Rihanna pays homage to Karl Lagerfeld Met Gala theme in New York

The star stepped out in a not-so-subtle Chanel look honouring the late designer

Rihanna stepped out in vintage Chanel ahead of the Met Gala paying homage to Karl Lagerfeld. Photo: Rihanna / Instagram

Rihanna has been one of the Met Gala’s key players over the past decade, providing some of the event’s most memorable looks, such as the dramatic yellow Guo Pei gown she wore in 2015. Never one to be behind the curve, the star debuted a Met-worthy look over the weekend that paid a not-so-subtle nod to this year’s theme, which pays homage to late Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld.

On Saturday, Rihanna stepped out for dinner in New York City in a vintage monochrome look from Chanel’s 1994 autumn/winter collection, designed by Lagerfeld. She wore the black-and-white fur two-piece over a fluffy white dress and finished the look with a pair of Chanel logo glasses.

Rihanna has not confirmed whether or not she will be attending this year’s gala, but her presence in New York City and her weekend outfit choice hint that she will grace the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Sharing images of her look to Instagram, she wrote: "Not even Monday".

While the heavily pregnant Rihanna was not in attendance during last year’s gala, her presence was still felt inside The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she was honoured with a statue. As part of the surprise, organised by Vogue in collaboration with the museum, the singer was immortalised in marble, modelled on the cover shoot she did for the May 2022 issue of the magazine.

For one night only, the figure was placed where the statue of Eirene (The Personification of Peace) stands. Sharing a video to Instagram, the magazine said: “Eirene is usually the highest-profile marble goddess @themetmuseum Greco-Roman galleries. But now we’ve got @badgalriri, straight off this month’s Vogue cover.”

And Rihanna was clearly thrilled with the honour. Reposting the video, she wrote: “Shut down the Met in marble! What’s more gilded than that? Lol! Thank you @metmuseum and @voguemagazine for this historic tribute! y’all bad for this one!”

What will stars wear at the Met Gala 2023 in honour of Karl Lagerfeld?

The prolific German designer, who died in 2019, has an impressive archive of clothes to trawl through — from his work with several fashion houses across the decades. This includes Chanel, Fendi, Chloe, Balmain, Patou and his own eponymous brand. He even, it was recently revealed, created collections for Max Mara.

Such a legacy means that guests have a seemingly limitless selection from which to choose, spanning every conceivable colour, mood and era, with archive pieces from any of his collections likely to win the wearer some serious fashion chops on the red carpet.

Of course, the chance to copy Lagerfeld's personal style will be irresistible for some. From his oversized 1980s suits and ever-present fan to his most famous uniform of high, starched collars and powdered grey hair pulled into a ponytail, complete with fingerless leather gloves, there are plenty of ways attendees could add a touch of Lagerfeld to their looks.

Naturally, anyone choosing to wear this look will need the finishing touch of Lagerfeld's beloved cat, Choupette.