The Met Gala is back, and everything is once again right in the world. Every year the Metropolitan Museum of Art holds a fundraiser for their costume institute. The event is based around a themed exhibit and celebrities from all walks of entertainment attend in outrageously amazing outfits that work with the theme of the exhibit. The event, which has been held since 1948, is hosted by Vogue magazine, along with having multiple celebrity co-hosts.
Last year, the event was cancelled due to COVID-19 and this year it was moved from its traditional date of the first Monday in May, to Sept. 13. I was thrilled to finally have it back, and it has been a hot topic of discussion.
Though I really want to get into the important part of the gala, the outfits, it’s important to first discuss the theme. This year it was, “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,” or as most people described it, just American fashion. The actual exhibit features different items from various historical periods and popular pieces from American designers.
One observation from just the attendance list, is that the guests were from a younger generation this year. Amanda Gorman, Billie Eilish, Timothee Chalamet and Naomi Osaka, were all in attendance and all under the age of 26. But, I will say that, in general, this year’s gala was one of the more lackluster events in comparison to recent years. My theory on why this is the case is because the theme lended itself too much to the average red carpet look. It seemed as though some people felt they had succeeded in accomplishing the theme by just wearing something made by an American designer. I did love some of the looks but my all in all review of the event was that it was just fine.
So without you waiting any longer, here are my opinions on the best and worst looks of night.
Worst:
Channing Tatum: Starting from the bottom so we have room to improve, I have to start with one of my least favorite looks of the night. The Met gala is usually a place where people wear outlandish outfits that they would never be able to wear on a normal red carpet. With that in mind, my least favorite thing is when men arrive at this event wearing a plain black tuxedo, and this is exactly what Channing did. He showed up in an “average” black Versace Suit, and I was incredibly disappointed. I would much rather see guests try something risky, and have it fail, than just do something safe. This outfit is the total example of the bar being literally on the floor. Do more, Channing!
Addison Rae: Now this one was a harder pick for me, but in the end I found too many problems with the Tik Tok star’s outfit to not include it on my list. She wore a red, vintage Tom Ford evening gown. And I know when I say all of those words together it sounds like it should be amazing. However, this dress was just simply not made for Addison Rae. The fit of the dress looked off, and having on something that doesn’t fit at fashion’s biggest night is a no-go for me. To make things even worse, an almost identical dress was worn by Kourtney Kardashian this year for a christmas party. This event is supposed to be about new and upcoming fashion and people are supposed to wear something just for them. This is also another example of doing too little, by simply wearing run of the mill red carpet wear. Not a win for me.
Best
Yara Shahidi: Yara Shahidi, activist and star of “Grown-ish,” stunned from head to toe in a sparkling Christian Dior gown. Her look was in tribute to the incredible fashion of American actress, Josephine Baker. She wore a more traditional 1920’s silhouette and a headpiece that emulated the time that Baker lived. It worked well with the theme of the event, and fitted her body to perfection. I loved the idea behind this and the execution as well! 10/10 for sure!
Billie Eilish: The true winner of the night was one of the cohosts, Billie Eilish. When she stepped out onto the carpet my jaw hit the floor. In a stunning, and massive Oscar de La Renta ball gown in a shade of pale pink, she was a vision. It created one of those “gasp” moments that the carpet at the Met is famous for. Her hair and the cut of the dress showed homage to the one and only, Marilyn Monroe. It was just quintessentially American and it showed an updated take on a classic. I loved everything about it!
So, this Met gala is not the same as it has been in years past. Due to COVID-19, the gala was held in September instead of it’s usual occurrence in May. In addition to this, while the exhibits are usually one time only events, they are planning on intertwining themes for the first time ever. This year’s gala exhibit, which involves American fashion, will connect to the next theme occuring in May 2022.
Yet, there are still multiple differences between the two exhibits. The September exhibit, titled “In American: A Lexicon of Fashion,” is focused on taking older items from American fashion and connecting them to more modern pieces based on the emotions that they invoke. However, the May 2022 exhibit, titled “In America: An Anthology of Fashion,” will use clothes to focus on the question of gender, race and class in American fashion.
Overall, this exhibit is a two-part showing. When the 2022 gala opens on May 5, 2022, the two exhibits will be open at the same time until September 5, 2022. This is also something that has never been done. So even though we missed it this May, at least we are that much closer to the 2022 gala!
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