The Met Gala is the Superbowl of Fashion events; everyone who is anyone is in attendance and showing off their best looks. I personally look forward to this event and brutally judging the looks of these top celebrities from the comfort of my own sweatpants. This year, however, was quite different than most. The theme was “American Independence”, which honestly did not sound that great. When most people heard this, they assumed flags and red, white, and blue looks which sounded atrocious. As if this theme was not questionable enough, this year was geared more towards the youth, which led to some interesting invitees. The hosts were the iconic Billie Eillish and Timothee Chalamet, as well as the newly famed Amanda Gorman and Naomi Osaka. I respect these choices for hosts as they spread a wide variety of careers and represent different populations. Where my problems with the youth theme comes in is the list of invitees; Addison Rae being a prime example. I think that the idea of America can be an interesting angle as to be interpreted as old hollywood or vintage eras, but a lot of high fashion designers are not American. Not that they had to be wearing American made clothing, but it would have added more depth and an appreciation for the theme. A few of my opinions are as follows:
Rhianna killed the game, per usual, and ASAP Rocky looked like he just left his grandmother’s house. Nonetheless, these looks were not the worst of the night.
Justin Bieber looked like he was wearing his older brother’s hand-me-downs and Hailey looked beautiful but with just a black dress it was nothing to write home about.
J-Lo looked incredible, per usual, sporting a beautiful brown dress with a unique necklace and a bold hat. Also notably wearing Ralph Lauren, an American designer.
Billie Eillish looked absolutely stunning in her full length old hollywood style dress. She really embodied the theme which was crucially important as she was a co-chair.
Possibly an unpopular opinion, I feel like Kendall Jenner always wears the same dress; it is a beautiful bedazzled piece showing lots of skin, but it reminds me of every other dress she has ever worn. She is a beautiful model and can pull it off, but it does not make it original or exciting.
Many other notable figures include Gigi Hadid, Lorde, Simone Biles, Haliee Steinfeld, and Emily Blunt.
The most controversial (in my opinion) is AOC. Her white dress by Brother Vellies, stated in big red letters, “TAX THE RICH.” Now I have seen a lot of commentary on this work: both positive and negative responses from a wide variety of people. I think that no matter what she did, AOC would have been brutally criticized. I feel like it is important to note both sides of this argument. First off, the Met Gala is an astronomically expensive event, costing around $35,000 for a ticket and around $300,000 for a table. Not everybody who attends pays this price (even though they could afford it). These invitees honestly do not have to pay for any part of their night. Essentially, they are walking advertisements to these designers, therefore they create these looks for them. Secondly, I believe that AOC would have been criticized if she had done nothing political with her look. She is the only other politician to have attended the Met Gala since Hillary Clinton in 2001. With the theme being “American Independence,” she had every right to comment on the issues in America right now. Personally, I do not mind this statement, as I think this was the place to do it: being surrounded by rich, high class celebrities. Additionally, I think we would be having a similar conversation if she did nothing but attend. Being a politician always has you in the eye of the public, which can be a dangerous game to balance with an outside life.
Kim Kardashian’s look was interesting, to say the least, but as I have come to research and read more about it, I am a fan. Kim’s look was an all black ensemble where you couldn’t even see her face. I was strongly against this look for the days after the event, as I thought it was a lame statement about the state of America. In reality, I believe that her look was a comment that she IS American fashion. Seemingly bold idea, but I think she has a valid point. Even though she was not identifiable as herself, we all knew it was Kim Kardashian. She is the trends and she is the definition of fashion right now. Imagine being so engulfed into society that you become it.
Overall, this Met Gala was not an iconic one at all. We missed many favorite faces such as Harry Styles, Zendaya, and Blake Lively. The overall vibe of this event seemed significantly less formal than in years past, and honestly it did not live up to other years. I think it was exciting to see the new faces on the red carpet, but I am not sure if this change was for the better.