Winona Ryder in “The Age of Innocence”. Photo from Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection
“At the bottom of the Met Gala invitations sent every spring is an inscription small in size but vital in importance: the dress code,” Elise Taylor wrote for Vogue, illustrating the “gilded glamour” dress code of the 2022 Met Gala.
The Met Gala, one of the biggest nights in fashion, takes place on the first Monday of May every year at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York to raise money for the Costume Institute, a center of the museum that showcases seven centuries worth of fashion. Celebrities are styled tastefully in intricate creations, leaving the public eye to eagerly rate their flamboyance.
In 2021, the Met Gala was pushed to September instead, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. For this reason, Vogue editor-in-chief, fashion icon, and Met Gala hostess Anna Wintour, along with the head curator of the Costume Institute, Andrew Bolton, stuck with a two-part theme.
The theme for September 2021 was “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,” followed by its second part in May 2022, “In America: An Anthology of Fashion.” Though both themes aim to recognize and celebrate American fashion, Bolton explains that “while ‘Lexicon’ is expansive, reflecting on qualities that have defined, and continue to define American fashion, ‘Anthology’ is more focused, presenting isolated stories on the work of individual tailors, dressmakers, and designers, many of whom were women.”
While this theme set the tone for the night, the dress code was what inspired the looks behind many. Attendees were asked to embody “gilded glamour,” a term coined by Mark Twain in 1873 to represent the Gilded Age in New York. Taking place between 1870 and 1890, this period was one of immense economic, industrial, social, and political growth and transformation. However, hidden behind the prosperous lives of the upper class, and their extravagant sense of style, were extreme poverty and corruption. The Gilded Age was definitely a notable period in American history, truly showing how all that glitters is not gold.
The “An Anthology of Fashion” exhibit in the Costume Institute “tells a variety of stories—from the personal to the political, the stylistic to the cultural, and the aesthetic to the ideological.” And Met Gala attendees were also encouraged to do the same through their looks.
To say I was disappointed with the majority of looks from this Met Gala would’ve been an understatement. Many attendees failed to understand the theme and dress code. There were a few looks I want to highlight though, which did a perfect or close-to-perfect job of exuding “gilded glamour.”
Blake Lively
Blake Lively nailed the Met Gala dress code as per usual, in a transforming Versace gown inspired by Lady Liberty and New York architecture. Photo from Page Six
Genesis Suero
Telemundo reporter Genesis Suero stole the show at the 2022 Met Gala in a dazzling princess-style dress. Photo from The Mirror
Bella Hadid
Bella Hadid channeled a harlot persona in an all-black Burberry outfit, representing the women who resorted to working in brothels during the Gilded Age. Photo from People
Rosalía
Spanish singer Rosalía in an ivory silk tulle embellished gown styled by atelier Givenchy. Photo from Red Carpet Fashion Awards
Normani
Normani in a sleek black two-piece set from Christian Siriano. Photo from Glamour
Which look was your favorite? Let us know @HerCampusSJSU!