The documentary “The First Monday in May” has been one of my favorites for a long time, as it beautifully shows the artistry and strategy behind the Costume Institute’s curation of their annual exhibit. Knowing how much planning goes into this one evening, from the seating arrangements at the vegan dinner to the measures to prevent the iconic bathroom selfies, I was pumped to see what was in store after the ball’s nearly two year hiatus. That being said, I was sad to hear that my invitation to the Met Gala this year got lost in the mail (Anna Wintour isn’t familiar with the USPS), so I’ll be taking a deep dive into some of the night’s looks via my couch in Columbia.
As we’re all aware, this year’s theme was America: A Lexicon of Fashion. What’s more up in the air is how well the celebs actually stuck to this or got creative with it. I was a bit underwhelmed with the lack of variety/creativity from a lot of big names. If you were an alien touching down from space with no context of American culture, you would think the only historical era ever to exist in our country was the 1940s, because every other person was attempting an emulation of some Old Hollywood starlet. Most of these were beautifully executed, but I would have loved to see references to eras or American topics like political architecture, national parks, Western expansion, or a critique of consumer culture. Ellie and I were placing bets on who would step out in a hyper-commercialized, logo-studded, Moschino-designed Nascar-inspired look…turns out it was no one.
Excluding some of the already media-saturated looks we’ve seen like the Kar-Jenners, Iman, and Billie Eilish, let’s commence our look at at the evening of high fashion and high art!
Our cyberspace robo-queen has done it again. The freshly-minted single truly stole the show in my eyes and cemented herself as my absolute favorite look of the night. Iris van Herpen’s architecturally-inspired designs made her the perfect choice for Grimes, suiting her futuristic sartorial perspective perfectly. Additionally, the ready-to-battle weapon she heaved up the Met steps was an interesting commentary on gun violence in America. Here’s what she had to say:
“The sword is based on a western European sword from the end of the Middle Ages around 1400,” Grimes reads aloud from a note on her phone. “…is a permanent piece of the Met’s collection, and the sword is also cast from a Colt AR-15A3,” she looks up. “It’s from these people who are getting people’s [guns] who don’t want to have their automatic rifles anymore, and are melting them down and making them perfect replicas of medieval swords, which I think is just so cool—I think it’s a beautiful thing.”
Yara has been killing it on red carpets lately (take her timeless Emmy’s gown for example), so it’s no surprise that she didn’t come to play at the Met Ball this year. As a Dior Global Ambassador, she wore the designer beautifully in an embellished gown completed with elbow-length gloves, a thin belt, diamond headband, and a gauzy hooded veil. The look was an homage to the American-French performer Josephine Baker, who shares the same commitment to activism that Shahidi does. If she sells this on her Poshmark later, I will be the first to throw down an offer.
Beauty Youtuber Nikkie de Jager (yes, I did assume her last name was Tutorials up until this point), brought another bold and meaningful look to the event. Not only was her flower and tulle adorned dress a showstopper in its own right, but it paid a powerful tribute to transgender activist and trailblazer Marsha P. Johnson, a leader in the Stonewall riots. To top it off, a sash with Johnson’s famous phrase, “Pay it no mind,” was woven into the train of the dress. In January 2020, de Jager came out as a trans woman, telling over 37 million viewers that she wanted to “inspire little Nikkies around the world who feel insecure, who feel out of place, who feel misunderstood” to commit to “live your life like you wanted and the way you deserve.” The look perfectly connected her own identity with an important, overlooked one in American history.
Now THIS is what I mean about using the Met Gala as a meaningful platform: Native representation and erasure isn’t something stuck in America’s past, but a continuing struggle that Quannah Chasinghorse has breathed life into. Her metallic Dundas number provided the perfect canvas for her traditional Navajo jewelry, loaned from her aunt’s collection crafted by Navajo artists from across the Southwest. Runways have been plastered with cultural appropriation for as long as there have been runways, so seeing an authentic representation of Native American dress at a traditionally white-washed event was much-needed.
“Before I got to the Met, I was listening to Native music and artists to help me feel more empowered, and I was extremely excited to show the world the beauty of native indigenity,” she told Vogue. “Reclaiming our culture is key—we need to show the world that we are still here, and that the land that everyone occupies is stolen Native land.”
What screams America more than an equine-inspired ensemble? Where would the agriculture industry be without horses, especially the ones protruding from the hyper-pop sensation’s torso? She trotted up those steps like a true show pony, with a majestically long mane to match.
Another Josephine Baker inspired moment, Anok absolutely STUNNED this night. The model, who was discovered from a viral photo taken of her at Howard University Homecoming, stole the show in a celestial gown and lavish feather shawl. Oscar de la Renta always manages to put out top notch red carpet looks, including the majority of my faves this year (Anok, Kaia, and Billie).
A note about Kaia while I’m on the topic: Not only was her Met look a simple, elegant, and very on-theme rendition of Bianca Jagger’s dress from the 1981 Met, but her after party dress, a black version of this one from ODLR’s Resort 22 collection, was to die for. Maybe they could ship an extra copy out to Mizzou for my sorority semi-formal…with Jacob Elordi included.
My favorite actress in Westworld got her shining moment in another van Herpen creation. She looked like a paper mache orchid and I am here for it, not to mention subtle cowboy nods from the hat and boots.
Ok, Ok — I get why this look is so divisive. People love to hate on this cut, but I personally think she pulled it off. If anyone will be bringing back low-rise styles (please pray to your deity of choice that doesn’t happen), it will be Ms. Depp. The Met Gala isn’t the Oscars. It’s about taking risks and turning heads and that’s exactly what she did. While I can’t exactly see a strong correlation to the theme, I’m obsessed with anything sequined and anything Chanel.
For more of my favorite looks, check out Normani, Barbie Ferreira, and Zoey Deutch.
Great article. Love your take. Almost as if you were there! Or were you there?? 🙂
Grimes looks very liberated and out of the Elon Musk shadow!!
Enjoyed the article and your top choices.