Every year, a fundraiser for The Costume Institute of The Metropolitan Museum of Art is held on the first Monday in May. This event, the Met Gala, is attended by all types of celebrities, dressed by luxury brands such as Stella McCartney, Vera Wang and more, to fit a theme which changes annually. This year’s theme is “Fashion is Art.” In anticipation of the upcoming Gala, I’m going to be going over different looks from previous years: some of the most controversial and some of the most extravagant.
We’re going to start off the controversial looks with Kim Kardashian’s 2022 look, when the theme was “In America: An Anthology of Fashion,” with the goal of honoring American contribution to fashion. For this theme, Kim Kardashian had the Marilyn Monroe “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” dress taken out of the Ripley Believe It or Not! Museum to be worn. People were not only upset that she had it taken out of preservation to be worn, but they were also concerned that because Kardashian and Monroe have different figures, there was a chance that the dress could be damaged.
Next, we have the dress worn by New York congresswoman and activist, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, in 2021. This white off-the-shoulder piece is styled like a wedding dress, with one thing setting it apart: the bold red lettering spelling “TAX THE RICH.” While this alone is a bold statement, parading it around at the Met Gala, where individual tickets are roughly $75,000, is a commentary on those attending. Some also found it hypocritical for her to attend at all, given the message she was trying to send. However, her dress did fit the theme “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” to a tee, as it seeks to highlight the way fashion reflects things like social and political shifts.
Moving further back, we have Rihanna in 2018, when the theme was “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.” Here, Rihanna showed up in a short, strapless dress and a matching overcoat. To top it off, she donned a headdress identical to the one that the Pope wears. Many viewers saw this as not only offensive, but also disrespectful because it appeared to sexualize the religious figure.
Another from 2021, we have a look from Cara Delevingne. Designed by Christian Dior, Delevingne was dressed in all white pants, stiletto heels and a vest with red lettering spelling “PEG THE PATRIARCHY.” While the message was clear, the woman who trademarked the phrase back in 2015, Luna Matatas, was unaware that it was being used for the look.
Now for extravagant looks, we’re going to stay in 2021, looking at the three looks that Lil Nas X and Versace brought to the 2021 Met Gala. First, the musician entered with a long cape, which was then removed to reveal the gold suit of armor hidden underneath. Finally, after shedding the armor, he was left in a bedazzled bodysuit. In an interview with Vogue, he said he appreciated how the look can go from royalty to slutty.
Next, we’re going to look at Kim Kardashian again, but this time in 2019, when the theme was “Camp: Notes on Fashion.” This year she was dressed by Thierry Mugler, who was inspired by the Sophia Lorens movie, “Boy on a Dolphin.” Mugler designed Kardashian’s outfit to look like she just stepped out of the ocean. To achieve this, the dress was made of latex, with crystal drop detailing on her dress and nails.
And to finish it off, we have Euphoria star Zendaya for the 2024 theme, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.” Dressed by John Galliano, this co-host brought us two amazing looks, dressing like a fairytale villain. When she arrived, she was wearing a fitting dress in dark blue, green and black. She had fake grapes on her arms, feathers in her hair and a bird on her neck. To tie it all together, she had a smokey eye to match her dress. And, for her second look, she wore a long, black, off-the-shoulder gown with a floral headpiece.
With the Met Gala happening in just a few days, I’m sure everyone is going to see some looks that get their attention, whether they are from celebrities they follow or those they don’t. There are, inevitably, always looks that spark a conversation.