The last Met Gala was over two years – and a lifetime – ago. It was a different America, and a different world. Trump was in the White House, a global pandemic was the stuff of farfetched dystopian fiction, Bennifer was an early Noughties relic.
For the Met’s big return on Monday night the theme was ‘In America: A Lexicon of Fashion’. Celebrities have notoriously patchy form when it comes to nailing Met Gala briefs – but this one seemed pretty straightfoward, surely?
Some went literal. Red, white and blue had all the slamdunk, big night appeal that a little black dress does for us civilians. Debbie Harry, Imaan Hammam and Megan Rapinoe took the stars and stripes theme and ran with it. Others tapped into pieces that have become an indelible part of the American sartorial identity: Ella Emhoff in sportswear (luxe, red capet worthy sportswear, but still. It was Adidas by Stella McCartney). Lupita Nyong’o in a denim Versace dress. JLO channelled the open-plains possibility and pioneering confidence of the American prairies in her Ralph Lauren ranchcore look. Co-chair Timothee Chalamet opted for Haider Ackermann trackpants and Converse.
Others went for an Old Hollywood homage. Co-chair Billie Eilish, continued her style evolution away from baggy layers (fair play, who – apart from Chalamet – isn’t bored of sweats by now?), pitching up looking like a Marilyn Monroe for the Instagram-era in custom Oscar de la Renta. Paloma Elsesser (in Zac Posen) and Jennifer Hudson (in AZ Factory – a touching tribute to the late Alber Elbaz) went full bombshell in red hot hourglass gowns. Yara Shahidi channelled Josephine Baker in Christian Dior. Nicola Peltz, Barbie Ferreira and Sienna Miller also threwback to a bygone era.
Hollywood fairytales are one part of the American identity, but grassroots activism and protest is another, more urgent facet – one that has only been amplified since the Met was last held and which is needed now more than ever (see, the Texas abortion law). So, unsurprisingly several guests also used the night as an opportunity to make a high-profile statement. Take congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She wore a Brother Vellies dress (the choice of brand alone was a powerful statement – designer Aurora James is the woman behind the 15 Per Cent Pledge which urged retailers to direct 15% of their spending power to Black owned businesses) emblazoned with the rallying call ‘Tax the rich’ on the back (if that doesn’t make for an awkward, but necessary, conversation starter at the Met what does?). Dan Levy’s Loewe look was a celebration of queer love and visibility; Cara Delevingne’s Dior corset was finished with a ‘Peg the patriarchy’ slogan, Rapinoe’s bag with ‘In gay we trust’.
And there was another type of protest inherent in many of the looks, one that was about self-expression and the joyful celebration of immigration and multi-culturalism (see Gemma Chan’s Prabal Gurung gown, an homage to Anna May Wong, Hollywood’s first Chinese-American star), Black elegance, the LGBTQ+ community, a woman’s right to choose to wear whatever she damn well wants to – if that’s a crystal mesh dress with a thong (Zoe Kravitz) or an all-black outfit that even covers you literally from head to toe (Kim Kardashian) so be it.
But perhaps the biggest triumph, the most American thing about the night, was the comeback kid attitude of the looks – a Star Spangled two-fingers up to the despair and drudgery of the past 18 months. The function of clothes is to protect us; the function of fashion is to give us space to dream. Just two days after the 20th anniversary of 9/11, the Met was a reminder that you can’t keep the New York spirit down for long. Naysayers will say that indulging in the frivolity of fashion feels distasteful as the world is still ravaged by the pandemic, but the return of the red carpet is about more than escapism, it represents the creative industries churning back into life. It’s about the green shoots of optimism. Sometimes a dress might just be a dress, but sometimes it’s so much more than that.
SEE: Met Gala 2021: The Red Carpet
1 of 83Anna Wintour
According to the New York Times' Vanessa Friedman, Anna Wintour's dress was 'an homage to my dear friend Oscar de la Renta', who loved his garden.
2 of 83Bee Carrozzini
A heavily pregnant Bee Carrozzini, Anna Wintour's daughter, wore a voluminous Valentino off-shoulder gown.
3 of 83Rachel Smith
The TV presenter wore a romantic ruffled gown.
4 of 83Ilana Glazer
The comedian and actor wore a gown with dramatic feathered sleeves by Aliétte.
