Met Gala 2021 review
Sienna White discusses her fashion faves and flops of the night, as the Met Gala returns after a two year break.
Often considered the fashion event of the year, the Met Gala’s post-pandemic return has captured the public’s attention perhaps more than ever before.
The theme – In America: A Lexicon of Fashion – gave attendees generous room for interpretation. Some stars used the theme to their advantage and wore captivating creations, while others seemed to steer wholly off topic with their attire.
Billie Eilish stunned in an American Hollywood-esque look, styling her recently unveiled bleach blonde hair in a style reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe’s famous bob. Her custom Oscar de la Renta dress set the look off perfectly, ensuring she was both on-theme and stunning.
Kpop singer CL, in her first appearance at the event, wore a custom Alexander Wang denim dress paired with extreme high waisted Y-front underwear. She also gave a nod to her own culture – the dress was tied with a Korean Hanbok knot. The ensemble was unconventional to say the least, but the flow of the gown, along with the carefully chosen tasteful accessories, ensured that not only did the K-pop princess look radiant, but her look will go down in Met Gala history for its clever adherence to the evening’s theme.
However, not all the stars were able to balance their looks so tastefully.
Singer Ciara opted for a bright green sequinned gown, embellished with husband Russell Wilson’s football number. It may have been on theme for ‘America’, but the garish look struck a dull chord, appearing to be a bizarre hybrid of formal dress and athletic attire.
Perhaps even more grievous fashion culprits were Justin and Hailey Bieber, who chose to abandon creatively entirely and walk the red carpet in matching black outfits. While they certainly looked a good pair, the Met is traditionally a place for unconventional, experimental fashion, which the Biebers seemingly failed to partake in.
Some attendees took a step further, taking the opportunity to showcase a political message incorporated into their outfits.
Nikkie de Jager, best known for her YouTube channel ‘NikkieTutorials’, made her Gala outfit look into a tribute for transgender activist Marsha P. Johnson, who was a celebrated leader of the Stonewall riots in 1969. Jager’s beautiful dress featured a flower crown reminiscent of Johnson’s style, and an embroidered banner that read ‘pay it no mind’ which, famously, was Johnson’s response whenever she was questioned about her gender.
Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, a Democrat politician, wore an eye-catching white off-the-shoulder gown emblazoned with the phrase ‘tax the rich’. Some critics labelled her as hypocritical for wearing the dress to an event that cost $30,000 for those not on the guest list to attend, along with the fact that the firm of Aurora James, the designer who made the dress, failed to pay tens of thousands of dollars in state and federal taxes. However, the dress certainly made a statement, and adhered to the theme of ‘America’ – however ironically.
The most talked about look of the night was, undoubtedly, Kim Kardashian. The reality star and business mogul attended the event in a black Balenciaga dress that covered the entirety of her body – including her face, along with a floor length ponytail. The look was bizarre, but as reported by TMZ, Kanye West, who designed the outfit ‘gave Kim the courage to push the envelope with creativity’. Arguably, Kim’s look was the most on theme of the event. Her silhouette is so recognisable in American culture that no part of her body needed to be visible for every media outlet, paparazzi and guest to know who she was, and photograph her accordingly. Her knowledge that she will be famous no matter what she does allows her to exploit American consumer culture to the fullest by doing almost nothing.
