The Met Gala looks inspired by Choupette, Karl Lagerfeld's beloved cat

While the designer’s cat did not make an appearance, it was the inspiration for several outfits

Doja Cat arrives Met Gala dressed as Choupette, Karl Lagerfeld's famous cat. AP

Ahead of the Met Gala’s Karl Lagerfeld-themed red carpet, there had been speculation that the late designer’s beloved cat, Choupette, would make a last-minute appearance.

While Choupette was a no-show, with a social media post confirming the feline had remained in Paris, there were plenty of looks inspired by the famous cat to fill the void.

James Corden and Emma Chamberlain both wore looks in "Choupette blue", a shade of pale blue created by Lagerfeld to echo the colour of his cat's eyes. Meanwhile, Chloe Fineman carried a bag shaped like a cat, while Janelle Monae accessorised her transforming Thom Browne look with a white, cat-shaped bag.

Emma Chamberlain arrives at the 2023 Met Gala wearing 'Choupette Blue'. AFP

Doja Cat stayed true to her own name and fittingly arrived dressed as Choupette, complete with face-altering prosthetics and claws.

For her first appearance at the gala, the singer clearly wanted the same impact as her haute couture showing in Paris earlier this year, when she arrived at the Schiaparelli show covered in 30,000 hand-applied red Swarovski crystals.

For this outing, she wore a custom-made Oscar de la Renta gown, covered in silver beads that flowed down into a white feathered train. It also had a sleek fitted hood, complete with cats ears.

While the make-up may have had unfortunate overtones of the 2019 disastrous Cats film, the overall look has helped cement Doja Cat's fearless and daring fashion credentials.

In another take on Choupette, Jared Leto wore a giant cat suit to the Met Gala. AP

Actor Jared Leto also took the feline idea to heart, arriving dressed as the famous Birman, in a fluffy, white mascot-esque cat-suit. Complete with a giant head and Choupette’s famous blue eyes, it felt like an update of the recent Schiaparelli haute couture red carpet, where highly realistic lion and panther heads graced the runway.

While this look was less fierce and far more cuddly, it highlighted Leto’s transformation over the past few years from movie star into bona fide fashion supernova. It also attracted him plenty of attention on the red carpet, as stars including Lizzo, Anne Hathaway and Salma Hayek went in for hugs.

Anne Hathaway embraces Jared Leto on the Met Gala red carpet. AFP

Thanks to his friendship with ex-Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele, Leto has morphed into a fashionista of uniquely eccentric style of late, be it dressing as Michele's twin and carrying his own fake head, to walking the actual fashion show runway. Clearly enjoying playing with clothes, having brought the house down as Choupette, he changed into a second, caped look for the rest of the evening.