Salma Hayek, Gigi Hadid, and Imaan Hammam—All the Arabs Who Ruled Met Gala 2023

Photo: Instagram.com

The Met Gala is without a doubt the biggest fashion extravaganza of the year as celebrities and industry leaders descend upon the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art presenting ensembles that become part of popular culture for years to come.

This year was no different, as the biggest names on the planet—from Rihanna and Anne Hathaway to beloved Arab celebrities such as Salma Hayek, Gigi Hadid, Imaan Hammam—and more paid homage to the late icon Karl Lagerfeld and his illustrious career by looking for inspiration not only in past collections, but also from the designer himself and everything that he embodied.

The 2023 Met Gala theme, ‘Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty’, saw part-Lebanese star Salma Hayek transform into a vision in red as she opted for a patent corset and matching tiered tulle skirt by Gucci, with pearls draping her shoulders as a direct nod to Lagerfeld’s trademark aesthetic. Part-Palestinian model Gigi Hadid gave the much-loved sheer dress an edgy spin in custom-made Givenchy, while Moroccan-Egyptian beauty Imaan Hammam exuded simple elegance in a white dress from Irish designer Michael Stewart’s label Standing Ground. Iranian-American actor Yara Shahidi turned to Jean Paul Gaultier’s archives for her stunning corset, while Egyptian-American star Rami Malek appeared in a more casual look.