Kristen Stewart arrived at the 2023 Met Gala exuding her signature cool nonchalance in an androgynous Chanel look that gave a nod to the late great designer Karl Lagerfeld.
She joined Nicole Kidman and Gisele Bundchen in pulling from the archives and wearing something meaningful to her for one of fashion’s biggest nights.
“The main baseline through all of this is that she and Karl had a very special relationship,” stylist Tara Swennen told The Hollywood Reporter. “So the nature of where we began was making sure we honored that relationship, as well as the DNA of the brand.”
Chanel’s long-time ambassador stepped out in a menswear-inspired suit from the luxury label’s 2016 cruise runway show held in Cuba. “It seemed really right for the Met Gala, also because it really speaks to Kristen and is something she would do,” Swennen said.
Kristen Stewart wearing a Chanel menswear-inspired suit at the 2023 Met Gala with the theme Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on May 1, 2023 (Credit: Abaca Press / INSTARimages)
Stewart also told W magazine that when the look she chose for this year’s Met Gala “walked in the cruise show in Cuba I actually had to go to the Met Ball instead and I remember being so jealous and so in love with that suit.” She added, “Getting to wear it to the Met was a full circle [moment].”
Kristen Stewart wore a cropped white jacket with contrasting black satin lapels, a short black tie, and black gabardine pants cinched at the waist with a belt emblazoned with the brand’s signature double interlocking C’s. She also walked up the carpeted steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in a pair of two-tone loafers.
The original design had to fit the petite frame of the star, so she wore the runway pants but they had to “remake the jacket,” as Swennen noted to The Hollywood Reporter. “For the tuxedo shirt underneath, we found a wonderful light fabric, and I’m ditching the cummerbund for a belt.”
Kristen Stewart opting for an androgynous look inspired by the Chanel 2016 cruise runway show for the 2023 Met Gala (Credit: Abaca Press / INSTARimages)
Swennen continued, “We also were able to recreate the shoes, a leather snake-printed flat, because they were no longer available. Then, for the tie, I found something perfect when we were at the Berlin Film Festival, a sort of fusion of a regular tie and a bow tie.”
As for her beauty look, the Twilight star opted for a fresh face with an artfully messy hairstyle that gave a rock ‘n’ roll edge. She arrived sans accessories, choosing to put the focus on the suit.
“Kristen is doing a nod to him personally, but this is not about imitating Karl,” Tara Swennen told The Hollywood Reporter about the overall look. “It’s more about leaning into an androgynous look, while it also harkens to the way it went down the runway. But overall the look feels very Kristen.”
Kristen Stewart giving a nod to Karl Lagerfeld at the 2023 Met Gala (Credit: Abaca Press / INSTARimages)
This year’s Met Gala theme was Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty in honor of the iconic designer, who had worked for major fashion houses such as Chanel, Balmain, Fendi, and Chloé.
When asked about three adjectives that would best describe Karl Lagerfeld, the Spencer actress told W magazine: “Sweetheart. Erudite. Virtuoso.”
“I met him in a picture, in a café in Paris, shooting with Mario Testino,” Stewart said, as she recounted the first time she met Karl Lagerfeld. “I remember his strong hands and gentle voice in my ear, discreetly needling everyone else around us. Creating a bubble around us.”
Kristen Stewart remembers Karl Lagerfeld fondly and has said that she has “always felt truly seen” by him (Credit: Doug Peters / PA Images / INSTARimages)
The Oscar-nominated actress continued, “For someone of his caliber and esteem, I was so struck by his easy humanity. He let me in. His world, when shared, is an unexpectedly warm one. His love of work, art, people, culture, beauty was so deep, so expansive, so enviable, so contagious.”
“Working with him felt like family,” Stewart added. “I always felt truly seen by Karl. And I met him as a very young woman. So that felt like a generosity. I’m still very thankful for that and the memory of it.”