The Met Gala has always been at the forefront of the fashion industry since fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert first started in 1948.
This week was no exception. The theme this year was "American independence". The theme celebrated American designers and cultural, political, and social events that have occurred during the pandemic. (Devaney, 2021)
The ball was anything other than "American Independence". Everyone who attended the gala came in full swing. There were a lot of fashion themes going on. However, I have selected a few that I thought stood out for this year's gala.
Those like Ciara wore a green padded shoulder fitted floor-length cutout dress by designer Peter Dundas. The dress was designed to replicate a football jersey and inspired by the late designer Geoffrey Beene and Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. Ciara sported his jersey number (No. 3) — and his Super Bowl XLVIII ring when Seattle beat Denver 43–8 in Feb. 2014.
Goth Pop singer Billie Ellish wore something quite out of the box with her Oscar De La Renta Pale Pink Tulle Ensemble is reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe and every bit of old Hollywood. Ciara quoted by saying, "she was very interested in surprising everybody with a look she hasn't done before," said Fernando Garcia, a creative director for the label, describing the dress as "very clean and sensual."
The dress that Olympic Gymnast Simone Bile wore for the Met Gala was designed by designers Beckett Fogg and Piotrek Panszczyk of Area. The top part of the dress was a black, long-sleeved, mocked neck with a heart-shaped dress on top with a long tail with a split up the front. The dress trimmed in hand-embellished white Swarovski crystals that weighed a whopping 88 pounds. The outfit was three-in-one, consisting of a minidress underneath and a glittery black catsuit decorated to look like a starry night sky.
Arriving fashionably late was Rihanna. She shut down the gala as she arrived in a Balenciaga overcoat paired with a custom matching hat made by Stephen Jones Millinery. Styled by Demna Gvasalia, the mogul decided to pair her ensemble with over 267 carats of Bvlgari jewelry including a necklace with 9 pear cut diamonds, several heritage bracelets and a single platinum and diamond earring. Her ring was designed by African American jewelry designer Thelma West.
Last but not least was Kim Kardashian-West Darth Vaderish ensemble of some sort. I was shocked to see Kim in such a garment. I always looked at this person as someone who loves basking in the limelight for all it is worth. However, for this year's gala, she came totally covered from head to toe in something straight out of a Gothic Creature Feature. I am not sure what her purpose was or what she was trying to represent.
This year's event was supposed to be represented by American Designers, politics, and culture. If this was supposed to be her representation of "COVID", this was a cruel way of expressing it at a fashion gala. Hopefully, next year the Mets Gala Ball will go back to representing culture, art, and the beauty of what fashion is based on.
Not to make this a place to make a political statement that does not necessarily showcase the true meaning of what fashion is about or the reason Eleanor Lambert started the Met Gala in the first place.
Devaney, Susan. “Met Gala 2021: Everything You Need to Know.” British Vogue, 14 Sept. 2021, www.vogue.co.uk/article/met-gala.
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