The Met Gala — arguably the biggest night in fashion — returned on Monday night. Featuring the the biggest celebrities, public figures, designers and athletes, the Met Gala takes place every year on the first Monday of May to raise money for the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute, though this year the schedule was changed due to pandemic restrictions. This year, the theme was “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.” Vogue, the host of the gala, mentioned in a statement that “Andrew Bolton, the Wendy Yu Curator in Charge of the Costume Institute, felt it was time to reexamine American identity and fashion, especially as it has changed over the last several years due to both political and social justice movements.”
These past two years have been monumental for American history, with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement and the election of Joe Biden, so I thought it was the perfect theme. However, it turned out to be rather broad as there is so much to the American culture and every celebrity had a very unique interpretation. In the past, all the looks from the Met Gala looked cohesive while remaining unique to each celebrity, but this gala proved to be very chaotic when it came to all the looks together. I was also disappointed to see that many attendees did not honor the theme at all.
Still, the gala did give us some incredible looks. Below is a list of the most iconic moments from the carpet.
Timothée Chalamet
Chalamet was one of the hosts of the night and was one of the firsts to arrive on the carpet. He apparently walked ten blocks to get to the event and came in looking ever so handsome in his Haider Ackerman blazer and Rick Owens sweatpants. He honored the typical American sports look of sweatpants and converse, wearing a monochromatic white look that was both classy and casual. The look somehow works and throws you off at the same thing, and that’s what makes it interesting.
Kim Kardashian
I have always been a fan of Kardashian’s looks on the Met carpet, but this particular look confused me at first glance. I really did not like it to begin with, but as I spoke to other people in fashion, I gained a deeper appreciation for the look. Kim wore head-to-toe Balenciaga, literally. Only her hair could be seen poking out and her entire body was covered in a black jersey material. It was incredible how without showing her face, she made one of the biggest impacts on the carpet. This look is definitely contentious, but it absolutely makes a statement. As for how it fits the theme, Kim Kardashian commented, “What’s more American than a T-shirt head to toe?!”
Kendall Jenner
Jenner’s look was my favorite look of the night. She wore customer Givenchy in a tribute to Audrey Hepburn in the movie “My Fair Lady.” The dress was tailored to perfection for her and she was positively radiant.
Jennifer Lopez
Lopez stole the show with a brilliantly American look by Ralph Lauren. She paid tribute to the rich history of the American West in a way that was high fashion, yet “rugged.” Her outfit consisted of many textures and accessories, but somehow all of that chaos works harmoniously with each other. I also love that her dress was made by Ralph Lauren, a designer integral to American fashion and culture.
Billie Eilish
An artist known to make a statement with her bold choice of color and print, Eilish surprised everyone with her soft, pale pink ball gown. Eilish has been very vocal about not wanting her body to be a topic of conversation and choosing to wear baggy clothes to conceal her figure. However, over the last year, with the release of her second album, “Happier Than Ever,” she has decided to embrace the body-positivity approach. The dress was made by Oscar de la Renta — she had agreed to wear the dress in exchange for a promise from Oscar de la Renta to no longer use fur. I appreciate her departure from Gucci to choose an iconic American couture house. As the co-chair for the night, her tribute to old Hollywood was perfect and the drastic departure from her signature style definitely made it a look to remember.
Ciara
Ciara’s look was definitely more like the last Met theme of “Camp,” but it somehow still works for this year. Football serves as one of the most important parts of American culture, so it was more than appropriate for her to pay tribute in a high fashion manner. She wore a lime green football jersey-inspired Dundas dress, with a matching football-shaped bag and her husband’s Superbowl ring. The look was loud, but it nailed the theme.
Gemma Chan
In the 1920s, Anna May Wong became the first Chinese American actress and she represented a huge glimmer of hope for the Asian community. Chan, the British actress of Chinese descent, understood the significance of Wong’s contribution to the American culture and celebrated it in an updated version of Wong’s iconic black dragon dress in the 1934 film “Limehouse Blues.” Chan wore a Prabal Gurung gown and absolutely nailed the look. I appreciate her choice of a designer so much as he is also Asian-American of Nepalese descent. In an Instagram post, Chan writes: “Honored to be attending this year’s #MetGala with Nepalese-American designer @prabalgurung. Born in Singapore, raised in Kathmandu, and based in NYC, Prabal is a leading voice for change both within the fashion industry and beyond.”
Barbie Ferreira
Ferreira chose to honor the Roaring 20’s in a flapper and Gatsby-inspired look by Jonathan Simkai. This look not only fits the theme perfectly but would work at the Met Gala no matter the year. It screams elegance, wealth and high fashion and fits in seamlessly at the ball.
Grimes
I still do not know how this look fits into the theme, but this outfit is truly a work of art. Made by designer Iris van Herpen, known for her use of technology in fashion, this look takes us to the future where Grimes is leading the world. Every piece of this outfit needs appreciation from the sword to the light-up book and the metal face mask. I am often disappointed when celebrities stray from the theme, but this look is too incredible to be disappointed with.
Kaia Gerber
Gerber exuded elegance and grace in the black ball gown by Oscar de la Renta. The simplicity of the dress screams old Hollywood, and her makeup and hair just make your heart swoon. She captures the theme in a way that is sweet and innocent with a hint of sexy.
Choosing these top ten looks was incredibly difficult from a list of hundreds. Every celebrity made a statement in their own right and brought us fashion moments that we will be talking about until next year. The second half of this exhibition will open in May 2022, when the original Met Gala returns. American culture is so complex and vast, bound by a web of different races, ages, genders, ethnicities, and nationalities; and this Met ball gave us a look at how unique everyone’s American experience is.
