Met Gala men’s fashion was some of the best of the night and Jeremy Pope led the pack, delivering thee fashion stunt of the evening with a 30-foot Karl cape draped over the Met steps, featuring a hand-drawn illustration of Karl Lagerfeld.
OH JEREMY POPE DEVOURED THISðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ https://t.co/p77u01rI3j
— ð—±ð—®ð—»ð—»ð˜†ðŸ«§ðŸ’š (@beyoncegarden) May 2, 2023
Usually on-the-nose references like this are corny, but the black and white palette helped to keep it feeling like an elegant tribute. Balmain, one of Lagerfeld’s former houses, crafted the piece and the brand says it took over 5,000 meters of silk chiffon and 70 seamstresses to complete. You can appreciate the craftsmanship, because it photographed beautifully. There were several handlers who helped usher the garment up the steps, but every time they dropped it, it just fell into place. You look at the images and it’s draped so perfectly, like Jeremy’s effortlessly pulling it behind him.
Another stand out look, for better of worse, comes from Lil Nas X. While other others went for classy Karl looks, Nas went for the outrageous. With a Dior Men’s thong as the only fabric on his body, legendary makeup artist Pat McGrath covered the rest with chrome body paint, encrusted with pearls and crystals, creating an otherworldly cat-like mask on his face.
🎥 @LilNasX arrives to the 2023 #MetGala pic.twitter.com/IFAqyU21ls
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) May 2, 2023
I don’t like it. This will no doubt be one of the most talked about looks of the night, but the Met Gala is your opportunity to really serve an iconic fashion moment and you’ve immediately failed if there’s no fashions on your body. Love the face, though. Had he done that with an actual outfit? He’d be in the same conversation as Doja Cat.
Someone who often plays in the same style sandbox as Nas is Alton Mason, the first Black male model to walk in a Chanel show. He told Vogue, when he thinks about Karl, he thinks about the Chanel bride, so that’s what he wanted to embody. I really like the details here: wearing a veil the entire time, his bouquet made of fabric and the corset that stretches all the way down to almost become a jock. At first, I wanted a sleeker heel, but Sarah pointed out how the shoes play into 80s style and now I think I’m drinking the Kool-Aid.
Model Alton Mason…. #MetGala pic.twitter.com/i8SeRaE5MJ
— Fck_Yaya🎧âœï¸ðŸ¾ (@FckYaya) May 1, 2023
Brian Tyree Henry also used his look to play with gender and androgyny. The ruffles and the white cuffed sleeves are giving me 1993 The Three Musketeer vibes, but make it fashion. He’s just missing a hat, but that would cover his face and I don’t think Brian gets enough credit for how hot he is! The look is actually a collaboration with the Karl Lagerfeld brand and on the carpet he told Variety he wanted a masculine/feminine bridal look because that’s so intrinsic to who we are, “we can be all things”.
Brian Tyree Henry unpacks his #MetGala look: "I love the androgyny of it." https://t.co/OcPy5cjK1f pic.twitter.com/4awAl5D6jx
— Variety (@Variety) May 1, 2023