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Nina Parker vs. Claudia Welgoss
This past May 5th, the iconic Met Gala was held. This star-studded event showcases fashion and the elite every year. The Met Gala, formally the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit, has a rich history spanning decades. Initially, the event was a midnight supper, held at various New York City locations outside the Met, and focused on raising money for the Costume Institute. Over time, it transformed into a global spectacle, drawing celebrities and becoming a major cultural event. This year's theme was Superfine: Tailoring Black Style. This theme celebrates Black creativity, innovation, and expression in fashion, culture, and style, while also paying tribute to the style of “black dandyism” from the 18th century. Author Moncia L. Miller served as guest curator, and the theme is based on her 2009 book, “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity.” The dress code for the actual event, "Tailored for You," encourages guests to creatively interpret the theme and its focus on classic menswear and tailoring. With major themes of excellence and class, for the most part, this year did not disappoint!
Rihanna
Nina's view: I absolutely love this look. I LOVE Marc Jacobs, and this is very on brand for him. I love the hat, the maroon spotted necktie, and her grey cummerbund. Rihanna's husband, rapper A$AP Rocky, served as a co-chair for this event, so it's no surprise that his wife would pull up looking every bit on theme as possible. I love how she's showing off her new baby bump. I think revealing her pregnancy at the Met is the most “celebrity” thing I've ever seen!! This outfit fits the theme PERFECTLY. Not too much, not too little. The epitome of “black dandyism”!! This is proof Rihanna’s still that girl!
Claudia's View: Rihanna is pregnant?! Using the Met Gala to reveal her pregnancy is very iconic, but I don’t know if the look itself is. The red polka dot tie takes away from the outfit and makes it too busy. The hat is also way too big. The obnoxious accessories make the outfit overall hard to look at. I love Rihanna so much, and she is the only one who could pull off an outfit like this, but I'm not sure she pulled through with this look.
Teyana Taylor
Nina's View: I am 100% obsessed with this look, and have been for weeks!! Marc Jacobs hits it on the nail again! This three-piece deep burgundy suit is just absolute perfection for the Met carpet. Most importantly, her cape is amazing! How perfect is this look? I mean, look at all her accessories. The cane! The gloves! The hat! The jewelry! The shoes! My favorite aspect of this entire look has to be the huge red flower on her lapel and her other pins. Not only is this look visually stunning, it stuns metaphorically. The type of suit Taylor is wearing is called a zoot suit, which has a complicated history. In LA in the early 40s, white servicemen attacked young Mexican American youths who wore these suits. This act would later become known as the Zoot Suit Riots of 1943, and the city of Los Angeles would pass legislation against the wearing of these suits. Taylor, wearing the once controversial style of suit, is in a way paying homage to the suit and its wearers years ago who experienced racism, which then again ties into the Met’s theme of POC unity. The outfit also incorporates symbolism related to Black identity, culture, and the resilience of the Black community. I love an outfit that looks good and also has a good background! 100% my favorite look of them all!!
Claudia's view: I agree, this outfit is definitely one of my favorites this year. The three-piece suit is beautiful, and the cape tops it off. The burgundy color is perfect and very flattering on her. I don’t even know where to start with her accessories, everything is perfect. Her jewelry is classy and doesn’t take over the look. The cane is iconic. I have no words! The feathers, lace, and many crystals, all combined into one look, is just absolutely stunning. On the edge of her cape, embroidered in tonal string, are the words “Rose in Harlem” which is a reference to the song of the same title by Teyana Taylor. Beneath her hat was a matching durag, which she revealed later in the night. This look is a 10/10 for me and probably one of my favorite Met Gala looks ever!
Colman Domingo
Nina's view: Now THIS is how you do men's red carpet fashion! I don't want to see another basic black suit in my sight after this look just set the bar so high! Domingo looks so amazing! This Valentino suit is perfect. The fit is amazing, the color and the fabric really tie it all together nicely. I love the flower on his lapel too!! This outfit just exudes confidence and black excellence. Domingo also served as a co-chair for this Met. I honestly have no bad vibes towards this look whatsoever. Valentino did a great job making this and Domingo styled it very well. I'm a tweed lover, so this look is right up my alley. Tweed is sometimes super hard to style, and I commend Valentino for this impeccable use. Overall, 10/10 for sure. Again, BLACK EXCELLENCE.
