Met Gala 2023: Rihanna Closes the Carpet in a Valentino Cape of Iconic Chanel Camellia Flowers

Vogue ended their livestream coverage of the 2023 Met Gala after nearly every star had arrived, but the carpet didn’t officially close until Rihanna (and her beau, and her baking second baby) finally showed up. The Bajan singer and beauty entrepreneur wore a Chanel-inspired, camellia flower-covered hooded gown by Valentino with a long skirt train. Ever on theme, the Met Gala darling also wore fingerless gloves in an homage to the late Karl Lagerfeld too.

In a 2022 interview with Bustle, Rihanna said of her approach to dressing while pregnant: “When I saw women dress during their pregnancy [in the past], I’d think that that was the only way. So I challenged myself to push it further and really just have fun with [maternity style]. Because there’s nothing more fun than a challenge for me. Like that’s where I get creative. That’s where I’m forced to come up with new ideas and new ways to make it work.”

Rihanna paired her white, embellished Valentino gown with a BVLGARI high jewelry necklace in platinum with five pear diamonds, 118 Akoya cultured pearls, seven pear diamonds, 109 round diamonds, 561 fancy shape diamonds, and pavé-set diamonds.

The singer and businesswoman’s partner, rapper A$AP Rocky, also joined her on the carpet for their sartorial moment, wearing Boucheron jewelry and a single-breasted jacket, black tie, stack of belts, leather boots, and a long tartan skirt over denim pants, all by Gucci.

The Met Gala, held as the annual fundraiser for New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, has been organized and presided over by Anna Wintour since 1995. It is timed to coincide with the unveiling of the museum’s annual fashion exhibition and this year’s is focused on Karl Lagerfeld. Titled “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” the collection honors the life and legendary career of the late designer who passed away on Feb. 19, 2019, and features more than 150 pieces including sketches.

The dress code simply reads “In honor of Karl,” leaving it mostly up for interpretation for the celebrities attending — and their stylists. The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton says he hopes guests will celebrate “the spirit of Karl, and hopefully, everyone will come out in vintage Chanel, vintage Fendi, vintage Chloé.” Lagerfeld also designed for houses including his brand, Patou, and Balmain.

The Met Gala program features Penélope Cruz, Michaela Coel, Roger Federer, Dua Lipa, and Vogue’s Wintour as the night’s co-chairs. See all the best looks from 2023 Met Gala red carpet here.