It’s almost here: fashion’s biggest night. Often dubbed the “Oscars of fashion” the Met Gala is a charity fundraiser held every year on the first Monday in May to benefit the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute and to celebrate the newest fashion-related exhibition. 

It’s also the fashion world’s hottest social event, where a secret list of invited celebrities will gather on the red carpet in a pageant of themed bespoke and couture designs. Since 1995, the guest list has been carefully presided over by Vogue editor Anna Wintour with only around 600 people making the cut each year. And who these lucky invitees are will be revealed to the public as they make their way up the legendary museum steps and into the event.

In years past, the Met Gala’s themes have been as wide-ranging as Gilded Glamour; In America: A Lexicon of Fashion; and Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination, prompting guests and their team of designers and stylists to interpret the meaning in the most over-the-top displays imaginable. But this year’s theme is more straightforward and emotional with a tribute to the late Karl Lagerfeld.

With a career spanning more than 70 years, Lagerfeld's impact on the world of fashion cannot be overstated. As a German fashion designer, artist, and photographer, Lagerfeld began his career in fashion in the 1950s, working as an assistant for Pierre Balmain. He later worked for other fashion houses such as Jean Patou and Chloé before taking on the role of creative director at Fendi in 1965. In 1974 he launched his own eponymous fashion label, and in 1983 he was appointed as creative director of Chanel, where he helped revitalize the brand and turn it into a global fashion powerhouse. And In 2004, Lagerfeld received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America. He passed in 2019 in Paris at the age of 85.

No doubt the evening’s looks will pay homage to Lagerfeld’s iconic designs. But there’s sure to be some avant-garde mixing based on each attendee’s personal style. And while we can only assume who these guests will be, we created a list of those we’d love to style and the Holly Yashi accessories that will set them apart in a sea of ostentatious glamour.