Olivia Wilde’s Met Gala Dress Featured Massive Side Cut-Outs

It’s a known fact that Olivia Wilde’s red carpet style is spicy. And at the 2023 Met Gala, themed “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty,” the Don’t Worry Darling director melded saucy details with a meaningful homage.

While Lagerfeld is more closely associated with Chanel and Fendi (brands he helmed until his passing), his influence spanned several decades. He designed at many of the most famous fashion houses earlier in his career, including Chloé. Wilde’s stunning gown was a recreation of Lagerfeld’s famous Violin Dress, which he debuted for Chloé in 1983. A thoughtful take on the red (read: white) carpet? Yes, please.

The floor-length number featured a large beaded and crystal-encrusted violin across the torso. Although the original, released in black, had a much shorter hemline and sleeves, Wilde’s version was a saucier take — totally befitting her style.

Fashion girlies know that 2023 is the year of skin, so Wilde’s iteration featured even larger waist cut-outs that plunged down to her hips. The cut-outs wrapped all the way around, leading way to a totally open back. To match the instrument’s pattern, she wore cuff bracelets in the same gilded pattern. She accessorized with drop earrings and kept her makeup looking natural.

Gabriela Hearst, Chloé’s current creative director, paid tribute to one of Lagerfeld’s most iconic designs during his tenure at the label, repurposing the surrealist ensemble for Wilde. For reference, here’s the original dress (which was released in 1983) worn by Chloe Sevigny in 2013.

Wilde twinned on the white carpet with Vogue China’s editor, Margaret Zhang, who wore a black version of the dress.

Great minds think alike.