First Monday of May means the New York Met Gala. All details kept top secret until the red carpet, it is probably the most anticipated event in the fashion calendar.
The Gala marks the beginning of the new exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this year the Met will be showing 250 rare items taken from the costume institute’s permanent collection. Curated by Andrew Bolton, the exhibition retraces 400 years of fashion history from the revolutionary designs of Schiaparelli to the timeless elegance of Dior and Givenchy. “Sleeping beauties: re-awakening fashion” is a testament to fashion’s rich history exploring how new technologies can bring back to life garments that are too fragile to be worn. Some designs such as Charles Frederick Worth’s ball gown from 1877 will be displayed in video animation, light projection, AI, CGI and other forms of sensory stimulation. The exhibition is centered around three main zones ‘land’, ‘sky’ and ‘sea’, paying tribute to the natural world, which inspired this year’s Met Gala theme: “The Garden of Time”.
Based on a surrealist short story by J.G.Ballard in 1962, the theme inspired floral, botanical motifs as well as notions of decay and ruin which once again resulted in beautiful looks from the attendees. Co-chairs Zendaya and Bad Bunny both wore custom designs by John Galliano at Maison Margiela, Zendaya, to top things off then changed into a second dramatic Givenchy long trail dress adorned with a bright flower bouquet after having worn a Haute-Couture design inspired by Galliano’s time at Dior in 1999. Jennifer Lopez and Chris Hemsworth, also this year’s co-chairs, wore designs by Tom Ford and Schiaparelli.
Emma Chamberlain who was Vogue’s special correspondent again this year, transformed into a goth goddess, dressed in a 2003 Jean Paul Gaultier design with black thorns creeping up to her neck and interlacing with a chunky Cartier choker. Gwendoline Christie showed up as John Galliano’s muse in a look inspired from his latest Haute-Couture collection at Maison Margiela. Taylor Russel made her first appearance at the Met Gala a memorable one in her sculptural Loewe bodice made from wood. While Tyla, the up-and-coming South-African singer truly stole hearts in her custom Balmain gown ‘sands of time’ made out of three shades of sands and micro crystal studs for a classy sparkle, the cherry on top was her clutch which was quite literally an hourglass. Of course New York City’s beloved fashion icon, Sarah Jessica Parker once again did not disappoint. She collaborated with British designer Richard Quinn on a beautiful bird-cage dress hinting on notions of fragility and preservation.
Stella McCartney walked the red carpet with a strong british team including FKA Twigs, Cara Delevine, Ed Sheeran and of course a pinch of lab grown diamonds for the extra sparkle. Chloe’s new creative director Chemena Kamali came in strong with a team of powerful women holding hands: Sienna Miller, Zoë Saldana, Greta Gerwig and Emma Mackey in boho-chic attire. While Gigi Hadid went for drama with Thom Browne.
Kendall Jenner probably won the award for the most precious archive piece seen this year on the steps, when she arrived looking like a dark sleeping beauty wearing a vintage beaded
Givenchy Haute-Couture dress by Alexander McQueen in 1999 that had never before been worn. Lana Del Ray wow-ed with a piece from McQueen’s new creative director, Seán McGirr’s first collection inspired by one of McQueen’s most beautiful collections: Autumn/Winter 2006, creating a beautiful blend of McQueen’s legacy with the more recent vision of the Maison.
Once again, the Met Gala showcased the synergy of A-list celebrities and artists, contributing to its monumental success and reaffirming its status as the pinnacle of the fashion calendar. Although some veterans were missing, we keep our fingers crossed for next year’s Met Gala to hopefully see Rihanna, Beyonce, Blake Lively, Anne Hathaway and maybe some new faces such as Hunter Schafer. Just 365 days until the next Gala Extravaganza!
