Irina Shayk attends Met Gala afterparty in sweatpants

The model attended last night’s gala in a white gown by Yohji Yamamoto

Irina Shayk made her way to the Met Gala afterparty in a more casual outfit choice: Sweatpants.

At the star-studded fashion event on Monday, Shayk wore a silk, white gown by Yohji Yamamoto paired with a silver choker necklace and earrings. However, when the event ended, she made a major outfit change.

More specifically, the model was spotted in grey sweatpants and a white tank top with a maroon puffer jacket in her hand while arriving to the afterparty. She was still wearing the necklaces and earrings that she wore to the Met Gala earlier in the evening.

On Twitter, fans have praised Shayk for her laid-back look, one of which wrote: “What an icon.”

Other people pointed out how her outfit could be a dig at the Met Gala theme, which was dedicated to Karl Lagerfeld -- a designer who previously made disrespectful claims about people who wore sweatpants.

“Irina Shayk wearing sweatpants to the Met gala after party,” one wrote. “What makes it interesting is Karl’s quote: ‘sweatpants are a sign of defeat, you lost control of your life so you bought some sweatpants.’”

“Looks like Irina Shayk wore sweatpants to an after party in honour of his quote,” another added.

Lagerfeld first shared his controversial stance on sweatpants in his 2013 book, The World According to Karl, as noted by Time.

Lagerfeld had a contentious past throughout his years in the fashion industry. Along with making derogatory comments about marginalised groups and public figures, he also frequently criticised women.

Jameela Jamil condemned the decision for the Met Gala to be dedicated to Lagerfeld shortly after it was announced last year. On Instagram at the time, the actress recalled the “distinctly hateful way” the designer used his platform, “most towards women”.

“[He] showed no remorse, offered no atonement, no apology, no help to groups he attacked... there was no explanation for his cruel outbursts,” Jamil wrote about Lagerfeld’s previous behaviour.

Leading up to the Met Gala on Monday, models also protested the theme of the fashion event and Anna Wintour’s decision to honour Lagerfeld through it.

“The choice to honour Lagerfeld embodies the dissonance of an industry that claims to be progressive, that celebrates body positivity and survivors on the one hand, and then reveres figures like [Lagerfeld] without even acknowledging their regressive views,” Sara Ziff, the founder of the Model Alliance, told Jezebel.

For the protest, the Model Alliance, which was founded in 2012, was joined by a number of notable individuals, including L’Oreal Global Ambassador Nidhi Sunil, models Ambra Gutierrez, Mamé Adjei, Rozi Levine, and Roberta Little, and New York state Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal.

Meanwhile, on the red carpet of the Gala last night, many celebrities went on to pay tribute to Lagerfeld and his work through their different outfit choices, such as by dressing up as the late designer’s white cat, Choupette.

You can find our coverage of the event here.