The Best-Dressed Men at the Met Gala 2023

Fashion's biggest night is honoring Karl Lagerfeld—and these are the guys who pulled off the theme perfectly.
IMAGE PHOTO: DIMITRIOS KAMBOURIS / GETTY IMAGES

Finally—the first Monday in May. We've had huge red carpet moments in film and television this year, but tonight? Well, tonight is the biggest night in fashion. Up and down Fifth Avenue, Uber Blacks are causing traffic jams, pedestrians are flocking towards Central Park, and the Internet is gearing up for the Met Gala. It's about damn time.

Tonight's Met Gala theme is in remembrance and celebration of Karl Lagerfeld, the iconic fashion designer who made his mark in fashion houses including Chanel, Fendi, Balmain, Chloé, and more. "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty" calls for a dress code paying tribute to the late designer—no decade restrictions this year, nor a white tie or black tie guideline. No campiness, unless it's channeling Karl. The dress code for tonight is a wide-open, simple, "in honor of Karl." And with a legacy as expansive and prolific as his, we expect a lot of major fashion moments from the Met Gala's red carpet tonight—prepare for tweed and tailoring, folks.

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The best dressed men of the evening are not going to be those in a simple tux or suit. That won't cut it, this year! We're looking at those who take the Karl Lagerfeld theme to the highest levels; we want to see the men of the Met Gala digging into Lagerfeld's archives, pulling out the boldest, classiest, and all around best looks that pay tribute to the designer. (I mean, okay, we might give a nod to a few guys in great tuxes or suits. But only if they look exceptional—tailoring to a tee, you know?) This is, after all, the Met Gala—if there was ever a time for the stars to step out of their comfort zones, it's tonight.

So our best dressed men of the evening aren't playing it safe; in true Lagerfeld-esque fashion, these guys are taking things to extreme levels of classiness, elegance, and, most importantly, Karlness. They're on-theme and above-average. They look fantastic in something other than a regular old tux. There are no winners of the Met Gala, but if there were, these men are ours.

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Photo by JAMIE MCCARTHY / GETTY IMAGES.

Conan Gray

Photo by JAMIE MCCARTHY / GETTY IMAGES.

Jeremy Pope

Photo by DIMITRIOS KAMBOURIS / GETTY IMAGES.

Olivier Rousteing

Photo by JAMIE MCCARTHY / GETTY IMAGES.

Pedro Pascal

Photo by JAMIE MCCARTHY / GETTY IMAGES.

Alessandro Michele

Photo by CHRISTOPHER POLK / GETTY IMAGES.

Simu Liu

Photo by JOHN SHEARER / GETTY IMAGES.

Alton Mason

Photo by DIMITRIOS KAMBOURIS / GETTY IMAGES.

Bad Bunny

Photo by MIKE COPPOLA / GETTY IMAGES.

Sean "Diddy" Combs

Photo by JAMIE MCCARTHY / GETTY IMAGES.

Eddie Redmayne

Photo by CINDY ORD/MG23 / GETTY IMAGES.

Labrinth

Photo by KEVIN MAZUR/MG23 / GETTY IMAGES.

Ke Huy Quan

Photo by MIKE COPPOLA / GETTY IMAGES.

Lil Nas X

Photo by DIMITRIOS KAMBOURIS / GETTY IMAGES.

Russell Westbrook

Photo by NOAM GALAI/GA / GETTY IMAGES.

In Bode

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Maluma

Photo by JAMIE MCCARTHY / GETTY IMAGES.

Jared Leto

Photo by JAMIE MCCARTHY / GETTY IMAGES.

Jeremy Strong

Photo by MIKE COPPOLA / GETTY IMAGES.

Edward Enninful

Photo by JAMIE MCCARTHY / GETTY IMAGES.

Robert Pattinson

Photo by KEVIN MAZUR/MG23 / GETTY IMAGES.

In Dior Men

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Pusha T

Photo by JAMIE MCCARTHY / GETTY IMAGES.

Stefon Diggs

Photo by JAMIE MCCARTHY / GETTY IMAGES.

Jordan Roth

Photo by NOAM GALAI/GA / GETTY IMAGES.

Jonathan Groff

Photo by MIKE COPPOLA / GETTY IMAGES.

Gustav Witzoe

Photo by MIKE COPPOLA / GETTY IMAGES.

Brian Tyree Henry

Photo by DIMITRIOS KAMBOURIS / GETTY IMAGES.

Tyler Mitchell

Photo by DIMITRIOS KAMBOURIS / GETTY IMAGES.

Ben Platt

Photo by JAMIE MCCARTHY / GETTY IMAGES.

Cai Xukun

Photo by NOAM GALAI/GA / GETTY IMAGES.

Dwyane Wade

Photo by DIMITRIOS KAMBOURIS / GETTY IMAGES.

Baz Luhrmann

Photo by MIKE COPPOLA / GETTY IMAGES.

David Byrne

Photo by NOAM GALAI/GA / GETTY IMAGES.

Taika Waititi

Photo by JAMIE MCCARTHY / GETTY IMAGES.

James McAvoy

Photo by JAMIE MCCARTHY / GETTY IMAGES.

Harvey Guillén

Photo by MATT WINKELMEYER/MG23 / GETTY IMAGES.

From: Esquire US

About The Author
Trishna Rikhy
Trishna Rikhy is the Associate Style Commerce Editor at Esquire. Previously, her writing has appeared in Vogue Runway, PAPER Magazine, V Magazine, V MAN, and more. She is based in NYC, but can probably be found wherever the strongest cup of coffee is.
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