The first Monday of May strikes like clockwork and celebrities have their stylist fairy godmothers to thank for another great year of the MET Gala. While the carpet was doused with some unglamorous visuals, there are plenty of looks, listed here, that stand out as a beautiful homage to The Costume Institute’s theme, Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion and to grandiose fashion whether archival or new.
1. Mona Patel in Iris Van Herpen
Iris Van Herpen creates once again, a stunning piece. Her designs sell an immersion between fantastical costuming and advanced mechanical wonder. Herpen is a popular choice for clients looking farther ahead than the current fashion zeitgeist, as seen with Grimes and Dove Cameron. Patel wears the dress matching its opulence with her very being, as the mechanized arm pieces flutter and remind us of solar butterflies. The gold and white accents are fitted to her in an elaborate exoskeleton, a perfect choice for her first MET Gala.
2. Zendaya in Margiela
Well, of course. There are an infinite number of iterations to say the same thing, Zendaya and Law Roach are the peak of client-stylist alliances. As a co-chair of the gala, she had to come armed with an undeniably, undebatably fierce look. In its essence, Zendaya’s first look of the evening, rivaled only by her second Givenchy dress, is a complex tapestry of John Galliano’s exquisite work. The dress is a self-referential inside joke for him, Margiela by Galliano inspired by none other than Dior Spring 1999 Couture by John Galliano. Nonetheless, anyone wearing custom Margiela, archived McQueen and makeup by Pat McGrath all in one night deserves to call the rest of the world a mere afterthought to their own excellence.
3. Chloe Sevigny in Dilara Findikoglu
A personal house/model favorite and feminine weapon-of-mass-fashion, Dilara and Chloe Sevigny were destined for greatness. Made of deconstructed Victorian gowns, this dress is a particular taste but an exquisite one. The kitschy-ness of the raw hems, dangling strings and hoop necklace give electricity to this Frankenstein-strewn-together outfit. Sevigny’s hair by Mustafa Fayanaz adds the touch that turns the orchestra of silks, satins and tulles to iconic status.
4. Kendall Jenner in Givenchy
This elaborate set was created for Givenchy F/W 1999 by Alexander McQueen, only to be worn on a mannequin. Givenchy had one rule for use: no alterations. The first to wear a replica was Winona Ryder in a “Girl Interrupted,” photoshoot for Flaunt Magazine. This apotheosis of a historical pull is gorgeous and a distinguished representation of the theme: Sleeping Beauty. Stylist Dani Michelle secured Jenner as the first person to wake the art from it’s decades-long rest in Givenchy’s protected archives.
5. Bad Bunny in Margiela
A representation of Margiela’s iconoclast tailoring, Bad Bunny’s bespoke suit shines a hopeful thought upon menswear at the gala. Sometimes a suit looking purposefully unfinished can do miles more for fashion culture than the basic black suits we often see. A certain respect is earned by making menswear, with notoriously meticulous sewing and shaping to create such a set we see on Ocasio. Margiela explains the process, “the suit was painstakingly tailored over the corset to accentuate the illustrative line of the modified form,” on Instagram. Everything down to the flowers he wears is calculated, evoking depth and meaning in his look.
6. Alia Bhatt in Sabyasachi
Any time an attendee goes against traditional Western formal wear at the MET, a place in our hearts is dedicated to them. This couture sari is a work of brilliance on behalf of the 163 artisans and 1,965 hours it took to create the masterpiece, that Bhatt wears as naturally as her own skin. The essence of the gala’s theme is bestowed within each bead on the sari, one could picture her as a lily floating down a river. The utter naturalistic charm that Bhatt exudes with this look earns it as one for the art-history books.
7. Nell Diamond in Hill House
This blazing ensemble is craft and storytelling done right. The dress is inspired by Sir Frederic Leighton’s 1895 painting, “Flaming June,” a classically done work. If there was ever a color to brazen the carpet, let it be bright orange. If ever a flower, let them be inspired by Millais’ Ophelia as was the idea for this dress. Being the brand’s first custom dress, Hill House and her team have made a look that will lead the way for future fashion explorations into the “Victorian cultural imagination,” as Diamond said.
In J.G Ballard’s “The Garden of Time,” themes of wealth, luxury and human evolution are ever-present. Despite the dark connotations, these looks stand out in fashion’s proverbial garden of time. They elicit discussions of what it means to have access to the industry’s best craftsmen, stylists and brands. With such a complex, layered, theme for the 2024 MET Gala, one is fed not only by the visual beauty of these looks but also by the work behind them.
