Best 50+ Looks at New York City’s Annual Met Gala

This year’s high-fashion event pays tribute to the late designer Karl Lagerfeld

Alison Maxwell and Nancy Kerr,

AARP

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Published May 01, 2023

Naomi Campbell, Jennifer Lopez and Glenn Close at The Met Gala in New York City

(Left to right) Naomi Campbell, Jennifer Lopez and Glenn Close

ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images; John Shearer/WireImage; Kevin Mazur/MG23/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue

Designers, celebrities, models and influencers flocked to New York City for one of fashion’s biggest nights of the year: the Met Gala. For the over-the-top event, the annual fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, attendees dress according to a selected theme and vie for the best interpretation — and often the most avant-garde outfit — of the evening.

This year’s theme, “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” pays homage to the chic, ponytailed and black-sunglassed German designer who got his start working for Fendi and Chloe and served as the creative director for the French fashion house Chanel. Lagerfeld died in 2019 at age 85. The Met examines Lagerfeld’s work in an exhibit starting May 5.

See who turned heads on the steps of the Met:

Michelle Yeoh at the 2023 Met Gala held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City

ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images

Michelle Yeoh, 60

Fresh off her best actress Oscar win for Everything Everywhere All at Once, Yeoh wowed in a black-and-white gown with oversized, billowing white sleeves.

Nicole Kidman at the 2023 Met Gala held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York

ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images

Nicole Kidman, 55

What’s old is new again when it comes to the Met gala. Kidman honored Lagerfeld by wearing a pink, feather-encrusted gown she wore back in 2004 for a Chanel No. 5 ad shot by director Baz Luhrmann. According to E, the gown features 250 pink feathers, 3,000 sequins and a train clocking in at a whopping 13 feet. “I’m wearing a dress that Karl designed for me 20 years ago. I’m very grateful to wear it. He was so much a part of my life, as were his whole team,” Kidman told the Associated Press. “He was the one [who] really sort of shepherded me … in terms of my love of fashion.”

Naomi Campbell attends The 2023 Met Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City

John Shearer/WireImage

Naomi Campbell, 52

The supermodel joined the pink parade, sporting an asymmetrical gown with a silver floral embossed shell and pink toga-inspired overlay. According to E, the gown is Chanel couture from 2010.

Jennifer Lopez on the red carpet at The Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City

Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Jennifer Lopez, 53

The singer-actress dazzled in a handmade plunging halter-neck dress by Ralph Lauren complete with a black-banded satin pink skirt with black train. Lopez accessorized the eye-catching ensemble with a veiled fascinator, black elbow-length gloves, pink clutch and black platform shoes by Piferi.

Actress Gabrielle Union at The 2023 Met Gala held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Gabrielle Union, 50

Red alert! Bring It On actress Gabrielle Union stunned in a monochromatic red floor-pooling dress with matching ankle-length leather duster from Prada.

Glenn Close at The 2023 Met Gala held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City

Mike Coppola/Getty Images

Glenn Close, 76

Silver-caped crusader Glenn Close looked regal in an Eredem Moralioglu-designed dress, complete with nods to Lagerfeld’s most iconic styles — the starched collared neckline and bold cuffs and layered trompe l’oeil crystal necklace. “I think it is elegance personified,” the eight-time Oscar nominee told Vogue online.

Viola Davis wearing a pink dress at The 2023 Met Gala held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue

Viola Davis, 57

Framed by feathers: That was the vibe Davis brought in her hot pink Valentino grown accentuated with plumage at the neckline. “I had a couple of different choices and I love the color. … I feel a little bit like a princess or maybe an empress,” she said on Vogue’s Instagram Live stream.

Salma Hayek Pinault wearing a red dress at The 2023 Met Gala held at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City

Cindy Ord/MG23/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue

Salma Hayek, 56

Amid a sea of pastels and blacks, Hayek set hearts ablaze in a fire-engine-red gown with a tulle skirt and a latex bodice. Pearl straps completed the look. “For you Karl ♥️. Para ti Karl ♥️,” Hayek wrote on Instagram.

Anna Wintour at the 2023 Met Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City

Kevin Mazur/MG23/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue

Anna Wintour, 73

The Vogue editor-in-chief — and chairwoman of the Met gala — arrived at the star-studded event on the arm of British actor Bill Nighy. To honor her good friend Lagerfeld, Wintour wore an evening coat dress from the spring 2023 Chanel couture collection adorned with pearl gray, yellow, black and white deco-style beaded flowers. “It’s a very emotional night for me,” she told Vogue online. “I loved Karl so much.”

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Alison Maxwell is an executive editor of features at AARP. Prior to joining the organization, she spent 20 years at USA Today, most recently as managing editor of the Life section.

Nancy Kerr is a senior writer and editor of features content for AARP. Prior to joining the organization, she was the editor of special projects for USA Today; a senior editor for the USA Weekend magazine; an assistant managing editor of digital content at The Washington Post and the director of women’s programming at America Online.