NEW YORK (AP) – Fashion’s biggest night is underway – after all, it is the first Monday in May. Follow along for real-time updates on the 2023 Met Gala from The Associated Press. We’ll be bringing you news in all formats, all day and all night, from the carpet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and behind the scenes. This year’s theme revolves around late fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld.
Live updates are contributed by Leanne Italie, Jocelyn Noveck, Beatrice Dupuy, Lindsey Bahr, Elise Ryan, Mallika Sen and other AP journalists.
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MAKING ITS MARK
The Mark Hotel has become an integral part of the Met Gala fabric. Located one avenue and about four blocks away from the museum, it bills itself as “New York’s most boldly lavish hotel” and it’s where many high-profile guests get ready for the gala. There’s no chance of getting a room there tonight, but fans and photogs alike are lining the entrance to capture departures. We even have a livestream up right now.
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RED CARPETS ARE SO LAST YEAR
You’d be forgiven for thinking the Met Gala seemingly followed in the Oscars’ footsteps with a more champagne-colored path into the exclusive party.
Garnished with red and blue lines snaking up the famed stairs, the Met Gala carpet also pays tribute to the Karl Lagerfeld exhibit inside, which “centers first and foremost on the dichotomy of the curved “˜S’ line (think romantic, decorative) and the straight line (modern, minimalist), with one curved wall and one straight wall in each gallery,” according to AP’s Jocelyn Noveck.
But the Oscars’ departure from the typical red this year actually came courtesy creative consultants Lisa Love, a longtime Vogue contributor, and Raúl Àvila – the creative director of none other than, you guessed it, the Met Gala.
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PEEK AT THE GUEST LIST
The worlds of fashion, Hollywood, sports and music are set to collide at the Met Gala tonight.
There will be supermodels, including Amber Valletta, Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Carolyn Murphy, Emily Ratajkowski and Gigi Hadid walking alongside sports icons like Serena Williams, host Roger Federer, Dwyane Wade, Russell Westbrook, Patrick Mahomes and Andy Roddick. Along those lines: Yes, Gisele Bündchen will be there; no, Tom Brady isn’t on the list.
Stars from hit shows like “Succession,” including Jeremy Strong and Alexander SkarsgÃ¥rd and “The Last of Us,” with Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal are expected, as are several recent Oscar winners like “Everything Everywhere All At Once’s” Ke Huy Quan and Michelle Yeoh.
Broadway will be well represented with Phillipa Soo, Ben Platt, Lea Michele and Jonathan Groff as well as a host of movie stars, including the likes of Margot Robbie, Anne Hathaway, Jennifer Lopez, Rami Malek, Robert Pattinson, Hugh Jackman and Florence Pugh, directors (Baz Luhrmann, Taika Waititi, Olivia Wilde and Sofia Coppola among them) and even executives, like Disney CEO Bob Iger and Interscope co-founder Jimmy Iovine.
There will be designers like Miuccia Prada, Stella McCartney, Vera Wang, Donatella Versace, Prabal Gurung, Tommy Hilfiger and Alessandro Michele, heiresses like Paris Hilton and Ivy Getty and actual royalty, like Charlotte Casiraghi. And from the music world, Billie Eilish, FINNEAS, Lil Nas X, host Dua Lipa, Tems and Usher.
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WHO’S MISSING FROM THE GUEST LIST?
The guest list handed out to reporters was more than seven pages long – but there were some big names missing. The mononymous showstoppers from previous years – Beyoncé, Rihanna and Zendaya – were all absent.
Blake Lively already told us she wouldn’t make it this year. Lively’s good friend Taylor Swift also wasn’t on the list; while her Eras tour is in full swing, she played Atlanta last night and isn’t due to play Nashville until Friday.
Two of Lagerfeld’s own “choupettes” (human edition), Vanessa Paradis and daughter Lily-Rose Depp, were also not on the list. But surprises are never out of the question.
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KARDASHIAN WATCH
Unfounded flew about whether the Kardashians were even invited to this year’s Met Gala; Kim put them at rest when she posted to Instagram a research trip to Paris (complete with a stop to pay fealty to Choupette ).
But who else from the Kardashian-Jenner clan made the cut? According to the guest list provided to press at the venue, Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner are the only other attendees slated to come.
But what about the extended universe? Kendall’s rumored beau Bad Bunny is on the list; Kylie’s – one Timothée Chalamet, a recent Met Gala host – is not. Also on the list: Kim’s ex, Pete Davidson. The pair walked the carpet last year, with Kim clad in the famous Marilyn Monroe dress.