Claudia's View: This outfit is definitely one of the best looks this year. Colman walked onto the red carpet with a bright blue cape before he revealed the Valentino suit. I am obsessed with this look. Most men walking the carpet usually wear basic outfits, but I love it when celebrities take risks and wear something we haven’t seen before. The contrast between the different patterns go together perfectly. This outfit is perfect and very on theme!
Simone Biles
Nina's view: With any kind of big fashion event, there will always be the good and the bad. This is definitely the bad. I love Biles: she's an icon, she's a true inspiration to the younger generation, but this outfit is nothing of the sort. Designed by Harbison Studio, which I'm not familiar with, and on further inspection, this brand is not my cup of tea. I believe this outfit missed the mark in so many ways. I'll start with the little good there is: hair and makeup. Classy and simple, yet flattering. First critique, not on theme. It's simply not on theme to my viewing. Where's the fine tailoring? Sure, it's tailored, but I'm expecting precision. Where's the “dandy” aspect? Where's the innovation? I see none. Second, the color. It reminds me of Cookie Monster from Sesame Street, especially with the candy-looking buttons. Third and finally, the collar: it's too high for her small frame; it makes her look kind of shrugged and awkward. The only redeeming quality about this dress is its great train. I would sadly have to give this look a hard pass. Worst of the Met Gala.
Claudia's view: This look is a no for me as well. It seems like there is too much going on and not enough at the same time. Simone Biles is so beautiful, and this outfit is so disappointing. The dress is way too short, I don’t understand why designers always want to put short people in short dresses, especially at a formal event like the Met Gala. Why is the dress sleeveless? This outfit is a mess, the collar is horrendous, and the bow in the back doesn’t add anything to this look.
Sabrina Carpenter
Nina’s View: Maybe a hot take: absolutely no! I so wish she was wearing pants. Okay, I know her “thing” is body suits like this, but it’s not the right look for the Met. I think she needs to change it up. This is very disappointing to see from Louis Vuitton, and the train is designed by Pharrell Williams, fashion icon, which is even more disappointing, seeing how bad the outfit is. The theme is tailoring, which it does have, but the theme is also innovation, which isn’t seen in Sabrina’s look. I've seen this look before, but I've seen it at least with a nice pair of pants. This event is high fashion, not the latest in circus ring leader costumes. It doesn't seem like I'm alone with my negative critique. Many critics have said, “It was ill-fitting and made her look chopped off,” but I don't agree with this statement. Her figure looks great; it's the outfit itself I don't like. One of the worst looks of the night, in my opinion, and one of the worst outfits I've seen in a while. This terrible look is out of character for Carpenter, but we all have bad days, right?
Claudia's view: Pharrell Williams designed Carpenter's pantless Louis Vuitton look. The maroon bodysuit and a matching cropped jacket with gold buttons and collar detailing is beautiful, but where are her pants?? This look is very disappointing, especially considering what it could’ve been. The color is very flattering on her, and the shoes are definitely my favorite part of the whole look. The drama behind the look was very disappointing to me since there were rumors that people thought the look wasn’t flattering on her body type. Sabrina said, "He was like, 'You're quite short, so no pants for you.' So here we are, here we are.” I personally don’t understand the logic behind that comment. Her figure looked great, I think the outfit would’ve been beautiful if she had pants on. Overall I think the look had potential but definitely not one of my favorites.
Kylie Jenner
Nina's view: I suppose I like her look, but I don't love it. I really don't have much to say on this outfit, it's very nice, but not amazing. Designer Ferragamo did a fine job. I like the see-through bodice moment and the dress fabric print. I don't feel like it's 100% on theme, but it's alright. I don't see fine tailoring or any innovation; it's just pretty, and sometimes that's not enough, sometimes it is. The makeup is great. I would give it a 5.5/10. Nothing special, no sense of excellence or elevation. I really can't seem to form a strong opinion on this!
Claudia's view: I honestly like this look. It’s definitely not on theme, but besides that I can’t say I hate the outfit. The Kardashians and Jenners always seem to keep their looks simple and I feel like I want something more. Kylie didn’t take a risk in her look; she always seems to stick to the same theme when she goes to events. Don’t get me wrong, Kylie is gorgeous and anything she wears looks amazing. However, to wear this outfit at an event where there is a theme seems inappropriate and just seems like she is doing her own thing. This outfit is a no for me.
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