By Mera Tabarruk
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Benefit more commonly known as the Met Gala is finally here and highly anticipated after last year’s cancellation due to the pandemic. Fashion’s biggest night calls celebrities to embody the theme of “In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion” so we’re here to find out if they met the assignment.
It takes a whole team and a half to glam each celeb, so let’s pay our appreciation and queue our top looks of the evening. P.S get ready for lots of sparkles and glam.
Anok Yai in Oscar de la Renta
Anok Yai
Model Anok Yai giving us ever so sultry glam dressing up as “The New Old Hollywood” aligns with Met Gala’s theme perfectly. This look was brought to life thanks to stylist Carlo Nazario and Oscar de la Renta atelier. The dress features a plunging neckline with crystals shaped as flowers and stars, paired with Guiseppe Zanotti’s heels, Ana Khouri jewellery, and black opera gloves.
Kendall Jenner in Givenchy
Kendall Jenner
This look had us all talking and for good reason as Kendall serves glamour while paying homage to Audrey Hepburn’s iconic embassy gown from My Fair Lady. The diamond choker, delicate beading, cap sleeves – all in the hands of Givenchy over half a century later, we are in love.
Emily Blunt in Miu Miu
Emily Blunt
When the theme is a celebration of American fashion, embodying one of the country’s most famous statues (The Statue of Liberty) just makes sense. The gorgeous floor-length garment is custom Miu Miu with jewellery by Messika Paris.
Kaia Gerber in Oscar de la Renta
Kaia Gerber
Serving a potent hit of classic American beauty and old Hollywood, model-actress Kaia excellently channels former actress and social activist Bianca Jagger’s 1981 Met Gala look. It’s all in the subtle details; the curly bob, voluminous floor-length skirt, and floral appliqués. The look was brought to life by designer Oscar de la Renta.
Kim Kardashian and Demna Gvasalia in Balenciaga
Kim and not Kanye…
This is a look you’ve probably already see circle throughout social media as Kim has got us all talking. Whether you loved it or hated it, she walked the carpet with a statement in this bold Balenciaga look. Initially, we all thought and expected her date to be Kanye (right?) but turns out it was Balenciaga’s creative director Demna Gvasalia. Also, if you are wondering how this relates to the theme of American Style, Kim captioned her Instagram post “What’s more American than a T-shirt head to toe?!”.
Lil Nas X in Versace
Lil Nas X
We’re all talking about Lil Nas’ dramatic ensemble as he wore three different outfits in all custom Versace. This is the rapper’s first Met Gala experience and he surely made it count. For his first outfit reveal, Lil Nas X wore an ornate cape that was covered in intricate gold beading and upon removal, he revealed a golden suit of armour underneath. For his final and personally my favourite, he slithered out in a bodysuit covered in crystals and Versace’s signature house print.
Zoë Kravitz in Saint Laurent
Zoë Kravitz
Heads turn for Zoë as she graced the carpet in a Saint Laurent sheer gown, the dress is made up of a series of interlocking YSL logos if you look closely. The dazzling design was a fitting choice, considering Zoë has been the face of YSL beauty since 2016. Balancing the outfit, her subtle jewellery by New Zealand-born, London-based designer Jessica McCormack adds the perfect touch to her look.
Yara Shahidi in Christian Dior
Yara Shahidi
Ethereal and elegant, Yara arrived at the Met Gala in a custom strapless Christian Dior gown, embroidered with intricate beading, and fashioned with a thin belt and a long trail. Her look was inspired by the style of a legendary figure: Josephine Baker, the boundary-breaking American-French entertainer.
Grimes in Iris van Herpen
Grimes
Inspired by the science-fiction book Dune, Grimes went all out with an outfit that featured a metal face mask (an original mask from the upcoming Dune film), an anti-gravity ponytail, and her typically favourited accessory, a sword. P.S this is a real sword crafted from a melted-down automatic gun. Her custom dress is courtesy of Iris van Herpen inspired by distant futures that took over 900 hours to perfect.
Hunter Schafer in Prada
Hunter Schafer
Euphoria’s actress Hunter Schafer wooed us all in her metallic silver halter top and column skit. Completing the look, Hunter wore black strappy heels, a silver headpiece, sculptural nails, and one of the most talked about beauty moments of the night, white contacts. The whole look gives off dystopian sci-fi vibes and we sure love an experimental look.
Gigi Hadid in Prada
Gigi Hadid
If you are wondering why Gigi’s outfit looks so familiar, it’s giving us the feeling of nostalgia through the fictional character Jessica Rabbit from Who Framed Roger Rabbit. The supermodel debuted fiery red hair in a retro-inspired ponytail accented with a black and crystal Prada brooch, a black and white sleeveless gown by Prada, with matching black opera gloves.