The Met Gala is one of the most notable events in the fashion and red carpet calendar. It is the one day a year where attendees can be as adventurous with their outfit as they like, as long as it fits the correct theme of the year.
It is an annual event held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, on the first Monday of May. The intention is to raise money for the museum’s fashion and costume department as well as boost the fashion exhibition held there.
Celebrities from far and wide attend, with the majority of them being from the fashion, music or film industry. All guests must be approved by Anna Wintour.
To put it simply, it is one of the most inspirational nights of the fashion year. With each theme of the Gala being fitting and important, it brings out a side of celebrities that the public don’t always see.
Nobody stunned as much as Princess Diana did
In 1996, the Princess of Wales herself walked the red carpet at the Met and her appearance is still considered iconic to this day.
The theme that year was to honour the work of Christian Dior. Diana wore a dark blue silk and lace gown, which was designed by John Galliano, who was the current creative director of Dior at the time.
It could be argued that the 90s was quite a simplistic time for fashion but Diana rebelled against this, and her Met Gala look was no different.
Her jewellery made a huge statement that stood out against her simple dress. She wore sapphire and diamond earrings paired with a seven-stranded choker necklace, made from pearls, with a sapphire and diamond in the middle.
Harry Styles made history
Harry Styles is the youngest co-chair the Met Gala has ever had. His outgoing fashion choices, from a young age, had caught the attention of the fashion world.
Harry admitted it was an “honour” to be asked to be the co-chair of the 2019 event. Then he went on to talk to Vogue about what the theme of the year, Camp: Notes on Fashion, meant to him; “I think it’s about enjoyment and fun, no judgement, having fun with clothes, I think fashion is supposed to be fun and it’s a good time for that right now, people being themselves.”
The theme of the year was inspired by Susan Sontag’s 1964 essay of a similar name. Andrew Bolton, the Costume Institute’s Curator, said; Camp has “Become increasingly more mainstream in its pluralities.” To fit this theme, the traditional red carpet was swapped to a pink one.
Harry wore a black sheer blouse topped with a large bow, black wide leg trousers and chunky heels. He paired the look with a dangly pearl earring and several rings, including two rings with his initials ‘H’ and ‘S’.
His look was Gucci and designed by Alessandro Michelle, who walked alongside him on the pink carpet. Harry is no stranger to wearing Gucci, since he has done plenty of campaigns for them and still continues to be bold with his fashion choices.
Katy Perry lit up the red carpet, literally
Katy Perry is another celebrity that is well known for making daring fashion choices, especially when walking a red carpet. Does everyone remember her dress made of jewelled fruit?
Showing up to the biggest event in the fashion calendar, Katy did not disappoint. To honour the 2019 theme of Camp: Notes on Fashion, Katy walked the pink carpet dressed as a chandelier.
Her dress was Moschino, designed by Jeremy Scott. It had two chandelier lights attached to it, with light up candles. She had another set of light up candles resting on her head, which were said to weigh a whopping 40 pounds.
When Katy was interviewed on the night, she was said to have been asked how she would sit down once inside and she replied; “You don’t sit down at the Met!”
Marc Jacobs started the sheer trend
Some say Marc Jacobs’ look at the 2012 Met Gala was daring, but some say it was iconic. It certainly seems to be a very controversial outfit. The theme for that year was Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations.
The American designer wore a black sheer dress over the top of white boxer shorts. Marc said of the outfit, on the livestream that night; “It’s just a lace dress. I just didn’t want to wear a tuxedo and be boring.”
His dress was designed by Commes des Garcons. He wore it with his ordinary black socks and jewelled shoes.
Marc Jacobs just appeared to be ahead of the times, as jewelled sheer dresses are now favourites of Beyoncé and the Kardashians.
Beyoncé and Jay Z proved they’re a power couple, once again
Beyoncé and Jay Z were an hour late to the 2015 Met Gala but for good reason. Beyoncé didn’t like her hairstyle for the evening. The iconic high ponytail she wore was done “In the elevator on her way out”; said her hairstylist, Neal Farinah.
When the couple finally arrived, Beyoncé caught the attention of the paparazzi regardless of being an hour late. Good things come to those who wait! Her dress fit the theme of the year, China: Through the Looking Glass, perfectly.
She wore a sheer, jewel-encrusted dress which was custom made by Givenchy. She had to have somebody with her at all times to make sure the risque dress stayed in place.
Jay-Z toned down for the evening, allowing his wife to soak up the spotlight. He wore a plain black tuxedo, which encouraged more eyes to turn to Beyoncé’s custom-made dress.
The Met Gala is the peak of red carpet fashion as it allows celebrities to showcase what fashion means to them. The event was missed last year due to the pandemic, but hopefully it will be back this year bigger and bolder than ever!
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