The 3 clever ways celebrities criticised Karl Lagerfeld on the Met Gala carpet.

The Met Gala was quite the airy fairy affair this year. But some celebrities decided to take things to the next level, and poke some fun (or throw some shade) towards the man at the centre of this year's theme.

It was none other than Karl Lagerfeld, who prior to his death had said some pretty dodgy things. For example:

"Sweatpants are a sign of defeat. You lost control of your life so you bought some sweatpants."

"If you don't want your pants pulled about, don't become a model!"

"These are fat mummies sitting with their bags of crisps in front of the television, saying that thin models are ugly."

"Kate Middleton has a nice silhouette. On the other hand, her sister struggles. I don't like the sister's face. She should only show her back."

Regardless, Vogue and the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute decided to make him the centre of celebration and inspiration for the 2023 Met Gala. But for some celebrities who attended opted to make a quiet but bold statement on Lagerfeld's legacy.

Watch: the wildest Met Gala looks of all time. Post continues below. 

From the meaning behind the colour pink to an Instagram post involving some McDonald's chips, here's a roundup of all the shade we saw at the Met Gala in one place.

The celebrities who wore PINK.

Lagerfeld said some pretty nasty things throughout his time. But one of his opinions that really deserved to be put in the bin was that pink isn't a 'flattering' colour on anyone.

As fashion writer Patrick Mauriès wrote in his book, The World According to Karl, Lagerfeld once said: "Think pink. But don't wear it."

Well, in the world of celebs at the Met Gala, pink is queen. And thank goodness they did wear a fun colour, because without it the Met Gala carpet was looking very beige.

Standouts included Viola Davis, Ashley Graham and Precious Lee.

Some of the incredible pink outfits. Image: Getty.

Lizzo's Instagram post that many felt was throwing some subtle shade. 

Lizzo was dripping in pearls on the Met Gala carpet. 

Wearing Chanel, she was in a custom black silk crêpe dress with a glass pearls harness, along with accessories and makeup that was very Chanel-inspired. 

To top it off, Lizzo then posted a photo to her Instagram of her in her outfit, standing in a kitchen and eating some good ol' McDonald's fries. Some fashion commentators have said this was the ultimate f**k you to Lagerfeld. Here's why they think this.

Karl Lagerfeld hated fatness. So for #metgala (theme this year is “in honor of Karl”) @lizzo dressed her glorious fat self in a classic silhouette in the classic black that he loved, dripping in pearls which he loved, & took a picture of her fine ass eating fries in a kitchen. pic.twitter.com/i53zZ7KvzX

— Moonbitch (@LadyMandyisms) May 2, 2023

Lagerfeld had infamously said some pretty fatphobic comments during his day.

To really sink the boot in as well, he also only exclusively employed overtly thin models to walk in his shows and pose for campaigns. So for anyone who doesn't fit this unrealistic body standard — including Lizzo — Lagerfeld did not want them in his clothes. 

"You've got fat mothers with their bags of chips sitting in front of the television and saying that thin models are ugly. The world of beautiful clothing is about 'dreams and illusions'," he said to the German magazine Focus in 2009. 

Notice the reference to chips in that quote? And then Lizzo's big Easter egg clue in the shape of some McDonald's chips? Just saying...

One celebrity wore sweatpants to the afterparty. 

A quote synonymous with Lagerfeld is: "Sweatpants are a sign of defeat."

It was actually one of his more neutral opinions thrown into the Zeitgeist. But when famous model Irina Shayk wore sweatpants to the Met Gala afterparty, surely that counts as some fabulous shade. We're choosing to think so.

Irina Shayk broke one of Karl Lagerfeld's fashion rules by wearing sweatpants, which the designer called 'a sign of defeat,' to a Met Gala after-party https://t.co/yaFrPDLdTk

— Insider (@thisisinsider) May 2, 2023

Pedro Pascal doing what Pedro Pascal does best.

Last but certainly not least we have the Internet's favourite man at the moment, Pedro Pascal.

At his first Met Gala appearance, Pascal was a standout on the carpet.

But when you look back at some of Lagerfeld's previous opinions on men's fashion, it appears that Pascal opted to embrace all the things Lagerfeld loathed.

Lagerfeld once told M Magazine: "I like socks, but only up to the knee. I hate nothing more than when men cross their legs, and you see hairy legs, socks and pants — the worst. The worst!"

So what did Pascal do? He wore socks that didn't go up to knee (Lagerfeld would be devastated) and showed off his legs, which yes, did indeed have hair on them. And in the vast majority of shots taken on the carpet, poses with his middle fingers up. 

Image: Getty/Twitter.

Overall though, the Met Gala carpet was an overwhelmingly positive nod to Lagerfeld, which isn't surprising given the theme and the power Vogue and the MET has in the fashion industry and within elitist circles. 

As commentator Jameela Jamil noted, she was disappointed to see how quiet many of the attendees were about the controversial theme.

"Last night Hollywood and fashion said the quiet part out loud when a lot of famous feminists chose to celebrate at the highest level, a man who was so publicly cruel to women, to fat people, to immigrants and to sexual assault survivors," Jamil wrote.

"Nobody has perfect morals, least of all me, but Jesus Christ we had a year to course correct here, and not award the highest honour possible to a known bigot... and everyone just decided all of a sudden we can separate the art from the artist when convenient."

But for the celebrities who appeared to protest, even if it was subtle — it didn't go unnoticed on the world stage.

Feature Image: Getty/Mamamia.