Met Gala Review

With Fall Fling and Sallies Homecoming happening, many Ursuline students have been caught up in the whirlwind experience of finding dresses, making sure none of their friends are buying those dresses, and then praying that said dresses come in on time and fit properly. Amidst this fashion frenzy in our own community, we were also able to take some outfit inspiration from some of the biggest celebrity designers in the world. Recently, news outlets, Twitter, and other sites blew up with posts about the 2021 Met Gala outfits, and the celebrities wearing them.

The Met Gala, formally known as the Costume Institute Gala, is an annual event that raises money for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City. The Gala kicks off the opening of the Costume Institute’s fashion exhibit every year, and is organized by the Vogue Editor-in-Chief, Anna Wintour. By inviting renowned fashion designers to create custom, themed looks for the Gala, and having the biggest stars in media model them, Vogue is able to raise funds and awareness for their incredible cause- celebrating the arts, and preserving them for future generations. However, this also leads to online debates on who looked the best, the worst, and who should not have been invited at all. This article will tackle looks that had social media obsessed for weeks- and those that were believed to be the worst looks in Met Gala history.

Starting out with the outfit that caused the most uproar at the Gala- Kim Kardashian’s all-black outfit, created by Balenciaga. Many people were shocked by this look, which evidently had nothing to do with the theme of the event this year, “American Classic”. Memes were produced almost instantly online, comparing Kim to a dementor from Harry Potter, amongst other things. It was definitely an interesting choice, and one that will not be forgotten quickly.

Staying in the Kardashian-Jenner world, Kendall Jenner received much better feedback on her Met Gala outfit than her half-sister. Styled by Givenchy, Kendall wore a dazzling sheer, beaded gown inspired by Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady. Although it also did not clearly reflect the theme of the Gala, it was a beautiful look nonetheless.

Another luxurious beaded dress seen walking down the Gala carpet was worn by Barbie Ferreira, created by Johnathon Simkhai. This look blew up on Instagram and Twitter, as fans raved over this gorgeous gown.

Men’s fashion for the Met Gala is usually either one of two things- a boring suit that looks like it could be worn for any occasion, or an outfit that makes heads spin and jaws drop. Unfortunately, there were quite a few of the former at this year’s Gala, including nice, but plain suits worn by Justin Beiber (styled by Drew House) and Lee Pace (Thom Browne). However, some of the men really stepped up their game, with fabulous looks coming from Alton Mason (Theophilo), Finneas (Givenchy), and most notably, Lil Nas X,who wore a three-piece gold ensemble by Givenchy. Despite a distinct lack of American themes in all of these outfits, they still looked incredible on the carpet.

Some other noteworthy looks from the 2021 Met Gala included Billie Eilish’s cream gown, made by Oscar de la Renta, Maluma’s Versace cowboy look, Timothee Chalamet’s outfit by Aiden Hackerman, Rihanna’s Balenciaga coat, and A$AP Rocky’s quilt by ERL.

Although it seems that many celebrities struggled to clearly portray the theme of “American Classic” through their 2021 Met Gala outfits, they still did what they came to do- support the arts and celebrate fashion. This year, nearly $17 million was raised for the Costume Institute, which is the most money made in Met Gala history. This year’s Gala was definitely one for the books, and we cannot wait to see what will be worn next year!