Written by: Briana Wright @misswrighttv
Laura Harrier in H&M/ Photo credit: Getty Images
The industry's biggest night in fashion took place on Monday, May 2nd in NYC. This year's theme was "Gilded Glamour," referring to the late 1800s- a time of American innovation and extreme economic growth.
This translated into fashion as boastful personified. Think big, extravagant, & over-the-top with frills, bows, ruffles and more of the like. Social media deemed most of our celeb attendees underwhelming and missing the mark, but not all. Whether on theme or not, there was definitely lots worth talking about! So, let's dive in.
Capturing the theme entirely is not only unlikely for goers of the Met, but it's also a bit restricting. How does one follow the rules and stand out? Well, many borrowed pieces of the Gilded era or at least, they're interpretation of it, and made it their own.
For example, hats were quite popular this year. Take Lala Anthony, whom also co-hosted the event, and Normani. We know these ladies love skin and they gave exactly that! Sza also wore a hat that no one could miss. However, of them all, I'd have to give it to Normani for making ruffles sexy. Unapologetically her.
Lala Anthony in Laquan Smith, Normani in Christian Siriano & Sza in Vivienne Westwood/ Photo credit: Getty Images
Lace was also a reoccurring feature at the Met, particularly black and sultry. For instance, Vanessa Hudgens (another Met Gala host), Bella Hadid and Kerry Washington took sheer to the next level.
Say what you want about sticking to theme- these looks were top tier! Hudgens gave us drama and Hadid's pearl anklet was creative genius. Yet, I have to give this category to Washington. The eldest of them, yet eating the girlies up with the Jimmy Choo pumps & legs for days!
Vanessa Hudgens in Moschino, Kerry Washington in Tory Burch & Bella Hadid in Burberry/ Photo credit: Getty Images
And as for the looks that did the Gilded Age justice...still pretty subjective. But, from my opinion and that of the fashion blogs, these women were amongst the most accurate depiction of Gilded Glamour: Blake Lively, Billie Eilish, Lizzo, and Nicola Coughlan, also known as our dear Lady Whistledown.
Dramatic is an understatement for the attire of these women. Ironically enough, despite Lady Whistledown herself being in this category, Eilish looks more Bridgerton than I would have liked. Coughlan though? Understood the assignment.
Lively was likely the season's diamond with a Versace gown that transformed, paying homage to New York City architecture- both stunning and on theme. Although, my personal favorite was Lizzo! More so the combination of all the look's elements than the gown itself; Lizzo's finger waves, extravagant jacket and iconic gold flute, took my breath away.
Lizzo in Thom Browne, Nicola Coughlan in Richard Quinn, Blake Lively in Versace, & Billie Eilish in Gucci/ Photo credit: Getty Images
History was made, or perhaps disturbed on the red carpet when Kim Kardashian showed up wearing Marilyn Monroe's memorable gown. Last seen on Monroe when she sang "Happy Birthday" to JFK in 1962, and since her passing, in Ripley's Believe It Or Not.
Kim Kardashian in Marilyn's Gown & Marilyn singing "Happy Birthday Mr. President"/ Photo credit: Greg Swales & Getty images
Kim told carpet correspondents that she had to lose 16 pounds to fit into the dress and according to Vogue, she only wore it for a few minutes. In an effort to respect the history of the dress, she changed into a replica shortly after climbing the stairs.
So, was it really worth doing whatever she did to lose so much weight in so little time? Who knows...but it's important to note that this blog is body positive. So, if the weight was shed in a harmful or detrimental way- the answer is NO. It's never that serious.
To end on a better note, Monroe's dress (or dress replica) was not the most iconic piece at this year's Met Gala. It was in fact, the absence of Rihanna. Why? Because Vogue paid tribute to the pregnant mogul in the form of a marble statue.
Rihanna in Marble/ Photo credit: Patrick Golan/Apemanrobot/Vogue
Now in her third trimester, it's safe to say Miss Fenty is on maternity leave, thus did not make it to this year's Met Gala. Yet, when @voguemagazine shared the visual of her enshrined in marble, we knew Rih Rih was going to shut down the Met, present or not.