The ins and outs of fashion’s biggest night
Fashion’s biggest night, but was it really?
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Every time I write about fashion, I get this sense that maybe I should replace some editors-in-chief, but that’s just me. It’s a Monday morning here in London. Fashion’s biggest night is a couple of hours away, and then, gasp, a notification that reads, “The MET Gala might not take place tonight.” Zendaya didn’t try on her dress until SATURDAY; Condé Nast employees threatened to walk out, and Law Roach might’ve put Zendaya in a wedding dress. IT’S CHAOS. Let’s unravel it together.
MET Gala: a refresher
“To understand the present, you must first understand the past” Aristotle or something, idk.
The quote was actually Carl Sagan’s, so I apologize to any philosophy and space enthusiasts reading this. I didn’t mean to sully their names, but I can’t help it if I’m born with this amazing humour. 🙄 But enough playing comedian; back to being your favourite fashion writer. We all know the looks from the last three red carpets have been… lukewarm. And that’s putting it nicely. It’s like no one wants to put in the work anymore. 👀
Last year, the MET honoured Karl Lagerfeld’s legacy, and two years prior, the MET paid homage to American fashion. In 2021, the theme of the Gala was In America: The Lexicon Of Fashion, followed by In America: An Anthology of Fashion, where Kim Kardashian wore THE Marilyn Monroe dress and changed it forever. Although incredibly disrespectful, the infamous moment started a conversation about archive pulls, which we’re also seeing during the 2024 MET Gala. The question now is the same as back then: Are archive pulls about style or status?
I can’t talk about the MET Gala without bringing, indubitably, two of the best MET Gala themes we’ve had — China: Through The Looking Glass in 2015 and Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination in 2018. These two themes are MY Roman Empire because the former really set the tone for all future galas. Rihanna in Guo Pei (or the Omelette dress as it was so endearingly called by the internet) really pulled out ALL the stops in 2015 and was only ever upstaged in 2018. A Joan of Arc-inspired dress, ornate headdresses, men NOT in basic tuxedos. The 2018 MET Gala had everything. You’d think people would follow suit, but we know how that’s going. 🤠
Returning to the present, this year’s exhibition’s theme was Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion. The dress code was The Garden of Time, inspired by the short story of J.G. Ballard of the same name. The exhibition is showcasing a lot of fragile clothing from the Elizabethan era to more contemporary clothing. All the pieces showcased are considered too delicate to wear (I wish they’d declared Marilyn’s dress too fragile to wear so maybe we’d still have it in near-perfect condition 🤠) and thus dubbed ‘sleeping beauties.’ There are also sub-themes: Land, sea, and sky, but I wouldn’t pin my hopes on them following anything, really.
The expectations 🤨
I saw a post referring to Law Roach’s styling of Zendaya for Challengers that said a fashion stylist also has to serve as a fashion historian to consistently style looks the way Law has. I had hoped that this would hold true for Zendaya on Monday night as well, and it did—twice, actually, but more on that later.
I think a lot of people have learnt to manage their expectations for the MET Gala red carpet. Some celebrities will consistently deliver, some will always wear the SAME, TIRED SILHOUETTE (and then whine about people not wanting to work anymore 🤪), and some (most men) will show up off-theme.
Year after year, we’ve all waited patiently at the edge of our seats, hoping we’ll see one celebrity outdo the previous. But luck has never been on our side since 2019’s MET Gala, when it all went downhill. The theme of the night was camp, and Karlie Kloss was looking it in the eye, but camp was unfortunately blind. Katy Perry dressed as a chandelier (maybe that’s the chandelier Sia sang about), and Lady Gaga, in true Lady Gaga style, turned the walk up the stairs into a spectacle.
