6 Met Gala Looks that Borrowed from the Archives

The first Monday in May is renowned for hosting the extravagant Met Gala. The event fundraises for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute with its exclusive guests paying $50,000 per ticket. This year, the theme was "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty," in tribute to the late fashion designer who revived the house of Chanel. Although many celebrities and their designers put excessive resources into creating custom couture pieces just for the night, we prefer to admire the treasures plucked from the archives.

1. Gisele Bündchen

Gisele Bündchen graced the red carpet with a white feathered cape spread like angel wings. Beneath the hooded cape she was sheathed in a silk tulle dress, embroidered with vertical stripes of white sequins. Bündchen re-wore this bridal look from Chanel’s Spring/Summer 2007 Couture collection. It was originally worn on the catwalk by Freja Beha Erichsen, however Bündchen was featured wearing it in a fashion editorial the same year. The flamboyant outfit was accessorised with 18K white gold and diamond earrings and ring.

2. Dua Lipa

As co-chair of the Met Gala 2023, Dua Lipa also borrowed from the Chanel archives. The vintage ball gown was worn by Claudia Schiffer on the catwalk as part of Chanel’s Autumn/Winter 1992 collection. The dress is classic Chanel thanks to its creamy, textured tweed. It has a subtle shimmer, complemented by the jaw-dropping $10 million diamond necklace worn by Dua Lipa. The Tiffany & co. Lucida Star Necklace was set with over 100 carats, responsibly sourced from Botswana. The princess look features a laced up bodice, cinched basque waist, and full skirt. The hem is fringed and the bodice is finished with a black and white trim.

3. Naomi Campbell

The Met Gala 2023 was Naomi Campbell’s 16th year. Her look was a luscious liquid toga. Pink satin was draped from her left shoulder to her waist over a straight, full-length skirt. The points of the fabric were embellished with swirling silver sequins and matched the patterns adorning her right shoulder. To add to the Grecian look, Campbell’s arms were wrapped in a snake-like bracelet and arm cuff. The regal dress was borrowed from Chanel’s Spring 2010 Couture collection.

4. Nicole Kidman

The Met Gala 2023 provided a chance for Nicole Kidman to rewear a blush pink gown from a 2004 Chanel No.5 commercial, in which she starred alongside Rodrigo Santoro. Directed by Baz Luhrmann, Kidman can be seen in the ad fleeing paparazzi with her dress trailing behind her. 250 ostrich feathers dust the train, which has a circumference of 4m, and the silk bodice is embroidered with 3,000 silver crystals and sequins. There is also a slit in the centre front of the skirt and a delicate tulle ribbon draping from one shoulder. Lasting only 3 minutes, the ad was one of the most expensive ever made and cost $33 million. The Chanel gown was designed by Lagerfeld himself.

5.Yara Shahidi

Yara Shahidi and her stylist Jason Bolden chose an archival bodice reminiscent of Lagerfeld’s 1993 see-through corsets and picked gold out of the collection’s colour palette. At the Met Gala Shahidi looked like a bronzed fairy-goddess, perhaps a nod to her recent role as Tinkerbell, wearing Jean Paul Gaultier. She perfectly exampled how to restyle existing garments, sharing that “it was the first time they [JPG] had ever combined archive with custom—what an honour!” Her two-piece look consisted of a Spring 2008 bustier, embedded with iridescent mother-of-pearl and plated in golden sheets, combined with a new pleated skirt with padded hips.

6. Lila Moss

Lila Moss accompanied her mother, Kate Moss, to the Met Gala in a complementary pink gown. The fluffy Fendi outfit was created with marabou feathers treated to appear as fur. Although borrowed from Fendi’s Autumn/Winter 2018 Collection, the dress pays homage to the same iconic Lagerfeld corsets that Shahidi was inspired by. The design also references Lagerfeld’s love of pastel colours and his eye for a feminine flourish. The dress has a deep V-neck and the hem hangs just above the ankles, displaying Moss’s glittery heels. Linking the voluminous feathered sections, is a transparent, netted, silk corset, with glittery boning. As well as showing-off her midriff, Moss reveals her diabetes glucose monitor on the back of her arm that she has been previously praised for not hiding while modelling.

We hope to see more celebrities rewear forgotten gems on the red carpet in future and see them rise to the Green Carpet Challenge started by Livia Firth! In the meantime, start borrowing clothes with CloSh.