Gigi Hadid paid homage to the Met Gala 2023 theme with the dinkiest beauty detail

Gigi Hadid is well-versed when it comes to fashion history. If her decades-long career modelling and working closely with some of the world's most prestigious designers wasn't enough, her recent stint as co-host of Next In Fashion was all about analysing and celebrating references of designers' past work.

So, when it came to this year's Met Gala 2023 theme, “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” which invited guests to pay tribute to the late designer who headed up a whole string of the most famous fashion houses on the globe, including Chanel, Balmain, Chloé and Fendi, we knew Gigi would understand the assignment.

One delicate detail Gigi played up were the pearls that Karl continually referenced in his collections for Chanel. Though they were a signature of Coco Chanel herself (who would layer strings of pearls over her little black dresses), Lagerfeld brought them forward and remixed them across countless collections and even wore the accessory himself.

Gigi and her team had clearly thought of every detail, from the cropped gloves that referenced the fingerless gloves loved by Karl, to the strings of pearls she wore around her neck. And her beauty look was no less considered. She called on her makeup artist, Patrick Ta, to create a pearlescent silvery-white eyeshadow look for the occasion. And, to incorporate one of Karl's favourite details further, Patrick even placed two teensy pearl under the centre of Gigi's eyes as a dainty accent. We love how easy the pretty upgrade is to recreate (and we've already added pearly stickers to our Amazon basket).

As for her eyeliner, “we wanted to do a feline flick to celebrate Karl’s favourite cat,” Patrick explained. For the unfamiliar, Choupette Lagerfeld, (Karl's beloved white, fluffy Birman cat) skipped the event after posting an update to her 184k Instagram followers explaining “we preferred to stay peacefully & cozy at home,” but celebs like Doja Cat channelled the kitty on the red carpet via prosthetics and cat ears.

“To get the look I used grey shimmer eyeshadow from the Maybelline The Nudes palette,” Patrick said. I started by applying this shade to add depth and some dimension. I then applied a soft brown shade from the same palette to her lower lash line using a short dense synthetic brush. I also added the Color Tattoo Cream Eyeshadow in the shade Chill Girl on the inner corners. For eyeliner, I used the Tattoo Studio Ink Pen eyeliner in shade black to add a perfect wing. For lashes, I curled her lashes twice and used two coats of Maybelline The Falsies Surreal Extensions Mascara in the shade "very black". I like this mascara because it's buildable and has 24-hour wear. It gives great length and volume, while still looking natural," he said. To finish off her lips, Patrick used the Maybelline SuperStay Vinyl Ink Liquid Lipstick in Captivated.

As for her platinum hair, Gigi's hair stylist, Laura Polko, created waist-length mermaid waves and a half-up top knot to keep her face clear.

For her outfit, Gigi worked with Matthew Williams at Givenchy on a stunning sheer black draped corset gown that was equal parts tough and soft. Matthew explained: “this is a look that we made inspired by some of Karl's favourite things, so the drapes are inspired by fans which is something that he really loved and orchids [which were stitched into the train] were his favourite flowers.”

Meanwhile, speaking to Emma Chamberlain on the red carpet, Gigi revealed: “Karl would have loved this feather, floral embroidery situation. I think that that's what's so fun about doing Next In Fashion, this is like the intense version of that – it's getting designers to think outside the box in a way that really has nothing to do with what they're gonna sell that year and their brand directly. But it's so fun to see everyone's interpretation of something, just to do it, to create something.”

While we may not have the same Little Black Book of contacts to call on as Gigi Hadid when it comes to our glow-ups, her little pearl makeup detail is one we'll definitely be banking for summer for a cute makeup update.

For more from GLAMOUR's Beauty Editor, Elle Turner, follow her on Instagram @elleturneruk