This year’s theme was so straightforward. There were so many ways to interpret it, as well. I was expecting a lot more Rodarte, Monet, Rococo and surrealism. Maybe more delicate fabrics like chiffon and lace. A lot more Iris Van Herpen, Moschino and recreated archives. I didn’t want literal interpretations of the theme; unfortunately, it’s what we saw a lot of. I wonder why Anna approves of some of the looks that walk the stairs because of the big yikes. This also would’ve been the perfect opportunity to see ornate millinery, but again, NOBODY WANTS TO WORK THESE DAYS. Yes, I’m frustrated; thank you for asking; it’s the fashion student burnout. ❤️
And the reality…
I stayed up until 2 a.m. watching the red carpet live to write down notes and notes I took. It was also my first time watching a red carpet live because I’d just sleep through the others, BUT I’m very dedicated to my future position as editor-in-chief, so, you know, getting the practice in right now. But are we ready for my recap? The devil might wear Prada and work hard, but I wear avocado pyjamas and work harder; the Walmart Miranda Priestly arc starts now.
So one of the first few looks to walk the stairs that ABSOLUTELY made this woman (me) too stunned to speak was a beautiful golden, Schiaparelli-esque gown. It referenced Dali’s melting watches from the 1954 painting The Persistence of Memory, and good lord, it was THE BEST look I’ve seen on a red carpet in a while. Speaking of Schiaparelli, co-host Jennifer ‘Jenny from the Block’ Lopez wore a stunning Schiaparelli gown but still delivered an underwhelming look. For a co-host, you’d think they’d be on theme, but only Zendaya stayed on theme out of every co-host. TWICE.
Zendaya walked the carpet twice. First in a Galliano for Margiela gown and second in a vintage Givenchy couture gown also by Galliano. There was a lot of Galliano and Loewe this year, but I’m not complaining. Zendaya’s first look had the perfect accessories and had. The second look said, ‘Something big, something that says she’s here, SOMETHING THAT SAYS BEYONCE!’ Law Roach styled both looks, as expected, but on a more unexpected note, he also styled Mona Patel. Mona Patel is an Indian-born entrepreneur who made her MET Gala debut in an Iris van herpen gown and kinetic petal cuffs that became the talk of the night. No photo could ever do her look justice, so I’m begging you to go to her Instagram (@hautemone) to see her outfit in movement.
Another woman who debuted that night was our favourite pretty girl from Jo’burg, Tyla. Dressed in a Balmain sand dress, Tyla had to practically be carried up the stairs, but she ate SO HARD with this look. Referencing the sea and the ‘time’ part of the theme with an hourglass and having actual sand on her body to tie in the look. She was committed, and I was committed to watching her just serve. A lot of unconventional fabrics were used during the night, like Taylor Russell in Loewe. Russell wore a wood corset and, in an interview with Ashley Graham and Gwendoline Christie, said she wanted to be a tree, hence the wood corset. The skirt of the gown fell so beautifully, almost like a waterfall, and the juxtaposition honestly made the look perfect.
Ariana Grande walked the stairs in Loewe, an all-white gown with a mother-of-pearl corset and a white skirt that draped off her body like water flowing down a waterfall. Later in the evening, she performed in a bespoke Maison Margiela Artisanal by John Galliano. If you thought she looked like a fairy on the carpet, she embodied Tinkerbell in her performance look. Her look was completed by 3D petal wings on her face, which I think rounded off the look perfectly.
There were so many looks that I was so disappointed with initially but grew on me when you REALLY look at them. Mindy Kaling wore a gown by Gaurav Gupta with the correct amount of drama. I was so underwhelmed by it initially, but then I saw the back of the dress. All I have to say is that Gaurav Gupta is a genius and Kudos to Mindy for repping the Indian designers on a platform as big as the MET. The gown reminded me of wilting flowers and was a good interpretation of the theme. In a similar vein, Wisdom Kaye wore a red Robert Wun suit from his latest collection. I was expecting more from Kaye when I first saw the look, and he DELIVERED. A burnt cape was the highlight of the look, which referenced the garden's destruction, and it was just beautiful to see as a whole.
