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Thanks for joining us for the biggest night of the year in fashion.

• This year's Met Gala theme honoured Karl Lagerfeld and his decades-long career, which saw him at the helm of some of the biggest-name fashion houses in the world, including Chanel and Fendi
• Guests seemed to abide more strictly to the theme than usual. Karl was everywhere this evening - inspiring lots of pearls, high collars, and black and white garments
• Attendees were effusive in their praise of Karl, most avoiding any mention of his controversial life
• We had two pregnancy reveals - Karlie Kloss and Serena Williams
• And we had several cat references, honouring Karl's beloved feline, Choupette
• But we had no Rihanna. After much speculation, and a reported late-night fitting this weekend, the star never arrived. If she does arrive after we've ended our coverage, she puts a new meaning to the term fashionably late!

Tonight's coverage was brought to you by Holly Honderich, Brandon Livesay, Ellie Violet Bramley, Steven McIntosh, Marianna Brady, Nada Tawfik, Pratiksha Ghildial and Grace Conley.

Read more about this year's Met Gala here.

Nada Tawfik
Met Gala red carpet

The night started off with looks that screamed Karl Lagerfeld from his signature black blazers to his Chanel white wedding dresses and couture gowns. The carpet was awash with hues of white, black and red and accessories adorned with tweed, pearls and black flowers.

A few celebrities including Penelope Cruz and Margot Robbie even wore outfits from the archives.

It took awhile but eventually there were a few moments of drama that many have come to expect from this red carpet.

From Jared Leto and Doja Cat dressed as cats in homage to Lagerfeld’s pet Choupette, to Lil Nas X and Janelle Monae’s elaborate and outrageous choices, there was still a bit of theatre.

Ellie Violet Bramley
Fashion critic

From pearls to little black dresses and starched collars, the red carpet tonight was a treasure trove of references to Karl Lagerfeld's work, as well as his personal style.

The theatricality has felt fitting both in terms of Lagerfeld and in terms of the tone of the Met Gala itself, which is an annual magnet for stunts. But it has been the more understated archival moments that have provided the biggest fashion thrills.

From seeing Nicole Kidman rewear the dress from that infamous Chanel No 5 advert, to Dua Lipa in a design originally worn by Claudia Schiffer on the catwalk, the theme was an opportunity for revisiting vintage gems.

Given Lagerfeld was relentlessly forward-facing, though, it was maybe the more innovative looks that Lagerfeld would have found most interesting.

Who knows, maybe he would have loved Leto's giant Choupette tribute.

Pratiksha Ghildial
Met Gala red carpet

Image source, Getty Images

Bollywood mega star Alia Bhatt made her debut at the Met Gala earlier this evening while this was Priyanka Chopra Jonas' fourth appearance.

Apart from being a huge star in India, the former Miss World is a well known face in Hollywood as well.

Despite being one of the world's biggest film industries and known for its elaborate costumes, songs and dances - Bollywood is relatively new to the Met Gala.

It's only in recent years that mega stars like Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone made an appearance here.

Bollywood has long had a broad reach outside of India in the Middle East and Africa. But now Bollywood is growing and attracting attention in the west, too.

Kim Kardashian told media on the red carpet she wanted to be "dripping in pearls" because, "what is more Karl?"

Her gown lived up to the brief, with Vogue reporting some 50,000 freshwater pearls were used in the design.

Karl Lagerfeld's signature pearls were absolutely everywhere on the Met Gala red carpet tonight.

Gigi Hadid, Serena Williams, Lizzo and Karlie Kloss all highlighted their looks with strings of pearls as jewellery or weaved into their gowns.

And in the case of Lil Nas X, they were even glued all over his face and body in an intricate design.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Let's look at a few popular themes that stood out tonight on the red carpet.

Karl Lagerfeld's cat, Choupette, did not make an appearance tonight as we had hoped. However, several of the Met Gala guests made up for it, adding a feline element to their outfits in the cat's honour.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

The red carpet is quiet, with most of the stars inside for the event, but we're still waiting on a few celebrities who are expected tonight (Rihanna and Zendaya).

Will they show up or have they ghosted the Met Gala this year?

Ellie Violet Bramley
Fashion critic

Image source, Getty Images

The so-called head girl of fashion, Gigi Hadid, was always going to have done her homework on the designer for whom she walked several times over the years, not least at his final Fendi collection at Milan Fashion Week just days after his death.

The corset and the pearls she is wearing are very much a part of his design vernacular.

Plus, while black is reportedly frowned upon by Anna Wintour, it is a smart choice this year to honour a designer who spent decades as creative director of the French fashion house that is home to the little black dress.

Actor and singer Jeremy Pope has taken the theme of Karl Lagerfeld quite literally, wearing an enormous cape featuring the designer's face.

Image source, Getty Images

Ellie Violet Bramley
Fashion critic

In the strong tradition of Met Gala outfits that transform, Janelle Monáe has brought some liveliness with her metamorphosing get up.

The silhouette is oversized and cartoonish but the palette is chic.

It is just the kind of fun that befits a night in tribute to a designer who once transformed the Grand Palais into a Chanel-themed airport terminal.

Ellie Violet Bramley
Fashion critic

Jeremy Strong (known to many as Kendall Roy for the role he plays in Succession) takes his fashion, as his acting, incredibly seriously.

Pour over each of his fashion choices tonight and there will undoubtedly be a lengthy thought process behind each and every one of them.

For my two cents, the brown coat and sugarsnap green feels like a refreshingly unusual combination.

Side note: the green pendant he wore is apparently from Frank Ocean's jewellery brand, Homer.

Image source, Getty Images

The red carpet is meant to be closed, but we still have many stars to go.

Here's the next bunch of fabulously dressed A-listers.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Ellie Violet Bramley
Fashion critic

The Met Gala wouldn't be the Met Gala without a dress train so long that it puts a king-sized duvet to shame, and this year is no different.

While Emily in Paris star Lily Collins had a go with a train that had emblazoned on it the single word "KARL", Glenn Close also wore an incredible, and very large, blue cape by Erdem.

But, from an unscientific study, it seems like Pugh's might be the biggest of the night so far.

She told The New York Times a few days ago that she would be attending the event for the first time in something “big”.

And while she is not wrong, the look is more than its train alone – from the cutout, architectural gown to the feathery sculpture on her head, this is an outfit from someone unafraid to run with a brief.

Image source, Getty Images