FormerVogue editor Alexandra Shulman has given her candid thoughts about this year’s Met Gala and why she was “disappointed” with some of the red carpet outfits.
Shulman, who was the editor-in-chief of British Vogue for 25 years, claimed that attendees didn’t follow the dress code of the 2022 Met Gala, “Gilded Glamour,” during a recent interview with Page Six Style. According to the journalist, she felt like the formal attire was a great idea, given the fact that the Gilded Age was “all about the heady days of New York”.
“I thought the theme was a brilliant one,” she said. “So I was a little disappointed how few people really went for the authentic Gilded Age outfit, which I’d hoped they would.”
“I felt that it was a very appropriate theme for the exhibition, which is [about] American fashion,” she added. “And, you know, the Gilded Age was all about the heady days of New York. So it all made sense. I just would have liked to have seen some more really beautiful, rather than eccentric, looks.”
Ahead of the gala, which took place on 2 May in New York City at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Vogue announced that the dress code for the occasion would be “gilded glamour, white tie”. Attendees were encouraged to find outfit inspirations by looking at fashion styles during the Gilded Age, a period from 1870 to 1890 that was characterised by prosperity and industrialisation.
This year’s event, organised by Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, was held in celebration of The Costume Institute’s two part fashion exhibit. This year’s theme, “In America: An Anthology of Fashion,” was a continuation of the 2021 Met Gala theme, “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,” which took place last September.
Regarding her specific opinions on some of this year’s outfits, the former magazine editor told Page Six Style that some celebrities appeared to be “naked,” which she said she thought was a result of today’s “social media age”.
“I think that there’s been a real shift … to costume dressing and the emphasis being on how much you stand out. And I think that’s very much to do with the social media age that we live in,” she said.
“You know, you’re trying to capture people’s attention, and then people are trying to get the clicks,” she continued. “So if you wear just a really lovely pink dress, it doesn’t have the standout quality of some of those, say, near-naked Burberry outfits Riccardo [Tisci] did.”
However, Shulman still noted that there were a few outfits that stood out to her, including Blake Lively’s.
The Gossip Girl star had one of the most memorable looks of the night, with the actor wearing a Versace gown that paid homage to New York City and included a red carpet outfit change into a second look.
“I liked Blake Lively’s outfit; that was beautiful,” Shulman said. “The model Adwoa Aboah looked lovely in pink Tory Burch. I really liked Kendall Jenner, who was in this enormous black Prada.
“And I kind of liked David Lauren, who was in white tie and tails with torn jeans; I thought that was a very good, Lauren-esque take on American fashion,” she added.
