This year’s Met Gala theme was ‘Gilded Glamour’, something which may not have been the best choice amidst inflation but was certainly an opportunity for opulent creativity.
But it seems that only a handful of the girls were not afraid to reference, or at least do it well. Here are our takes on the best and worst looks from the night.
Best
Lizzo and her flute in a regal Thom Browne look. She always genuinely looks like she’s having fun with fashion, something that’s so rare to see nowadays.
Maya
Rosalia heard the theme. She understood it. She embraced it. The halter neck detail tying to the sleeves and the beaded details were *chef’s kiss*.
Maya
Billie Eilish brought sustainability to the table in a custom ivory, completely upcycled Gucci gown.
Maya
The only Kardashian/Jenner who got it right in a Prada dress and hidden heels.
Maya
I have to concur that both Lizzo and Billie were on my best dressed at first sight too – the lace hand glove details from Billie and the stylish coat and hair from the flute Queen were understanding the part two theme for the Gala and the costume part of the whole thing; it is the Costume Institute after all. There’s just some additional notable highlights worth some nods from a mere observer.
Jill
Teyana Taylor was simply eye-catching in Iris Van Herpen. Every attention to detail.
Jill
Sza showed up and showed out again with the pushed up pleading for breath busts that corsets from the gilded era gave. The cylindrical hat and PU half sleeved gloves and thigh high shoes are adding to the subversion of the look.
Jill
Paying homage to the corruption during the gilded era, Quannah Chasinghorse wore a Native America-inspired look with baby blue shoes to match, just peeping out of the bottom of her iridescent dress. From the feathers in her hair to her distinctive face tattoos, the model is always making a symbolic gesture to her roots.
Jill
Rihanna’s statue was best dressed – there I said it. Rihanna was awarded a marble statue at the Met in her absence, because of course she was. The ethereal and natural image of a highly pregnant womxn, bare foot and poised was erected in the Metropolitan Museum in the image of Rihanna’s cover of Vogue magazine, Anna Wintour’s doing I’m sure. The remarkable work is a beautiful nod to the nature of life and a womxn’s shape at a time where Hollywood (more than ever) are using their bodies to contort themselves rather than their outfits, and openly admitting to bizarre and dangerous starvation regimes to fit into archived fits that should remain archived.
Jill
Worst
Why does everything Camila Cabello wear seem so ill fitted and cheap? We see where she’s going with this but the execution? Poor.
Maya
Who? Who was it that allowed the likes of Kim Kardashian to wear a HISTORICAL ARTEFACT to a red carpet event? Tainting Marilyn Monroe’s name, she is sure to get makeup, sweat or even particles on the dress Marilyn war that sparked scandal when she sang Happy Birthday to John F Kennedy. At least one of the Kardashians, known for their exaggerated derrieres, should have opted for a playful spin on a bustle, which exaggerated the back of women’s dresses.
Maya
For Khloe and Kourtney’s first Met Gala, this was abysmal. Kourtney looks like she’s going to Whole Foods in that fit (sloppy) and Khloe’s fear of criticism made her play way too safe. As for Kylie, she looks uncomfortable and just isn’t pulling it off (white – get it? Because she wore Off White). But I’ll give kudos to her homage to Virgil Abloh, the mastermind behind the Milan-based brand.
Maya
Honorary Mentions: On theme
In a Burberry skirt and bouffant, Bad Bunny made his iconic met gala debut – with a twist on gendered clothing in the gilded age.
Maya
Parker worked with Christopher John Rogers to create this elaborate ensemble, paying homage to Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley, the first Black female fashion designer in the White House.
Maya
Laura Harrier wore custom H&M and dazzled (on theme!) whilst doing so. From the chunky, layered pearl necklaces to the detailed, sparkling embroidery on the gown with a corset structure on top and a caged skirt on the bottom. The half sleeved gloves in none other than velour also adds to the opulence of the time, with slicked back hair and baby curls mirroring the trends of the era and the dark colours reflecting the mourning that came with it.
Jill
I can’t not include her when she continues to work fashionably to the level of Rihanna and Zendaya for the Met, matching her dress to the carpet year after year – and keeping it on theme. She gave us the carpet transition (her dress and gloves going from copper red to blue) each Gala deserves to see.
Jill
Blake Lively continued to deliver as she does best for the Met Gala after party.
Jill
I kept being drawn back to this look from Madeleine Petsch in Moschino. I knew I liked it but couldn’t put my finger on it being a best dressed number until I realised it kept catching my eye because it’s simply something I would 100% wear in real life. The emerald stone necklace, the Gemini birthstone nonetheless, and the bright yellow tones and shapes of the fit. It’s giving African wedding meets the gilded era with the addition of the enclosed long gloves that former First Ladies such as Jackie Kennedy would often be seen wearing.
Jill
Gemma Chan in Louis Vuitton deserves an honorary mention too, for all the right reasons.
Jill
My Goddess Complex 