This year’s Met Gala centered around the theme of honoring Karl Lagerfeld, who passed away in 2019. Lagerfeld was a controversial character: he was notoriously fatphobic, misogynistic, racist, and Islamophobic. Honoring a person like that was a controversial choice on the part of Anna Wintour and the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. However, that is not the focus of my article. If you’d like to read more about the controversy, I highly recommend the Time Magazine article “Why the Met Gala’s Karl Lagerfeld Theme Is Controversial” by Cady Lang. 

Despite Lagerfeld’s controversial persona, there is no denying that he completely changed the fashion world. Lagerfeld was instrumental in some of the most iconic designs from Chanel, Fendi, Celine, and Chloe. It is quite possible that Lagerfeld had a bigger impact on Chanel than Coco Chanel herself, given that he designed their CC logo and created the Classic Flap bag, which now sells for over $10,000.  

On May 1st, celebrities of all kinds walked the red carpet on the iconic Met steps dressed in their homages to Lagerfeld’s designs. As always there were mixed reviews on some of the pieces, but I am here to tell you how you can recreate my top three favorite looks from the evening. 

1. Dua Lipa

Dua Lipa wore a stunning vintage Chanel gown from the 1992 runway show. Now, this gown is not a look that one can sport every day, so here are some ways to channel the vibes of this outfit into your everyday wardrobe:

• The first option I found is the Floerns Women’s Tweed Short Sleeve Shirt Tunic Dress from Amazon. This dress captures the vibes of Dua’s gown perfectly. The white tweed that makes up the body of the dress is about as similar as you can get to the fabric of Dua’s gown without sneaking into the Chanel archives. This dress features a fringed black piping that also closely resembles the 1992 gown. If you are looking for an outfit that is clearly inspired by this Met Gala look, I would go with this one. The only downside is that because this is a tunic dress, it lacks the form-fitting corset design of the gown.
• My second option is the Alice and Olivia Carli Spaghetti Strap Tweed Mini Dress. This dress is a bright pink tweed, so it does not exactly match the color of the 1992 gown. However, this dress does feature a more form-fitting design that reminds me quite a bit of the gown Dua Lipa wore. I would call the shape of this dress a more young and fun version of what Karl was trying to achieve with the corset bodice of the 1992 look. If you want a more neutral tweed from the same brand, the Jordy Double Breasted Tweed Tuxedo Dress is a stunning black and white tweed dress. The Jordy dress does not share much in common with Dua’s dress aside from fabrication, but if you want an outfit that screams 90s Chanel couture, this is the one for you. 

2. Anne Hathaway

Anne Hathaway wore a white and gold Versace tweed number on the red, white, and blue Met carpet. This number was Donetella Versace’s stunning twist on the iconic Versace safety pin dress worn by Elizabeth Hurley in 1994. Hathaway’s dress was a brilliant example of how to honor a designer while still fulfilling your contract with another brand. The tweed on her dress screamed Chanel, while the uniquely Versace design brought something more edgy into the  look. 

I think the only way to recreate this look is to channel your inner Madeleine White (@madeleine_white on TikTok). White has become famous for DIYing her outfits. She famously “destroyed” a Prada jumpsuit by cutting it up and turning it into a skirt set for the Prada fashion show last Fashion Week. We are going to channel her slightly chaotic energy and create a masterpiece just as iconic as her Prada look. Go to any thrift store you can find and buy yourself a dress or skirt. In order to really make it look like Hathaway’s dress, try to find something with a tweed-like fabric. Then go to a craft store or handy dandy Amazon and buy safety pins. Then we are going to cut about halfway up the thigh of whatever skirt/dress you are using. After that you take however many safety pins you need and clip the part you cut back together. I think it looks best when the pins are about ¾ of an inch apart. Now you have a super trendy and fun outfit that could realistically cost less than fifteen dollars. 

3. Lizzo

Lizzo graced the Met steps in a black Chanel gown and a pearl vest of sorts. This look is quite different from what we normally see Lizzo in. She tends to favor more outlandish and show-stopping outfits, but I found the ode to Audrey Hepburn wonderful and very elegant. 

The base of this dress can be replicated with any long black dress that you can find. I dressed as Holly Golightly for Halloween, so when I went to recreate this outfit I used my costume, which I bought from Zara. I recreated this look by layering different strands of pearls and beads to channel the look without replicating it exactly. The pearl vest could be a fun DIY if you are feeling exceptionally crafty. As a pretty uncrafty person, I opted to search Amazon and found some pretty good pearl vest options. My favorite one is the JWJP&CCYIQI pearl body chain bra. Now I have never heard of this brand and cannot attest to the quality, but it looks like it could be a cute way to replicate the look for only nineteen dollars.