This year's two-part Met Gala honoured American fashion. The first part of the Met happened on September 13th and was the warm-up for a much bigger Met Gala, which will take place on the first Monday of May 2022, under the fascinating name, In America: An Anthology of Fashion.
Many guests interpreted the theme at this first event by wearing the colours of the American flag: red, blue and white, while others wore dresses inspired by past American icons like Marilyn Monroe or Audrey Hepburn. There were even those who chose iconic styles America has popularised, such as a western cowboy look, worn by Jennifer Lopez and Maluma.
However, there were also many guests who must have thought that as they were American, they could wear whatever they wanted and they would be on theme with American fashion. Many men underachieved: they wore their best and blandest suits. The men that went to the Met Gala with a female partner perhaps looked even blander next to their partners’ stunning robes. Of course, this wasn’t the case for all the couples. Justin Bieber didn’t have to be worried about his wife outshining him, for she wore a dress just as boring as his suit: perfect for a red carpet but not for the Met Gala.
It also looked as though many guests had decided they liked the last Met Gala theme - Camp: Notes on Fashion - better. They decided that this was the year to be extravagant and have fun with their outfits, regardless of whether they fit the American theme or not. Lil Nas X decided to have a Lady Gaga moment on the steps of the Met and reveal his three-in-one outfit. Not only had we seen this before at the previous Met Gala, but it in no way fit with the theme. Nevertheless, for his first time, it was at least ambitious and certainly more striking than what the other men were doing.
For many people, this Met was their first one. Celebrities like Timothee Chalamet, Keke Palmer, Billie Eilish and Simone Biles took their picture on the yellow steps for the first time. Many influencers were also invited, perhaps because Anna Wintour thought it would make the Gala appeal to younger audiences or perhaps because she thought that way it would make it more ‘hip’. One thing is for sure though, whatever her plan, the influencers invited did not quite understand the assignment. They did not belong in the world’s most prestigious Gala, full of A-list celebrities.
Having said that, Miss Emma Chamberlain, as per usual, did not disappoint. It made sense that she was invited - she is the one who creates the fashion trends teenage girls follow to the letter. Her outfit and her makeup were amazing and she did an excellent job hosting interviews for Vogue. The same cannot be said for influencers such as Dixie D’amelio, who walked into the Met Gala with a colossal feathered toilet plunger on her head. Sources claim Madison Beer was checking twitter to look at what people were saying about her and her outfit the whole night; so she was at least clearly very grateful for the opportunity, definitely enjoying her night and surely proved she belonged at the Met Gala.
The truth is that the theme was not hard to follow at all. Why, a mere modern take on a dress from the 19th century would have been perfect! Another perfect opportunity the designers missed was having their celebrity dress up in an iconic flapper outfit! We’ve seen the theme of the ‘Roaring Twenties’ time and time again in parties; so why not incorporate that iconic theme into your dress? All in all, at the end of the night, everyone looked stunning, the dresses were staggering and you could tell the celebrities had worked hard with their teams and had been very active in the process of creating their gorgeous outfits. We will look forward to seeing what next year has in store.
Sofia P, Year 11
Image: Lil Nas X, Vogue Magazine