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DRESS TO IM-PRESS
The press line opened hours before the stars are scheduled to descend upon the Met. As AP’s own Beatrice Dupuy waited patiently on a gray Manhattan afternoon, she noted that fans had already started packing the streets around the Upper East Side museum. But even at 3 p.m. Eastern, the police presence was minimal as workers clad in yellow vests cleaned the sidewalks.
The press line was full of reporters trying their best to emulate Chanel, with many a dark suit or tux on men and women alike. A star himself joined their ranks: In a pink ensemble accessorized with giant rosettes, Harvey Guillén (Guillermo of “What We Do in the Shadows” fame) queued up to get set for a hosting stint with E! News.
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HAVE YOU MET THE DEBT GALA?
Monday’s gala is a benefit for the museum’s Costume Institute and a pricey affair – last year, the exclusive event brought in more than $17 million. For those with no invite or who aren’t inclined to spend tens of thousands, alternative events have popped up in recent years.
On the torrentially rainy Sunday before, the Brooklyn borough played host to two such events: The People’s Ball, at the Brooklyn Public Library, and the Debt Gala, at The Bell House. The former is a free event that allows guests to sashay down the runway in the Central Library’s lobby. The library’s website doesn’t specifically reference the Met Gala – rather, pitting itself “in contrast to the elite galas that pop up across the city in the spring” – but the Debt Gala very much does.
Around 300 people attended the inaugural Debt Gala, raising more than $15,000 for RIP Medical Debt, organizers told the AP. This year’s funds will go toward buying and wiping out others’ medical debt, but organizers say the gala might target different types of debt in future years.
Inspired by the 2016 Met Gala theme, “Manus x Machina,” the Debt Gala chose “Garbage X Glamour” for a sustainability focus. “The drama of the weather matched the drama of the looks,” organizers said – among them: a pink shawl and personal runway made of bubble wrap; a harness made of tampons and condoms created by performer Joyelle Nicole Johnson; a green corset made of CDs; and, of course, a dress made of trash bags.
The guests had to evacuate the venue because of flooding, but sustained the night at a nearby bar.
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PAS DE CHAT: NO CHOUPETTE
The Met Gala guest list is highly secretive and thus in great demand. But this year, there was one name that had fashion fans and the press achatter: Choupette Lagerfeld, 11.
Would Lagerfeld’s muse – who also happened to be the late designer’s cat – leave her perch in France for New York? Alas, she has spoken: Non.
Choupette – or an oracle with opposable thumbs – took to Instagram on Monday morning to dispel rumors that she would walk (or be walked) up the iconic stairs. While she expressed gratitude that the man she calls “Daddy” was being honored, she said “we preferred to stay peacefully & cozy at home.”
Her account posted the photo Monday morning. If she’s changed her mind in the hours since, she could still make the gala – after all, the flight from Paris to New York is around eight hours and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection does not require domestic cats to quarantine upon arrival. Oui, we checked.
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INSIDE THE MET EXHIBIT
AP’s Jocelyn Noveck got a sneak peek inside the Met’s actual exhibit on Lagerfeld. With a bit of cheek, a doorway is emblazoned with the words: “Fashion does not belong in a museum.” And yet visitors are treated to 14 galleries of fashion in the museum. While that quote came from Lagerfeld himself, Noveck notes that the exhibit otherwise doesn’t focus on Lagerfeld’s more contentious takes.
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WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH KARL LAGERFELD
The late fashion designer’s selection as the theme is not without controversy, with some criticizing his unapologetically polemical comments on a variety of topics, including xenophobic and fatphobic remarks. AP Entertainment Writer Leanne Italie, who will be anchoring our coverage tonight, breaks down the designer’s multifaceted legacy.
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WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THIS YEAR’S MET GALA
This year is themed around the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s new exhibit, “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty.” Given that Lagerfeld was, well, a fashion designer, you can expect many a haute look.
The guest list is heavily guarded, but every year leaks do escape. Check out our guide on the 2023 Met Gala for a sneak peek on who might walk up those iconic stairs tonight, brought to you by AP National Writer Jocelyn Noveck (who will also bring you one of the rare dispatches from inside the event).
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HOW TO WATCH THE MET GALA
A livestream will kick off on Vogue.com at 6:30 p.m. Eastern. But the AP can give you a first look at what to expect – check back here in the late afternoon for a livestream of departures from the Mark Hotel, a nearby venue where many stars get ready for the gala.
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For more Met Gala coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/met-gala
