat up the red carpet under a weak theme after flopping last year under an actually fun theme??
3. The missing celebrities: while viewing the looks from this year’s event, I couldn’t help but feel a gaping hole in my heart gouged by the absences of some of our most fashionable celebrities, including Zendaya, Timothee Chalamet, and Blake Lively.

Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, here are some of my standout looks from this year’s Met Gala:

Dua Lipa

This look has been super polarizing, with some publications naming her best-dressed while Twitter reactions leaned toward disappointment. I LOVE the dress, I think it’s beautiful simplicity is honestly stunning, and I desperately want to don it while running and spinning through a meadow with sped-up “Ceilings” by Lizzy McAlpine blasting in the background. Paired with that drop-dead gorgeous necklace, and the look is almost perfect.

However, the dress was originally part of a Chanel Bride set with an adorable matching hat that made the look uniquely and wonderfully reminiscent. In my opinion, if you’re going with a Chanel Bride-inspired look, you should lean into the iconic beauty and femininity of it, like Ava Max did. So close, Dua!

Olivia Rodrigo

I love that Olivia Rodrigo went in an unexpected direction that feels like a nice balance between the youth of her age and the maturity she’s been dabbling with in her past few fashion looks. I love that her hair and makeup are very old-Hollywood, Audrey Hepburn-esque because it feels as unique as her dress and enhances the look’s sophistication. My only note? Get a necklace!

I also enjoyed the black and white color scheme much more than I thought I would. Like Rodrigo, celebrities like Camila Morrone put a personal, delicate spin on the harsh contrast, making it feel more soft and careful than bold.

Conan Gray

Conan’s look this year is actually one of my favorite menswear Met Gala looks of all time. It’s so on-theme, opulent, and all-around stunning, and his hair has never looked better. I can’t tell if I want to wear this look at my wedding or stare at it forever, or maybe both.

This year was notable for the actually strong showing of menswear looks, completely unprecedented after the past few years of male mediocrity on the red carpets. I was actually so impressed by the showing from celebs like Conan, Brian Tyree Henry, and Chi Ossé; famous men, keep up this energy!!!

Doja Cat

It seems that there are few things Karl Lagerfeld loved as much as his cat, Choupette; whether it’s calling his favorite models “his Choupettes” or leaving the entirety of his hefty estate to the literal cat, Choupette was a critical part of Lagerfeld’s life. As such, a few celebrities took on different interpretations and representations of patrician Choupette in response to the theme, including Doja Cat.

Aside from wearing a glamorous gown topped with a cat-ears hood, Doja wore actual facial prostheses to make her face more catlike. If there’s one thing I like, it’s commitment; for the same reason, shoutout to Lil Nas X and Jared Leto, although those two have haunted my sub-conscience since the Gala.

Anok Yai

Ms. Yai is probably my best-dressed of the night. I think the dress is breath-catching, decadent, and otherworldly. Her styling is flawless, and the black veil makes her seem like royalty among the other plebs taking up space on the carpet. I feel kind of bad that I will never ever look as good as Anok Yai in this ensemble in the entirety of my life, but I’m going to try to focus on the positives.

If you made it this far, good on you. Once you get me started on the Met Gala, it takes the big guns to get me to stop. Let’s hope Zendaya shows up next year!