Met Gala 2023: Karl Lagerfeld’s cat Choupette inspires celebrity outfits despite missing event
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Perhaps one of the most anticipated guests who remained absent at the Met Gala 2023 is Karl Lagerfeld’s beloved pet cat, Choupette. Often considered one of the most famous cats in the world, Choupette has been the talk of this year’s event, which honored the late fashion designer with the theme “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty.”
In addition to being the inspiration behind a number of Lagerfeld’s products and becoming a celebrity in her own right, the cat was an integral part of the late designer’s life. She reportedly helped him “become a nicer person,” Lagerfeld once told People Magazine. While the 11-year-old Birmin skipped her appearance at this year’s Met Gala, she became an inspiration behind the outfits of celebrities like Doja Cat and Jared Leto. The cat was even seen posing with Kim Kardashian in Paris and spending time with the model in Lagerfeld’s office ahead of the Met Gala 2023.
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Why was Choupette absent from Met Gala 2023?
Rumors surrounding Choupette attending Met Gala 2023 have been making the rounds ever since "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty" was announced as the official theme of this year’s star-studded event. However, a representative of the cat took to the pet’s official Instagram account to share that the Birmin preferred to stay "peacefully and cozy at home" instead of attending the event despite getting many invites to walk the red carpet.
“A million thanks to all of you my fans, animal lovers & Daddy's admirers. You have all shown the kindest enthusiasm and unconditional support, I say MERCI!” the post read. “Many people invited me to walk the red carpet of the #METGALA2023 in tribute to Daddy, but we preferred to stay peacefully & cozy at home. We pay tribute to my Daddy every day since his parting and we are very moved to see one more day dedicated to him. With love, forever Choupette,” it added. The caption of the post was also repeated in French.
Doja Cat and Jared Leto wore Choupette-inspired outfits
With Karl Lagerfeld being the theme of the Met Gala 2023, his beloved pet cat became the toast of the event. A-list attendees Doja Cat and Jared Leto both paid homage to the Birmin with their respective outfits. Doja donned a white hooded backless gown with silver sequins, created by Oscar de la Renta, which included cat ears atop the hood. The gown also had an extended white feathered train to resemble Choupette’s white fur. The rapper also glammed up her look with black cat eyeliner and a buffed up nose to highlight her feline inspiration.
Meanwhile, Leto arrived on the red carpet in a complete white furry catsuit with mascot-like headgear resembling Choupette and paw shaped hands. The actor eventually took off the cat head to reveal his face before shedding the catsuit and displaying an all-black ensemble underneath the first outfit. Both Leto and Doja made the news for their unique choice of outfit for the biggest fashion night.
Prior to the main event, Kim Kardashian shared a few snaps with Choupette in Paris. She also spent some time with the cat at Lagerfeld’s office and said that they were drawing inspiration for the Met Gala. “Had a date with @choupetteofficiel in Paris. We then spent some time at @karllagerfeld’s office to get a little inspiration for the Met,” Kardashian wrote on Instagram.
‘Choupette changed Karl’s life’
Choupette reportedly came into Lagerfeld’s life when he spent two weeks with the feline after his friend, fashion model Baptiste Giabiconi, went traveling. The latter originally owned the cat and received her when she was a 10-week-old kitten as a birthday gift from friends who knew he loved Birmans. The name “Choupette,” is a “common nickname in French for cute girls,” Giabiconi said during an interview, The New York Times reported.
Giabiconi also recalled Lagerfeld’s reaction after he returned from the trip and brought Choupette home. “He was angry. He wouldn’t speak to me. After a week of reflection, it became clear to me that Choupette brought Karl great joy,” the designer said. Giabiconi then went to Lagerfeld’s apartment on the quai Voltaire. He knocked on the door and handed over the kitten. “No one could give me a more beautiful gift,” Giabiconi remembered Lagerfeld saying. “She has brought sunshine to my life,” Lagerfeld reportedly told his friend at the time.
Speaking to CNBC’s Tania Bryer about adopting Choupette in 2011, Lagerfeld said, “When he came back I thought I’m sorry Choupette is mine.” “Choupette is such a strange thing because I never thought that I could fall in love with an animal like this,” the fashion icon added. "She’s (become) a world famous star. She has her own fortune – for the things she did in Japan and in Germany, for cars and things like that,” he gushed. Lagerfeld also revealed that keeping Choupette could even be “a full-time job” at times.
“She’s over-groomed and everything. She has several maids. She’s never alone when I’m not there. Oh no no… Even if she sleeps, she doesn’t want to be alone,” Lagerfeld shared. “She’s like a chic lady, like a kept woman with her personal maid,” he added. The designer also shared that the cat helped him became a better person. “(Choupette) gives something magical that I understand that the Egyptians from 4000 years before Jesus Christ, for them the cats were the most important animal. I understand that,” he said. “And she gives energy. It’s very strange. When I have her next to me I feel like a telephone (that) is recharged!” Lagerfeld added.
The Birmin often traveled with Lagerfeld when he was alive and joined him for photoshoots and campaigns. He reportedly designed a Louis Vuitton carrier bag for her as well as a Goyard case for her silver dishes and brushes, The New York Times reported. “Choupette changed Karl’s life,” Amanda Harlech, Lagerfeld’s style consultant at Chanel told the publication. “He couldn’t believe how happy she made him nor how she loved being by his side — even sleeping on his head! He would watch her for hours,” she added. Choupette and Lagerfeld’s final excursion together was to attend Chanel’s Metiers d’Art show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in December 2018.
“Thank you everyone for your words of condolence. With a once cold but now simply broken heart, I am going into mourning. I pray that your kind words and well-wishes will help me to put my best paw forward in my future without Daddy @KarlLagerfeld & as my own woman,” Choupette’s Instagram account said in a statement after Lagerfeld’s death in 2019.
Choupette is not an ordinary cat
With the late designer Karl Lagerfeld as her owner, Choupette has never been an ordinary four-legged cat. In addition to her association with one of the biggest names in the fashion industry, Birmin also successfully made a name for herself. In the wake of her adoption, Choupette became an inspiration behind Instagram accounts and garnered a significant following for her own profile.
She also started appearing in her magazines, inspired a makeup line by Shu Uemura called Shu-pette, and became the name behind the novelty book titled ‘Choupette: The Private Life of a High-Flying Fashion Cat.' Shortly after, Chanel introduced a new shade named "Choupette Blue," and Lagerfeld’s brand produced a range of Choupette Face handbags. In March 2015, Lagerfeld told The Cut that his cat earned three million euros ($3.18 million) in 2014 alone from participating in a project for cars in Germany and another for a beauty product in Japan.
The cat also had her personal staff, including a bodyguard, a doctor, and a chef. “Do you know Velazquez’s painting Las Meninas, with the Infanta Margarita surrounded by servants? That’s Choupette,” Lagerfeld once told Harper’s Bazaar. Reports suggest Choupette also eats at a dinner table, has an iPad, and even has a bank account of her own. The cat currently lives with her nanny, former Lagerfeld housekeeper Francoise Cacote, in Paris, Lagerfeld head of communications Caroline Lebar told The New York Times. "She is in good shape, and is surrounded by love," she said.
The cat is also very busy, as her agent, Lucas Berullier, of My Pet Agency in Paris confirmed. “She comes to the agency on occasion, and we do photos here for her Instagram account. We have beautiful projects” celebrating Choupette, he concluded.