The Met Gala, a prestigious fundraiser which cost $50,000 per seat to attend and partially funded the Metropolitan Museum of Art, featured an array of unique outfits and fashion statements this year. The theme of Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty lent itself to plenty of creative interpretations everything from cats to Dior.

Karl Lagerfeld, the late famous fashion designer, was chosen as the theme of this year’s Met Gala. Lagerfeld inspired many iconic looks at the 2023 red carpet. 

However, Lagerfeld was a controversial pick, due to accusations of Islamophobia and fatphobia.

Lagerfeld was one of the most influential figures in 20th century fashion, and is known for his revival of the prestigious fashion brand Channel. This year, his work inspired celebrities from Jack Harlow to Cardi B. 

As always, among the simply aesthetically pleasing outfits, a few stood out as unique. Here are the top 5 most interesting looks from the 2023 Met Gala:

5. Conan Gray 

With a simply beautiful outfit, the famous pop singer, Gray, showed up in a black-and-white floor length jacket, embroidered with pearls, an homage to the late Lagerfeld, who loved pearls. Gray tweeted in 2018 that if he were to ever attend the Gala, “I solemnly swear to not wear a bland […] black tuxedo unless the theme is distinctly “bland […] black tuxedo.” He definitely lived up to his promise. 

4. Bella Ramsey 

With another black-and-white pearl outfit, the star of the show The Last of Us, Bella Ramsey, rocked a tuxedo-skirt combo to their first Met Gala. Ramsey, who is genderfluid, embraced their gender identity through an avant garde stylistic choice, designed by Thom Browne. (An honorable mention for this list would include Ramsey’s co-star, Pedro Pascal, who rocked a bright red suit and shorts to the Met.

3. Elle Fanning

This year’s theme was extra personal to Fanning, who was featured in Lagerfeld’s book, Little Black Jacket. The book, which was a collection of 21 photographs re-inventing the Channel classic, featured Fanning, who was thirteen at the time. At the Met, Fanning paid respect to the late designer by recreating the look she wore during the photoshoot. 

To explain the top two looks of this year’s Gala, a little context is needed. The late Lagerfeld owned a well-loved cat, named Choupette, an 11-year old white Birman, with a 175K following on Instagram. The cat was invited to the Gala, but did not attend. In place, multiple attendees paid homage to Choupette through creative stylistic choices. 

2. Doja Cat 

As an homage to Lagerfeld, the pop singer, Doja Cat, dressed up as Choupette. With a white dress and a prosthetic cat face, along with a headpiece which included cat ears, Doja Cat committed to the Met Gala theme. To take it a step further, when being interviewed on the red carpet, Doja Cat responded by only meowing, becoming a highlight of the night. 

Honorary mention: The Cockroach 

Getting more attention on Tiktok than most of the paying attendees, the cockroach, which made its way onto the red carpet, became one of the most memorable moments of the Gala. While not wearing what can be traditionally described as an outfit, the cockroach definitely had a unique take on the Gala look.

1. Jared Leto 

With a bold and one-of-a-kind choice, Leto showed up in a literal fur suit of Choupette the cat, ditching regular fashion trends and aesthetics. But while the outfit is iconic and unique, it is not the only reason he deserves the number one slot. Leto, who is an actor known for American Psycho and House of Gucci, is working on a movie about the late Lagerfeld, playing the lead role and producing the movie himself. Jared Leto, from fur suit to movie, was thee highlight of the 2023 Met Gala.