The Met Gala is the enchanting and elegant night of all nights in American fashion. “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,” like all Met Gala themes, gave those in attendance so many options to dress to impress.
“I feel like the theme at this year’s Met Gala was one that could be left up to interpretation, which made me have high hopes,” said LSU alumna Anne Marie Abraham.
Numerous attendees used the theme to pay tribute to the people of America’s past. Kendall Jenner’s Givenchy dress was a modern-day version of Audrey Hepburn’s “My Fair Lady” dress. Emily Blunt chose to modernize Hedy Lamarr’s look in “Ziegfeld Girl.” Blunt’s dress was created by Miu Miu with the final touches of a headpiece tying everything together. Yara Shahidi’s look, made by Dior, paid homage to one of Josephine Baker’s iconic looks and was styled by Jason Bolden.
While all of these ladies and many more paid homage to those who came before them and looked stunning while doing so, many people were unimpressed by the fashion choices of most attendees at the Met Gala this year.
“America is so many things, so there were endless possibilities to what the designers could’ve done, but I don’t think most people really got as creative as they should have,” Abraham said.
ASAP Rocky was on the receiving end of criticism for his quilt and underwhelming suit. Showing up with Rihanna added pressure, as she is known to be a legend at this event. Model Chanel Iman was widely considered to be among the best dressed.
Lil Nas X, Megan Fox, Normani and Billie Eilish were the standouts among those who also attended the VMA’s the night before. Lil Nas X’s extravagant three-part outfit was a spectacle that made him one of the most mentioned attendees on Twitter. Simone Biles seemed to respond to the theme in a similar dazzling fashion.
Something different about this year is that a lot more social media influencers were invited to the event, which added to the list of controversies for this year’s gala. There were different opinions on whether or not they should have been invited to this prestigious event. One of the influencers in attendance was Dixie D’Amelio, who wore a Valentino dress while also channeling Audrey Hepburn like Jenner. People raved over influencer Emma Chamberlin’s Louis Vuitton dress, saying she looked stunning in the bejeweled fit.
While some of these internet influencers were getting positive reviews, others like Addison Rae, did not. She was the No. 1 influencer people said should not have been invited to the Met Gala.
“Addison Rae should not have been even invited in the first place. She’s a wannabe celebrity,” said mass communication junior Sarah Stowe.
People felt as though she hadn’t paid her dues enough to be allowed at such an esteemed event. Nevertheless, she was at this year’s Met Gala wearing a dress styled by Law Roach. Many people saw similarities in Rae’s dress to Kourtney Kardashian’s Christmas dress from 2019.
“If you’re going to be going to an event like this, you should at least be original and not steal a dress from your friend’s closet,” Stowe said.
While it is still just speculation that Rae borrowed Kardashian’s dress, the two do look very similar.
Politicians also received scattered reviews after mixing politics and fashion. Bringing politics to a high-class event seemed hypocritical to many. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s “Eat the rich” dress was the topic of many conversations.
Regardless of viewer’s opinions, this year’s event was long-awaited after last year’s Gala had been canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The absence of some A-list celebs didn’t stop those in attendance from putting on a show.
Keke Palmer, who served as a co-host with Ilana Glazer for Vogue’s livestream, brought good energy and entertainment to the Gala’s return. There were some mishaps, but the good always outshines the bad at the Met Gala.
