It’s every fashion lover’s favorite time of year. That’s right, ladies and gentlemen: The Met Gala. Every year we are blessed with pictures of our favorite celebs interpreting the years theme, as well as stunning fashion pieces in the The Met.
This year’s theme is “Camp: Notes on Fashion.” No, we don’t mean khakis, hiking boots, and bug spray. Camp is a nod to the Susan Sontag 1964 essay, “Notes on Camp.” Sontag defines the essence of Camp as its love of the unnatural: of artifice and exaggeration. So for those who are trying to figure out what they are supposed to be seeing, think of pieces so incredibly outside the box and crazy that you would never see them on a regular red carpet.
This year’s hosts are the epitome of campy fashion – Lady Gaga and Harry Styles. Alongside the incredible Anna Wintour is Gucci’s creative director Alessandro Michele (fitting since the entire event is sponsored by Gucci themselves) and tennis pro and certified girl boss Serena Williams.
With any red carpet event, there are people who just miss the mark or, unfortunately, play it entirely too safe. Where The Met Gala is concerned, that’s usually more than half of the people in attendance, but who’s counting? (Twitter totally is). So, over the course of our hour-plus-long watch party, we’ve compiled our very own best and worst dressed list, and a few honorary mentions who stunned us just enough to get a shout-out.
Billie Porter
Billie Porter swept me and the world off our feet when he was CARRIED IN on the shoulders of five beautiful, shirtless men dripping in gold, custom The Blonds NY. One of the most magnificent entrances and looks to ever grace the Met Gala carpet. All men, take notes. Billie Porter just won Met Gala.
Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga almost got first place from me. She wore four, (not one or two, but four), custom looks from Brandon Maxwell, a close friend of Gaga. Not only were her looks on point, but she also strutted up and down the famous stairs with a 16-minute performance involving five back up dancers, her makeup artist, and a personal photographer. A normal entrance will never be enough for this co-host.
Lily Collins
Picking my top five Met Gala looks took all my energy and I deliberated for hours. Lily Collins is my top three because of her camp perfection and the modernization of Priscilla Presley’s wedding day look when she wed Elvis in 1967. When I saw her grace the pink carpet, my jaw dropped. The towering hair with delicate florals scattered throughout and the billowing train of Giambattista Valli. Her beauty looks were another favorite of mine, I am partial to lavender so of course, her lavender eyeshadow with a bold lash was a standout.
Kanye West
Where do I begin? Kanye crossed the line for me. His look actually insulted me, the world, and the carpet. He had the nerve to stand beside his wife who actually tried to be on theme this year and kind of killed it. No one asked for your boring outfit. Security guards are not supposed to walk the carpet. Thank you, next.
James Charles
James Charles was almost my worst dressed last night, but Kanye’s lack of the slightest bit of effort took the cake. He might have been dressed by Alexander Wang, but a DIY safety pin shirt was not wanted. Along with all of social media, I would like to know how he managed to secure an invite. I am a little confused, but you know he tried. Just no cargo pants or bandana next time. It’s not Coachella weekend three. Period.
Patrick Schwarzenegger
So I don’t know if he was inspired by “Old Town Road” or what, but there is a way to do denim and there is a way to not do denim. Patrick was the latter. Again, I think some celebrities were confused that Coachella season is over and the cowboy theme is dead. Honestly, I did not expect much from him and I think he just didn’t fully understand the theme.
Janelle Monae
If you expected anything other than excellence personified in this incredible woman, you were wrong. Ms. Monae really walked into the Met as a colorblocked queen with a mechanical blinking eye on her dress covering one of her breasts. It was just as iconic as she is.
Ezra Miller
One of the very few men who did not come to play. Part of his imbecile attire was optical illusion makeup, where he had three sets of eyes painted on his face and an old school style tux and a mask of—wait for it—his own face. I expected him to show up and show out, but this was more than anything I could have imagined.
Lupita Nyong’o
Since her red carpet debut, she has never failed me, and this Met dress was no exception. This is a woman who can never look anything other than stunning in any color. She was camp personified and one of my favorite looks of the night.
Gwyneth Paltrow
I won’t say I had high hopes for Gwyneth, but I was thoroughly disappointed. She wore a pale yellow nightgown to one of the most exciting events of the year. The was one of the many people I felt just didn’t want to understand the theme and push the envelope.
James Charles
I think we all had the same question when we saw this outfit on the pink carpet and luckily I can provide you with an answer. Yes, Coachella was last month and no, this wasn’t a recycled outfit from then. This made me the most underwhelmed and disappointed because of the sheer lack of knowledge of the assignment.
Hailey Bieber
This, unfortunately, was the epitome of “just put me in a pretty dress.” In the past Met years that Hailey has attended, she has never worn anything stunning. This was a dress you could wear to any event, red carpet, or a trip to the grocery store.
As this year’s Met Gala comes to a close, both Sam and I can agree that while there some incredible looks, we wish there was more effort on most people’s part. There was so much room for excellence and crazy fashion in this theme. However, I was excited to see some of my favorite celebrities push the envelope and be daring. This was supposed to be a fun theme as per Anna Wintour, and I think that was more than accomplished. To mark the end of this incredible Met Gala, do yourself a favor and look at all the top tier Twitter memes. Thank me later.