With a theme like ‘gilded glamour’, this year’s Met Gala was always going to be an opulent one.
The annual event celebrates the newest exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York – In America: An Anthology of Fashion. Celebrities were asked to dress to the theme of ‘gilded glamour’ – an homage to the extravagance and creativity of the Gilded Age, roughly between 1870 and 1890.
Normally held on the first Monday of May, this year is a return to normality after two years of delayed or cancelled events due to the pandemic. There were a lot of tiaras and vintage touches on the red carpet, as well as designers giving their unique interpretations of the theme.
With a star-studded red carpet, these were some of the most knockout looks of the night. As one of the co-chairs of the evening – along with her husband Ryan Reynolds, Regina King and Lin-Manuel Miranda – Blake Lively was always going to pull out the stops. She walked the red carpet in a copper custom Versace gown with Art Deco detailing, paying tribute to classic New York architecture – but this wasn’t enough drama for one of the biggest stars of the evening…
As Lively’s gown soon transformed into a new look, with an aqua colour bringing the skirt alive. She later explained the transformation was a nod to ‘patina’ – the green film that forms when copper oxidised.
What kind of Met Gala would it be without Kim Kardashian making some kind of statement? In 2021 she covered her entire face and body in black jersey, and this year was completely opposite.
One of the last celebrities to walk the red carpet – along with partner Pete Davidson – Kardashian debuted freshly dyed blonde hair and wore an extremely tight, sparkly nude dress – the same outfit Marilyn Monroe wore when she sang happy birthday to John F Kennedy in 1962.
Bling was a big theme on the red carpet, and Janelle Monae took this to the extreme in a full bejewelled headpiece attached to her glittering black dress by Ralph Lauren, all the way down to the long train.
“We did gilded glamour – from the future,” Monae said on the red carpet.
With a hit song titled Empire State of Mind, it made sense for Alicia Keys to wear the New York skyline on her cape – set off with a silver column gown underneath by Ralph Lauren.
Putting herself in contention for one of the biggest trains of the night, Bridgerton’s Nicola Coughlan’s pale pink and black outfit was all about feathered accents.
Dripping in gold, Megan Thee Stallion’s Moschino dress was one of the most luminescent of the night…
Although Cardi B definitely gave her a run for her money, wearing a Versace dress that was also dripping in gold – made up of nearly one kilometre of chains.
Lizzo wore a beautifully intricate beaded Thom Browne coat – carrying her trusty flute as an accessory. “I feel like a piece of art,” she said on the red carpet – while intermittently serenading photographers with her flute.
Kylie Jenner paid tribute to Off-White and Louis Vuitton menswear designer Virgil Abloh, who died in November 2021. On first glance, her all-white outfit looks like a wedding dress with a veil – but on closer inspection, you can see distinctly Americana touches, such as the backwards baseball cap and t-shirt worn underneath.
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