While one Indian woman referenced wilting flowers, another referenced blooming gardens (and impressionism, that's what I think, at least). Alia Bhatt, an Indian actress, wore revered Indian designer Sabyasachi. A pastel sari with a 23-foot-long train should've shut the carpet down, but I'm not seeing enough commotion about this look, and it doesn't sit right with my soul. 🤨 In an interview with Graham and Christie, Alia explained the inspiration for the sari comes from the timelessness of Indian nobility. The palette pays homage to nature's beauty echoing in the earth, sky and the sea.
Surprisingly, we saw a lot of darker colour palettes as well, with Emma Chamberlain in a custom Gaultier gown which SCREAMED poison ivy and Kendall Jenner in an archival piece from Alexander McQueen. I'll give her brownie points for being on theme with the exhibition's theme because this archival piece has never been worn, so it's, as Kendall said, a sleeping beauty. Kendall looked stunning, but it again seemed like a case of getting archive for the sake of getting archive and not exactly on theme with the dress code. 🤨 Keeping with the gothic theme, we also had Dua Lipa look stunning in a custom Marc Jacobs look, complete with a sheer skirt, corset and feathers.
And speaking of Kendall, how can we forget the Kar-Jenner clan? Kim Kardashian showed up in a rib-defying dress but the same old silhouette. Mama Jenner wore an all-white… something. I don't know I lost interest, it was just big, white and boring. Kylie didn't even try to be on theme. I was booing. TOMATO, TOMATO, TOMATO. 🍅
Okay, now for the guests who missed the memo. Going to be quick, or I'll lose my temper. Most men missed the mark, same old tuxedo, and one even dressed it up with a radish brooch. 🤠 Only three men get a pass from my slander, and that's SIR Lewis Hamilton (a simple, classy look but a strong backstory. They could never make me hate you), Barry Keoghan (because that Victorian cravat look really did it for me) and Harris Reed (he looked like a renaissance painting and dressed Demi Moore in literal perfection). Not even Bad Bunny gets a pass, even if it's Margiela he was wearing. It just didn't do it for me. MEN, YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU DID.
And to wrap this up quickly because it’s getting too long, and I need to write the conclusion, too. Why must my yapping be gagged like this? 😔 Gigi Hadid maintained her status as one of the queens of the MET Gala with a beautiful Thom Browne structured ruffle gown in a mermaid silhouette. The gown was accented with black lining at the hems of the ruffles, and yellow flowers peppered all over. Sabrina Carpenter, although she looked stunning, also missed the mark. I WAS ROOTING FOR YOU, WE WERE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU. Honestly, I would’ve loved to see her in Marc Jacobs or Moschino.
Sarah Jessica Parker confused the Garden of Time with an English garden and showed up dressed for high tea. Like, pack it up, girl Wimbledon’s in London. Ayo Edibiri and Dan Levy interpreted the theme too literally. Rita Ora and Doja Cat… I don’t even know what you want me to say about them. They showed up. 👍🏻 Amelia Gray and Lana Del Rey used fairytales as their source of inspiration (even if they didn’t say it directly, it’s very noticeable or just my interpretation of their source). Two sides of the same coin situation. Lana, in archive and reinterpreted McQueen, served Maleficent with the twigs and veil. In contrast, Amelia in Undercover SS24 served Belle from Beauty and the Beast on a silver platter.
Conclusion
There’s nothing I can say that I haven’t already. There was a lot of Loewe and McQueen, and it was unofficially a Galliano-themed MET Gala. A lot of guests turned up in silver and gold, like Keke Palmer and Serena Williams. The bottom line, however, is that although I was really snobby, a lot of guests were still on theme, which is more than what we’ve had in a long time. Guests and stylists need to start taking risks regarding the MET because if you don’t, you look like you’re on any other red carpet. If Cardi B can wear archive Mugler (the Venus dress) to a regular red carpet, you can look a little risky at the MET Gala carpet. Come on.
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— Written by Shaurya, Trends Reporter at The Z Link
Connect with Shaurya on Instagram where she shares great content and lives her best influencer life as a fashion student in London. And she writes all of these great issues too. What can’t she do??? 🧐 Thank you for reading!