5 of 83Emma Chamberlain
The Youtube star wore a cut-out dress by Louis Vuitton.
6 of 83Lisa Love
The West Coast director of Vogue and Teen Vogue (you may remember her from The Hills) wore a printed co-ord.
7 of 83Keke Palmer
The actor wore a high neck metallic dress with cut-out back, designed by Sergio Hudson.
8 of 83Nia Dennis
The former USA gymnast didn't just walk the red carpet, she performed an incredible routine to kick off the event as the Brooklyn United youth marching band performed a drum solo on the steps of the Met. And she wore Stella McCartney.
9 of 83Ella Emhoff
The step-daughter of vice president Kamala Harris is fast becoming fashion's new favourite. For her first Met Gala, she wore a red ensemble by Stella McCartney for Adidas. It consisted of a diamond mesh bodysuit, paper bag-waist trousers and platform trainers. Speaking to the New York Times, Emhoff said: 'It's definitely something I would wear in my own day-to-day life.'
10 of 83Julia Garner
Garner wore a sheer silver Stella McCartney gown.
11 of 83Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz
Brooklyn Beckham and his fiancée Nicola Peltz both wore Valentino.
12 of 83Dan Levy
Dan Levy used his Loewe look to make a statement about marriage equality.
13 of 83Maisie Williams
Maisie Williams' boyfriend, Reuben Selby, designed her dress for the Met Gala 2021.
14 of 83Saweetie
Saweetie's Christian Cowan gown featured a cape with a very special meaning. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, she said: 'My cape represents the Black American heritage flag and the Filipino flag,' before adding 'it's very heavy.'
15 of 83Lil Nas X
The first of Lil Nas X's looks was this dramatic gold cape by Donatella Versace.
16 of 83Lil Nas X
Channeling Lady Gaga's arrival at the Met Gala in 2019, Lil Nas X showed off three outfits altogether, including this gold suit of armour. All of his looks were designed by Donatella Versace.
17 of 83Lil Nas X
For his third and final look on the red (or beige) carpet, Lil Nas X revealed this metallic bodysuit, yet another Versace creation.
18 of 83Barbie Ferreira
The actor wore a pearl-encrusted gown by Jonathan Simkhai.
19 of 83Channing Tatum
Does this mean Zoe Kravitz is coming?
20 of 83Adrien Brody and Georgina Chapman
The couple made an appearance on the steps of the Met.
21 of 83Naomi Osaka
The tennis star wore a Louis Vuitton creation that gave a nod to her Japanese heritage.
22 of 83Sophia Roe
One of the chefs responsible for the Met Gala's menu, she wore a floral print gown.
23 of 83Amanda Gorman
Amanda Gorman wore Vera Wang.
24 of 83Yara Shahidi
Wearing custom Christian Dior, Yara Shahidi paid tribute to Josephine Baker.
25 of 83Rebecca Hall
The actor wore a Batsheva dress.
26 of 83Timothée Chalamet
One of the co-hosts for 2021, Timothée Chalamet wore a Rick Owens top with a Haider Ackermann blazer.
27 of 83Billie Eilish
Another of the Met Gala's co-hosts, Billie Eilish paid tribute to American icon Marilyn Monroe in this spectacular Oscar de la Renta gown.
28 of 83Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Hudson wore AZ Factory.
29 of 83Serena Williams
Serena Williams' Gucci look featured a silver bodysuit and incredible ombre cape made of feathers.
30 of 83Evan Mock
The Gossip Girl star wore Thom Browne and Lorraine Schwartz jewellery.
31 of 83Eva Chen
Eva Chen wore Christopher John Rogers.
32 of 83Leon Bridges
Leon Bridges wore Bode
33 of 83Storm Reid
The actor wore a dramatic Prada gown with a feathered skirt, which she took off mid-red carpet to reveal black hot pants underneath.
34 of 83Finneas
Billie Eilish's brother wore Givenchy.
35 of 83Pete Davidson
The comedian wore Thom Browne.
36 of 83Donatella Versace
Donatella Versace was, of course, wearing her own label.
37 of 83Megan Rapinoe
The football star wore a star spangled suit with a slogan clutch that said: 'In Gay We Trust'.
38 of 83Lorde
Lorde wore an incredible Bode look.
