Met Gala 2023: Karl Lagerfeld Theme, Live Stream Info & Everything Else We Know
The 2023 Met Gala is just hours away! Ahead of the May 1 event, here’s everything we know — from the guest list to the theme and more!
- The Met Gala will take place on May 1, 2023 in New York City.
- The 2023 Met Gala theme will honor the late Karl Lagerfeld, who died in 2019.
- The Met Gala red carpet will be streamed so fans can see all of the incredible fashion looks.
- Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner and more stars will be in attendance.
We’re just hours away from the 2023 Met Gala, and the details are being finalized day by day! This year’s even will pay tribute the late Karl Lagerfeld with the theme and exhibit honoring the legendary designer, who passed away in Feb. 2019 at the age of 85. For years, Karl has been regarded as one of the top designers in the industry, working for brands like Fendi and Chanel, and eventually creating his own Lagerfeld line. Karl often attended the Met Gala over the years, and will now be cemented in the event’s history. Plus, the dress code for the event was revealed as: “In honor of Karl.”
In April 2023, the May cover of Vogue was released as a celebration of Karl. The cover featured ten supermodels in ten different looks from the designer. Other designers, including Donatella Versace, Thom Brown and Olivier Rousteing, all contributed tribute messages for the issue. Some of the models included on the cover included Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner and Naomi Campbell.
Ahead of the 2023 Met Gala, learn more about the highly anticipated event, including where to live stream it, who’s attending and more, below!
When Is The 2023 Met Gala?
After a snafu in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Met Gala is once again back in its usual spot on the first Monday in May. The upcoming event will take place on May 1, 2023, kicking off the month in style. The Met Gala had to be canceled completely in 2020 due to COVID-19, and in 2021, it was pushed to September with strict rules in place. However, the event returned to May in 2022, with a star-studded fashion-forward event on May 2.
The Met Gala red carpet is set up by early afternoon, with celebrities beginning their arrivals around 5:00 p.m. ET. Before the stars arrive at the museum, they are often photographed leaving their hotels throughout the city, with fans getting a sneak peek of their outfits in paparazzi photos and videos. However, there’s nothing like the actual red carpet event, where the stars cascade the stairs of the Met in their glamorous looks.
Where To Watch Met Gala Live Stream
While the actual Met Gala is a very private event, the red carpet is highly publicized. Vogue will be live streaming the red carpet on its website, which you can find here. The magazine’s YouTube page will also have the live stream available. It begins at 6:00 p.m. ET on the evening of May 1, although photos generally start coming in before that time. The live stream will be hosted by La La Anthony, Derek Blasberg and Chloe Fineman, with Emma Chamberlain serving as the special correspondent.
What Is The 2023 Met Gala Theme?
The theme of the 2023 Met Gala Is “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty.” Once again, Andrew Bolton, the head curator of the Met’s Costume Institute, will create the exhibit. However, this year he will have Karl’s longtime colleague, Amanda Harlech, working alongside him as a creative consultant. Andrew will be joined by Vogue Editor-in-Chief, Anna Wintour, and Wendy Yu, who is the curator in charge of the Costume Institute at the Met, as co-hosts of the 2023 event. This year’s co-chairs are Dua Lipa, Penélope Cruz, Roger Federer, Michaela Coel, and Anna Wintour.
Bolton said he was inspired to create a Lagerfeld exhibit after a memorial service for the late designer in 2019. He then started studying Karl’s sketches to come up with the perfect exhibit. The final exhibit is set to feature 150 original looks created by Karl over the years. The looks will be presented alongside their original sketches from Karl’s collection, as well as video interviews from those who he worked with at various fashion houses over the years.
Those who attend the Met will get a first look at the exhibit on May 1. Then, the exhibit will be open to the public in the Tisch Gallery from May 5 until July 16, 2023. Of the exhibit, Bolton teased, “We could not do a traditional retrospective. For one thing, I think Karl would have hated that. Even though one of the facets was that he was a historicist, and he would revisit themes in his work, he was always looking to the future in his own work – he hated looking back. It was something he had a very conflicted relationship with.”
About The Met Gala
The inaugural Met Gala took place in 1948. The event has evolved in a big way since then, becoming one of the most star-studded nights of the year. While fans love seeing the celebrities’ outfits year after year at the Met, though, it is also a charity event held to benefit the Met’s Costume Institute. Anna Wintour has been the head of the Met Gala since 1995 and led the charge when it came to moving the event to the first Monday in May, which has now become an annual tradition.
Once the red carpet is complete, the Met Gala is actually a very private event, with cellphone use not permitted inside. Although some stars have broken this rule to take bathroom selfies or dance floor videos a few times over the years, there is generally very little content made available to the public from inside the Gala. Designers are able to choose which celebrities they want to dress for the evening and tend to appear at the event alongside the stars who are representing them.
Met Gala Guest List
A full list of celebrities attending the 2023 Met Gala has not been confirmed, aside from the celebrity co-chairs listed above. However, there are some stars who have become staples at the event in recent years. Kim Kardashian always goes all out for the Met, and admittedly spends months prepping her looks for the high-fashion event each year. In 2022, Kim even had the honor of wearing one of Marilyn Monroe’s dresses on the red carpet, and was the last star to arrive, she made quite a splash in her look. Kim arrived in New York City on April 30 to prepare for the occasion.
Kim’s sisters, Kendall Jenner, and Kylie Jenner have also become Met Gala staples. The ladies have attended the event together in the past, but often walk the red carpet with separate designers. In 2022, both Kourtney Kardashian and Khloe Kardashian were also in attendance for the first time, making it a family affair. Kendall has been in NYC in the days leading up to the Met Gala, and was also featured in the May Vogue issue honoring Karl, so she’s a lock for the event. It’s unclear if Kylie, Kourtney and Khloe will also attend.
Interestingly, though, in March 2023, a Page Six reported that the Kardashians were not going to be invited to the high-profile event. The paper reported that Anna Wintour was “cracking down” on the guest list, and claimed that the Kardashians weren’t going to make the cut in 2023. However, by mid-April, Page Six back-tracked on its initial report and reported that Kim would be attending the event. No guest list has actually been confirmed by Vogue, though.
Meanwhile, Lady Gaga always knows how to make a statement at the Met Gala. She actually co-hosted the event in 2019 and had an insane red carpet entrance by stripping out of various looks until she was in just her lingerie. Rihanna hasn’t attended the Met Gala in several years, but she always goes hard with her stunning looks, and fans are constantly waiting to see if she’ll make an appearance. She teased her possible attendance by wearing a Karl Lagerfeld-inspired outfit while out and about in NYC on the weekend before the event. In 2022, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds were co-hosts of the event, and they’ve had a lot of epic moments on the Met Gala red carpet over the years, as well. However, Blake confirmed ahead of the 2023 Met Gala that she would NOT be coming, and would be watching from home instead.
The other models who joined Kendall on the May Vogue cover are also likely shoe-ins for the Met Gala, including Gigi Hadid, Naomi Campbell and Amber Valletta. Additionally, Florence Pugh confirmed that she would be attending for the very first time.