I Watched The 2023 Met Gala So You Don’t Have To

Another Met Gala Monday has come and gone and all the big names in Hollywood stepped out with their best feet forward for one of the most extravagant nights in the industry.

As a lover of fashion and art (and of course all things pop culture), I stayed up late to catch a glimpse of all the looks, so that I may sit in my pyjamas and judge people because it’s my right as a human.

The Met Gala is a yearly fundraising occasion held to support the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Held on the first Monday of May, the event unites celebrities, industry experts and philanthropists for a night of fashion and art. The exclusive guest list is carefully curated by long-time Vogue editor in chief and enduring name in the fashion world Anna Wintour.

For this particular red carpet event, attendees are expected to wear art, pay reverence to the history of fashion in the country and around the world, stun, amaze and showcase their aptitude for styling.

This year’s theme was a tribute to the late Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld and the legacy he left behind as a fashion designer, creative director, artist and photographer.

At the time of his death, the fashion legend had been in the game for decades and had a career that influenced American and western fashion, from his high collars, sequins, black and white and, most memorable, the blonde ponytail.

From cat cosplaying and glittery ass-cheeks on full display to exciting Met Gala debuts and jaw-dropping clothing ensembles, this year’s event left me feeling thoroughly amazed at many things but generally underwhelmed at most of it. I can’t quite put my finger on why, but I felt so utterly blasé about it throughout. Mind you, I stayed up until around 03h00 for this, but even Serena Williams’ pregnancy announcement couldn’t rescue the 2023 iteration in my mind.

Initially I had planned to pen this piece as a review of all the looks, and I was going to conclude with my best and worst-dressed picks of the night, but I did not like most of the outfits enough to ramble on about them for too long. Instead I want to highlight all the moments from the night that made me gasp, smile, frown, shake my head or scrunch my whole face up in confusion.

Briefly, here are MY thoughts.

My best-dressed person of the night was Cardi B in Chenpeng, then Teyana Taylor – who may have been the closest to getting the theme right in a black and white Thom Browne dress – and finally Simu Liu in Versace looking regal and opulent but simple. Some honourable mentions would be Anne Hathaway, Rihanna, Rihanna unborn baby, Bad Bunny, Dua Lipa, Keke Palmer, Joan Smalls, Brian Tyree Henry and Janelle Monae.

Kim Kardashian and her family looked well put together but boring. Other looks weren’t too bad, but they were kinda just regular gowns and tuxedos, as opposed to extravagant costumes (except Alton Mason, who I will forever have nightmares about) and theatrical entrances.

On the other hand I was very happy to see African stars infiltrating this high-level event. Musicians Burna Boy and Tems as well as comedian and presenter Trevor Noah were spotted on the carpet and represented ever so elegantly. On top of that, rising South African DJ and musician Uncle Waffles had the unique honour of spinning the decks at the event’s official after party, further spreading Amapiano to the world.

Now we need to talk about the clip circulating of musician A$AP Rocky jumping the red carpet barrier to cut the queue because he was running late. On the way over, he shoved a fan in the face and seemingly didn’t seem to notice or care. Moments like this have a funny way of knocking even the fiercest fashion lover back to the reality that events like this help perpetuate and reinforce systems like classism and elitism.

Okay, then there was Doja Cat. I must say I admire her commitment to performance art as a whole and this time round she did not disappoint. Dressed as Karl Lagerfeld’s celebrity cat Choupette – with feline facial prosthetics and all – she conducted her interviews solely with meowing sounds no matter what she was asked. She’s a high-level troll and it’s refreshing that she doesn’t take herself or the event too seriously.

Lastly, I must mention Lil Nas X. Honestly, I love the dude, but he looked so absolutely horrible I almost choked on my water when I first saw him and he managed to bump Pedro Pascal – in his terrible shorts – to second worst dressed.

The ‘Old Town Road’ rapper wore a silver, bedazzled thong and covered the rest of his nude body in what looks like a combination of body posting and some type of sequins. I have nothing against nudity and even a bit of drama, but I think it should still look good and flatter your body. This atrocity looks cheap and does none of that.

That is all.

– Anne Hambuda is a Cape Town-based poet, writer and social commentator from Windhoek. Email her at
annehambuda@gmail.com