Devastated Met Gala watchers tricked into believing Zendaya was there

Fashion’s “big night out” on Monday was every bit the glamour fest we’ve come to expect.

An endless stream of A-listers dripping with pearls, corsets, and (in some cases) – cat prosthetics sauntered, posed and pouted their way into the 2023 Met Gala which, this year, paid tribute to Chanel icon Karl Lagerfeld.

And yet, the list of attendees was by no means exhaustive, and countless followers of the New York event were left bitterly disappointed at a number of no-shows.

Timothée Chalamet, Blake Lively, Beyoncé and BTS star Jimini failed to grace the red carpet, to the indignation of viewers. So it therefore came as some relief when social media darling Zendaya finally made an appearance.

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Except… things weren’t as they seemed.

A photo appearing to show the Euphoria star in a sheer black mermaid-tail gown was, in fact, yet another AI trick.

In reality, it was a snap of Rita Ora, whose face had been transformed by artificial intelligence into that of the Spider-man icon.

The ruse was quickly exposed, leaving fans even more incensed than before.

Here’s a look at some of the crestfallen comments that flooded Twitter over the course of the night:

It’s unclear why the likes of Zendaya decided to skip the so-called Super Bowl of fashion, although fans have pointed out that she and Timmy Cham are currently busy promoting their new Dune film, so that may explain their dual absence.

However, it’s also worth pointing out that there have been endless calls by models and other industry movers and shakers to boycott the Metropolitan Museum of Art fundraiser in light of its latest theme.

The choice of "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty," coincided with a new exhibition opening at the museum celebrating the work and life of the late German designer.

Lagerfeld was creative director for fashion houses including Chanel and Fendi as well as his namesake brand, and this year's guests were told to dress "in honour” of him.

But as well as a sartorial genius, he was also a self-proclaimed “big mouth” who was openly fatphobic. He spoke against gay men who want to adopt children, migrants, sexual assault survivors, the #MeToo movement and “ugly” people, without apology.

“He offended people right and left, making as much of an art out of the cutting aside as the perfectly cut double-face gown,” New York Times fashion critic Vanessa Friedman wrote soon after Lagerfeld’s death.

“He judged,” Friedman wrote, “and knew he would be judged himself, but he didn’t care. Rather, he embraced it.”

And judging by the elaborate homages to him on Monday night, others continue to embrace him wholeheartedly.

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