39 of 83Irina Shayk
The supermodel wore Moschino and debuted short hair.
40 of 83Precious Lee
The model wore a sculptural blazer gown by Area.
41 of 83Debbie Harry and Zac Posen
Debbie Harry arrived with designer Zac Posen.
42 of 83Emily Blunt
Emily Blunt wore a Miu Miu look.
43 of 83Kaia Gerber
Kaia Gerber in Oscar de la Renta.
44 of 83Sienna Miller
Sienna Miller wore Gucci.
45 of 83Taika Waititi and Rita Ora
The couple both wore Prada.
46 of 83Cynthia Erivo
Cynthia Erivo wore Moschino.
47 of 83Tracee Ellis Ross
The actor wore Balenciaga Couture.
48 of 83Simone Biles
The Olympian wore New York-based label Area.
49 of 83Jennifer Lopez
JLo wore Ralph Lauren.
50 of 83Lupita Nyong'o
Lupita Nyong'o looked utterly incredible in a denim Versace dress.
51 of 83Megan Fox
Megan Fox wore a red Dundas dress.
52 of 83Gigi Hadid
The model wore Prada.
53 of 83Karlie Kloss and Wes Gordon
The supermodel arrived at the Met with Wes Gordon, who designed her dress.
54 of 83Camila Cabello
Camila Cabello wore Michael Kors.
55 of 83Kate Hudson
Kate Hudson chose a sugary pink ensemble.
56 of 83Tessa Thompson
The actor wore Iris van Herpen.
57 of 83Michaela Coel
The British star wore Balenciaga, with the blue shade a nod to both denim and the American flag.
58 of 83Kristen Stewart
The actor wore Chanel.
59 of 83Hailee Steinfeld
Hailee Steinfeld showed off a very different look with her new blonde bob.
60 of 83Zoe Kravitz
Zoe Kravitz (who didn't arrive with reported boyfriend Channing Tatum) wore a bejewelled mesh dress by Saint Laurent.
61 of 83Lily-Rose Depp
Lily-Rose Depp wore a two-piece by Chanel.
62 of 83Hailey Bieber
The model wore Saint Laurent.
63 of 83Kendall Jenner
Kendall Jenner wore a Givenchy gown inspired by Audrey Hepburn.
64 of 83Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian caused quite the stir in her faceless Balenciaga look.
65 of 83Carey Mulligan
Carey Mulligan wore Valentino Haute Couture.
66 of 83Indya Moore
The Pose star wore Saint Laurent.
67 of 83Alicia Keys
The singer wore an all-white gown by AZ Factory and jewellery by Van Cleef & Arpels.
68 of 83Margaret Qualley
Margaret Qualley in Chanel.
69 of 83Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg wore Valentino Haute Couture.
70 of 83Olivia Rodrigo
The singer made her Met Gala debut in a sheer lace bodysuit by Saint Laurent.
71 of 83Sharon Stone
Sharon Stone in a Thom Browne dress inspired by the designer's mother.
72 of 83Regina King
Regina King in Michael Kors.
73 of 83Kerby Jean-Raymond
Pyer Moss's Kerby Jean-Raymond in a scarlet suit.
74 of 83Venus Williams
The athlete chose a strapless red gown by Prabal Gurung.
75 of 83Erykah Badu
Erykah Badu in Thom Browne.
76 of 83Gabrielle Union
Gabrielle Union in an Iris van Herpen dress.
77 of 83Kid Cudi
Kid Cudi in Louis Vuitton.
78 of 83Normani
Normani in Valentino Haute Couture.
79 of 83Cara Delevingne
The British model and actor wore Christian Dior by Maria Grazia Chiuri.
80 of 83Diane Kruger
The actor wore a neon green gown by Prabal Gurung.
81 of 83Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
AOC chose to make a political statement with her Brothers Vellies dress, which was emblazoned with 'Tax The Rich'. Speaking to Vogue, designer Aurora James said: 'As far as this theme goes, I think Alexandria and I are a great embodiment of the language fashion needs to consider adding to the general lexicon as we work towards a more sustainable, inclusive, and empowered future.'
82 of 83Helen Lasichanh and Pharrell Williams
Pharrell and his wife, Helen Lasichanh, wore matching Chanel looks.
83 of 83Emily Ratajkowski
Em Rata wore Vera Wang.