The 2021 Met Gala: A Return to the Biggest Night in Fashion
For the first time since 2019, celebrities took to the red carpet donning expensive designer frocks for the annual Met Gala. The theme, picked by fashion mogul Anna Wintour, was “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion”. The theme was inspired by the Metropolitan Museum's newest costume exhibition. Some celebrities rocked the theme,while other celebrity ensembles left the audience and the press trying to senselessly connect them to the Americana theme.
Popstar Billie Ellish turned heads in a giant, sweeping, champagne colored Oscar de la Renta ball gown reminiscent of 1950’s Hollywood glamour. Team USA soccer superstar Megan Rapione hit the theme right on the head with a cool and patriotic red, white, and blue Sergio Hudson pantsuit.
However, there appeared to be two informal themes among the outfits of the invitees: the outrageous and the not so subtly political.
Rapper Lil Nas X wore a flamboyant three part ensemble. Lil Nas X arrived at the event in a large, ornately embroidered golden cape reminiscent of the Met Gala’s 2019 theme “Heavenly Bodies”. Lil Nas X abandoned his cape soon after his arrival to reveal a full suit of golden body armor. To top the night off, Lil Nas X kept to his golden and decadent theme by donning a sparkly, tight bodysuit.
In a dramatic entrance, Kim Kardashian West showed up in head to toe black. This outfit included a complete covering of her face and hair. Kardashian West has apparently been experimenting with “bondage-esque” looks to promote husband Kanye West’s new album entitled “Donda”. Meanwhile, German singer-songwriter Kim Petras brought representation for horse girls everywhere with a 3D horse head bustier designed by Collina Strada.
Among the patriotic and outrageous getups were also a sea of celebrities determined to put out a political message through their frocks. Model Cara Delevinge wore a white bulletproof vest with the phrase “Peg the patriarchy” affixed to the front; thus making a statement on sexism and the pandemic of gun violence in America. Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney wore a dress made up of sashes which exclaimed “Equal Rights for Women” much like the ones worn by the suffragettes of the early 1900’s.
The most controversial outfit of the night was a white off the shoulder gown with the words “Tax the rich” painted on the back. This bold political look was worn by congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Ocasio-Cortez is known in American politics for her fierce beliefs in equality and the taxing of the wealthy elite. Many praised Ocasio-Cortez for her willingness to share such a powerful message in front of both the press and famous celebrities. However, many others thought that Ocasio-Cortez’s look was tonedeaf and ironic. Traditionally, only very famous and rich celebrities get invited to the Met Gala. The price of a ticket to the event costs around $35,000 and some companies will pay more than $3 million to purchase an entire table at the event. Thus, it is no wonder that some found Ocasio-Cortez’s delivery to her message to be of poor taste.
I spoke to San Diego State freshman Jorden Jackson to see what he thought about AOC’s look.
“I think she [Ocasio-Cortez] has the right idea, but I also feel like maybe she should have thought it through a little because some people consider her to be rich,” Jorden said. Jorden went on to say that he thinks that Ocasio-Cortez’s look was also in poor taste considering that she willingly went to an event attended by the wealthy and enjoyed the benefits of the event. What might have made a more powerful impact would have been Ocasio-Cortez refusing the invitation and publicly denouncing the frivolity of an event such as the Met Gala during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been a time of economic struggle for many ordinary Americans.
Whether or not you think that the celebrities which attended last week’s Met Gala slayed or flopped there is no doubt that the night proved to be a hot topic. What did you think of some of the Met Gala looks?
Eugenie Budnik — September 26th, 2021
