Floral, fairytale-like, and endlessly beautiful.
It is a regular occurrence on the first Monday evening in May: all of Hollywood gathers around New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art for the annual Met Gala. And the most impressive designer outfits are reviewed!
Garden of time
It is the big evening that all fashion lovers look forward to all year long. Nowhere do we see so much splendor and splendor on the red (or in this case: white-green) carpet as at the Met Gala.
The theme on the red carpet this year was The Garden of Time, which fits perfectly with the new exhibition of the museum’s Costume Institute. Last night it opened the doors for the exhibition Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion. The theme also drew inspiration from the short story The Garden of Time by author JG Ballard. It focuses on a couple who have a garden full of magical crystal flowers with which they can turn back time. Sounds magical, nun?
We therefore expected plenty of fairytale dresses, which would appear as magical as they were fragile. As usual, not every celeb present adhered strictly to the dress code. We share some of our favorite outfits!
Penelope Cruz in Chanel
Fairy-tale, dramatic, colorful and a bit of goth – that is this Chanel outfit from actress Penélope Cruz.
Tyla in Balmain
South African singer Tyla showed up in a Balmain gown that gave the illusion that she was completely covered in sand. The hourglass accessory is a nice touch.
Kendall Jenner in vintage Givenchy
At first glance this look may seem a bit basic, but fashion critic Luke Meagher reports that this piece from the Givenchy archives has never been worn by anyone before, as this collection was only shown on mannequins. This ties in nicely with the exhibition, which also shows dresses that are ‘too fragile to ever be worn again’.
Janelle Monae in Vera Wang
Singer Janelle Monáe and designer Vera Wang were clearly inspired by the crystal flowers from JG Ballard’s story for this look.
Gigi Hadid in Thom Browne
More than seventy (!) people have invested their time and energy in this beautiful Thom Browne gown for Gigi Hadid, where the model seems to blossom from a tuxedo jacket.
Lana del Rey in Alexander McQueen
Since Sarah Burton’s sudden departure from Alexander McQueen, many fashion enthusiasts have been holding their breath for what successor Seán McGirr would reveal as the new Creative Director. Singer Lana del Rey showed up in a couture piece with her headdress inspired by the McQueen crown of thorns from the 1996 collection.
Harris Reed in Harris Reed
Designer Harris Reed was also inspired by thorns in this look of his own making. A plus for Mr. Reed, as he was one of the few gentlemen on the moss carpet to opt for something other than a tuxedo.
Dan Levy at Loewe
Although actor Dan Levy plays it relatively safe with his suit, we still want to highlight the meticulous floral embroidery of this Loewe look. The endless beads are attached to the jacket and trousers by hand, the actor revealed to Entertainment Tonight.
Cynthia Erivo in Thom Browne
Designer Thom Browne also scores well with Cynthia Erivo. The Wicked actress appeared in a beautiful outfit from the designer, where the cool jacket and tie seems to be overgrown by a radiant dress with a cascade of petals and bead-embroidered creatures. Gorgeous!
Ariana Grande in Loewe
Erivo appeared next to her Wicked co-star Ariana Grande at the gala. She wore a beautiful draped dress from Loewe, the top of which was made of mother of pearl.
Anna Wintour at Loewe
If none other than Anna Wintour herself wears your label at the Met Gala, then you have already won the evening. Still, we can’t help but say: Florals? For Spring? Groundbreaking.
Riley Keough in Chanel
As an ambassador for Chanel, it is not surprising that Riley Keough arrived at the Metropolitan Museum in New York in a creation from the fashion house. “I’m so lucky to work with Chanel and with Chanel it’s always very easy to find something to wear,” she said. The top of the dress was lined with a beautiful floral pattern, the dress had a sheer midriff and a black layered bottom. Riley also rocked a new haircut. She traded her signature black locks for a chestnut brown color.
Pamela Anderson in Oscar de La Renta
It was her first-ever Met Ball and she was one of the evening’s unexpected successes. Pamela Anderson appeared in an Oscar de la Renta dress with a feather headpiece by Noel Stewart. And how chic does she look? We approve!
Nicole Kidman in Balenciaga
It was already expected in advance that many guests at the Met Gala would delve into designers’ archives. Practical? Not so much. Many historical pieces are far too fragile to wear again. Unless you’re Nicole Kidman. The actress wore Cristobal Balenciaga’s iconic Balanciaga couture dress from the 1950s. “The theme of the Met Gala ‘The Garden of Time’ is so beautiful. I immediately fell in love with the idea of wearing a Balanciaga couture dress,” Nicole told Vogue. The actress wore a dress consisting of a white silk bustier with a long flared skirt in black, decorated with hand-frayed organza embroidery (the embroidery reportedly took up to 800 hours to create).
Alexandra Daddario in Dior Haute Couture
Just like last year, Alexandra Daddario rocked a Dior dress this year (a Haute couture Dior dress, that is). The delicate lace dress was lined with 50 butterflies and Alexandra completed her look with a beautiful gold snake-like hair accessory. According to Dior, the dress took no less than 2,500 hours of studio time.
Jessica Biel in Tamara Ralph
Someone we haven’t seen at the Met Gala in a long time? Jessica Biel. After an eleven-year Met Gala hiatus, the actress finally appeared again this year at the event at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. She wore a jaw-dropping floral dress from Tamara Ralph and jewelry from Cartier. The actress took the preparation for the evening very seriously. She posted on TikTok that she soaked in 20 pounds of Epsom salt for 30 minutes before the event.
Mindy Kaling in Gaurav Gupta
You may have expected Mindy Kaling to appear at the Met Gala in a more modest dress, but the actress took a completely different (for her, unexpected) approach this year. She appeared in a beautiful striking sculptural dress by Gaurav Gupta called The Melting Flower of Time. “It shows a bud and a blooming flower that is now processing,” Mindy explained the dress.
Zendaya in Maison Margiela Artisanal by John Galliano and Givenchy
Zendaya made her Met Gala return after five years, and how. She did not ‘just’ appear as a guest this year, but was also one of the co-chairs. Her first look of the evening was a fairytale Maison Margiela Artisanal ensemble by John Galliano, based on a 1999 Dior dress.
Towards the end of the evening, she surprised by appearing on the Met Bal carpet in a new dress. This time in a never-before-worn vintage Givenchy couture dress from the spring 1996 collection, which was also designed by Galliano. She completed her look with a striking bouquet headpiece.
Elsa Pataky and Chris Hemsworth in Tom Ford
Chris Hemsworth has finally made his Met Gala debut. He was accompanied by his wife Elsa Pataky. Chris’s outfit was one of the simpler looks this year – a bit contrary to expectations considering he was also one of the co-chairs this year. His wife, on the other hand, made up for a lot. Elsa looked a bit like a Greek goddess with her impressive gold headpiece, semi-transparent gold dress and gold bracelets.
Jennifer Lopez in Schiaparelli
She appeared in a beautiful couture dress by Schiaparelli with hundreds of sparkling rhinestones: Jennifer Lopez did not disappoint. And as co-chair she probably wouldn’t dare. Her simple makeup and her almost messy bun create a nice balance. She completed her look with a diamond statement necklace.
Met Gala 2024
All in all, the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art can once again look back on a successful edition of the Met Gala. The designer party is mainly set up to bring in some extra money for them. If you are invited, you still have to be able to cough up a pretty penny: a seat at the table is estimated to have cost around $50,000 last year. Worth it, right?
Source: Haute Le Mode, CNN, Vogue, Entertainment Tonight | Image: NL Image
