MET GALA 2021: BEST DRESSED

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After nearly two years, The Met Gala is finally back to celebrate the opening of the Costume Institute's new exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art  titled "In America: A Lexicon of Fashion". This is a two-part exhibit, with the second half debuting next May alongside the first. Though "The Second Monday in September" doesn't quite have the same ring to it as "The First Monday In May", I enjoyed getting to see all of the opulence and creativity that goes into putting together "fashion's biggest night out" again! There were some great looks this year celebrating America and it's history, which I'm excited to share!

The four co-chairs of the event this year represent this theme perfectly and are what I would consider to be perfect role-models for the future of America. The first co-chair is Amanda Gorman, who made history earlier this year at President Biden's Inauguration as the youngest poet to read at a Presidential Inauguration. In May, she was also the first poet ever to be featured on the cover of Vogue Magazine.

Naomi Osaka, record-breaking professional tennis player, was another co-chair for this year's event. Off the tennis courts, she is also known for her activism, an important moment that stands out is when she withdrew from the 2020 Cincinnati Open in New York to raise awareness for the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Starting the week after, every time she walked onto the court she wore a mask displaying a different name of an victim of police brutality. She is one of the most influential athletes in the world right now, and is continuously using her platform to speak out against injustice.

Billie Eilish is also co-chair for the event this year. She is one of the highest selling artists of the past decade, with a huge influence in both music and fashion industries. She has a very distinct sense of style and has been a trendsetter for many years. She uses fashion as a form of self-expression that encourages others to not conform to what you think fashion should be, but more so what you want it to be. 

Timothée Chalamet, Academy Award nominated actor, is another co-chair of the event that is known for breaking down the barriers of gender norms in the fashion industry. He is one of the most influential men in fashion, known for his androgynous style, often with an athletic streetwear flare. In 2019, he was named the best dressed man in the world by Vogue and in 2020 by GQ. 


When it comes to the fashion, the star of the red carpet was undoubtedly Billie Eilish. She is continuously evolving her style and redefining what modern fashion is. Over the past year, she has started showing a different side of herself, debuting her new blonde look in the May issue of British Vogue. In the photoshoot, she wore a few Marilyn Monroe inspired pieces that was a more glamorous and revealing look for her. At her Met Gala debut, she wore a custom Oscar de la Renta gown, that gives the same classic Old Hollywood glamour that Marilyn was known for. I love seeing how much she has grown over the past few years and am always looking forward to what comes next to Billie! 

This gown also has a great story behind it, as well. The entire Oscar de la Renta brand is discontinuing their sales of fur products based on Bille's urging request. She is likely the only Met Gala guest that was able to enact an ethical policy change in the designer brand she worked with for the event. Since she is vegan and an animal rights activist, I think it is so great for her to use her platform to make a very overdue change in their production. Hopefully other high end brands follow!



Kendall Jenner was also referencing a another Hollywood icon, Audrey Hepburn, in this Givenchy dress. This sheer, crystal encrusted gown is an interpretation of Audrey's character in My Fair Lady. Hubert de Givenchy and Audrey Hepburn were very close friends for decades, their collaborations truly revolutionized our idea of modern fashion. I love that Kendall and Givenchy came together to pay homage to them in such a beautiful way, clearly this style is so timeless and relevant nearly sixty years later! Out of all the years Kendall has been attending The Met Gala, this look is by far my favorite! 



At Kaia Gerber's first Met Gala, she also channeled an iconic moment in American fashion with a nearly identical replica of Bianca Jagger's 1981 Met Gala gown. It was designed by Oscar de la Renta, who replicated Dior's original design. The design of this gown is simple, timeless and one of the best of the night!   



Iman wore a beautiful golden tiered dress made of feathers and a matching halo headpiece designed by Harris Reed. It was such an elaborate and striking design! Harris is one of my favorite young designers who I have been following for a few years, so I loved seeing him have the opportunity to display his design in such a major way. "I thought it was beautiful because it really felt hopeful, a ray of light after all the darkness we felt. So, I thought this was a perfect outfit for it." she told Vogue. 


Gigi Hadid always nails the theme with so much elegance and style, making her one of the celebrities I look forward to seeing the most at this event every year. This year she debut a new red hairstyle, with a sleek black and white dress and black gloves. It was designed by Prada and even though it isn't an American brand, she says it  "...celebrates the simplicity of American designers and how they do what they do best". She also added that it is inspired by the country's First Ladies as well as the glamour of 1950s and 60s American Vogue. 

One of the most shocking moments was when Kim Kardashian arrived covered head-to-toe in a black Balenciaga jumpsuit. For how unexpected and weird it is, something about this look I actually kind of love. For someone who is so famous and widely known for her body and her looks, in a way I do see her being fully covered up as some kind of statement against that. Because of that, this would've worked for the 2019 Met Gala theme of Camp as well, if she was trying t make a statement about fame and anonymity. She didn't say anything about the inspiration behind this yet, so maybe my interpretation is completely wrong, but regardless this is very different than what we usually see from Kim and definitely a noteworthy look from the night.


Another somewhat shocking look that I actually really like is Timothée Chalamet in a mix of his favorite designers; a Haider Ackermann tuxedo jacket, a Rick Owens turtleneck, classic white Converse, vintage Cartier brooches and white sweatpants. The mix of high fashion with the tuxedo jacket and Cartier jewelry and the casual everyday pieces like sweatpants and Converse feels so American in such a symbolic way and right on theme. I can't believe he was allowed to even wear sweatpants to such a prestigious event like this though! 


M O R E 

F A V O R I T E S

Keke Palmer



Justin & Hailey Bieber


Brooklyn Beckham & Nicola Peltz


Helen Lasichanh & Pharell Williams


Normani




Lil Nas X




Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello


Rosalia


Carey Mulligan


Chloe Fineman


Emily Blunt






 

Megan Thee Stallion


Michaela Coel


Pete Davidson


Steph & Ayesha Curry


Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez


Ella Emhoff


Emma Chamberlain


Lorde


Olivia Rodrigo


Simone Biles


Kacey Musgraves


Mindy Kaling


Naomi Osaka



Amanda Gorman


Thanks for reading! If you're interested in reading more about The Met Gala, check out what I wrote about the history of the event and some of the most iconic fashion moments from the 1970s-2019 here. I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below! ♡

-Melissa ♡


Photo Credit: Vogue & Getty Images

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