The Met Gala 2021: the looks that stole the show

Although it was not the first Monday of May, the Met Gala was back and better than ever after a long-awaited year. To all fashion fanatics, this event is known as one of the most important in the fashion calendar. The Gala itself is a fundraiser event for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, but now, everybody knows it as the biggest red carpet a celeb can walk. To be invited to the Met Gala, you have to be personally selected by Anna Wintour herself to attend: walking up the famous steps of the Met means you are somebody in the world. Every Met Gala is centred around a different theme that the celebs and designers’ have to abide by; this year it was “America: A Lexicon of Fashion”, a broad theme that allowed the designers space to be imaginative and create a mixture of head-turning outfits. 

To be invited to the Met Gala, you have to be personally selected by Anna Wintour herself to attend: walking up the famous steps of the Met means you are somebody in the world

The most bizarre outfits of the night that stole the show have to go to Lil Nas X, Rihanna, and her boyfriend ASAP Rocky. Lil Nas X pulled a showstopper of a look, revealing three Versace looks in one, reminding me of a Lady Gaga moment from 2019. From a regal cape to a spacesuit, to a gold jumpsuit, Lil Nas was ready to put on a spectacle. Arriving fashionably late to the carpet, Rhianna and ASAP Rocky also went for a dramatic outfit. Rhianna’s Balenciaga overcoat and matching hat stole the show, a classic all American style look, and her other half, wearing an ERL colourful quilt-inspired look, paired with her perfectly. 

The most controversial outfit of the night goes to Kim Kardashian and her Balenciaga full-body black look. Every part of her body was covered, from her face to her hands. While her iconic silhouette was still defined, and her exposed hair brought another layer of a train to her look, a lot of the public didn’t really understand her outfit, including myself. After comparisons to a dementor from Harry Potter, the public later found out that Kim K’s look is based around a t-shirt. However I feel like she could have done a lot more to showcase this – if she had allowed her face to be seen, the dress neckline of a t-shirt would be visible, and the public may have reacted more positively to her look. By doing something completely different, and covering every part of her body with fabric, she was trying to push fashion boundaries – although in this case, I’m not sure how well she really achieved this. Maybe she wanted to show the public a contrast between her previous Mugler 2019 Met Gala outfit, which was very tight-fitting, and hugged her body perfectly. Even though she wasn’t the best dressed of the night this year, everyone is still talking about her, and her outfit, achieving what she set out to in the beginning.

By doing something completely different, and covering every part of her body with fabric, she was trying to push fashion boundaries – although in this case, I’m not sure how well she really achieved this

However, her sister Kendall Jenner was the talk of the town for a completely different reason. Her gorgeous Givenchy dress was inspired by an Audrey Hepburn classic from her film My Fair Lady. Jenner not only stuck to the theme of the night, due to Hepburn being such a leading lady in the fashion industry, but she also managed to remake a classic, allowing it to be current and appealing for the 21st century. The sheer material is very on-trend at the moment, including the corsetry inspired bodice underneath. But the main focus of her outfit was the delicate crystals both on her dress and around her neck – a very eye-catching piece. Jenner understood the assignment and ran with it, making her one of the best dressed of the night. 

It wasn’t only the women who were serving looks on the runway this year, but the men also came dressed to impress. Some outfits were a little boring, and a bit predictable. James Corden, Romeo Beckham and Channing Tatum, to name a few, all wore the classic black tux. While they looked amazing, and in my eyes, you can never go wrong with a classic suit, it was the Met Gala, and compared to other male celebs they faded into the background. However, Justin Bieber managed to elevate and create a modern-day black tux, wearing La Mansion Drew. The almost cropped black suit jacket, with satin on the lapels, black baggy fit trousers, and the crisp white shirt and trainers made for a really suave outfit. This look allows the public to see him in a different light; it’s more mature compared to his 2015 Balmain gold-embroidered suit look.

The Gala in some ways is not only a brilliant showcase of talent and design, but it, unfortunately, turns into a contest of “who dressed the best”

The Met Gala is one of the most recognisable charity events in the fashion calendar. Nobody can take away from the fact that this event is a charitable one, no matter how good the celebs look on the red carpet. Due to its popularity, the Met Gala has now become an event where every celebrity is judged based on what they are wearing. Consequently, the Gala in some ways is not only a brilliant showcase of talent and design, but it, unfortunately, turns into a contest of “who dressed the best”. The more the general public, newspapers, magazines and photographers like your outfit, the more publicity you are going to get. The competition that the Gala has brought out in people elevates the event, making it much more popular and engaging. Now we wait for next year…