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Was The Met Gala The Fashion Comeback We Were Waiting For?

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Fashion

Was The Met Gala The Fashion Comeback We Were Waiting For?

Plus, a look at who wore what.

by Imran Jalal  /   September 15, 2021

Fashion Super Bowl.

American fashion may have a rivalry with its continental counterpart. But for one night every year, the US of A gets to enjoy its fashion Super Bowl moment.

That night in question is the Met Gala, a black-tie event held on the first Monday of May each year as a fundraiser and celebration for the Costume Institute and its fashion exhibition. Thanks to the pandemic, the event was put on hold last year and reinstated this month – hot on the heels of New York Fashion Week and a night after an electrifying MTV Video Music Awards.

READ MORE: The Most Epic Met Gala Red Carpet Looks Of All Time

This year’s showcase is titled In America: A Lexicon of Fashion and guests were encouraged to interpret the theme of ‘American independence’ in their getups to the gala.

Credit:Valentino

The Valentino contingent with creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli (with shades).

So how did stars re-emerge for the fashion event of the year? Did guests still have the energy to dress up? Had the pandemic reassessed the way we view glamour?

For one, the guestlist was a melting pot of diversity. One couldn’t help but notice an underlying tone of celebrating black excellence that was reflected in the presence of Gala co-chair and tennis champ Naomi Osaka, Olympian Simone Biles and actresses like Michaela Coel, Lupita Nyong’o and Whoopi Goldberg among others.

Congresswomen Carolyn B Maloney and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, meanwhile, used the occasion as a platform to amplify their political agendas/messages.

AOC wore a Brother Vellies dress sprawled with ‘Tax the Rich’ across the back (though the Twitterverse was quick to point out the irony of the message at a fashion event). Maloney, on the other hand, was a walking billboard for the Equal Rights movement: she was decked out in a caped gown printed with the slogan ‘Equal rights for Women’.

Credit:Versace

Lil Nas X, who was dressed in Atelier Versace, told a “three-part LGBTQ+ American fairytale through his look” with an impromptu wardrobe reveal on the red carpet.

But unlike the usual fanfare and camp factor that has come to signify the Met Gala arrival, it was a safer and more clinical affair this year. The only time we held our breath was when Lil Nas X performed a three-part wardrobe reveal and we spotted Frank Ocean carrying a mechanical green baby on the red carpet.

Other than that, the ‘decadence of America’ and ‘old Hollywood glamour’ were the trite inspirations that most of the attendees quoted in their red carpet interviews when asked about their interpretations of the theme.

And anyone who was hoping that this year’s gala would be turned into an opportunity to spotlight the representation for more American labels and young designers may have been a little disappointed.

Credit:Balenciaga

Demna Gvasalia (right) and Kim Kardashian.

Besides household names like Thom Browne, Zac Posen, Michael Kors, Coach, Altuzarra, et al, the stars were mostly decked out in looks by trusted European fashion houses and couturiers like Givenchy, Prada, Chanel, Versace and Valentino.

The biggest winner of the night, however, had to be French maison Balenciaga. The label kitted out at least five stars in its revived couture collection which marries old school Parisian couture codes with streetwear sensibilities (that’s pretty American, right?). Among them were Rihanna, Isabel Huppert, Tracee Ellis Ross and Michaela Coel.

READ MORE: How To Dress Like A Halstonette

Soaking it all in was the house’s Georgian – the country, not the southern US state – creative director Demna Gvasalia who arrived on the red carpet with Kim Kardashian. Both prefer to remain incognito behind their shrouded faces and head-to-toe black outfits – observing the action and chaos in the shadows.

Scroll on to peep what went down on the red carpet.


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https://www.femalemag.com.sg/gallery/fashion/met-gala-2021-red-carpet-style-who-wore-what/
Was The Met Gala The Fashion Comeback We Were Waiting For?
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Nicola Peltz (right) and Brooklyn Beckham (left) in Valentino Haute Couture and Valentino respectively

Valentino
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Kim Kardashian in Balenciaga

Balenciaga
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Gemma Chan in Prabal Gurung and Harry Winston Jewels

Harry Winston
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Kendall Jenner in Givenchy

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Rihanna in Balenciaga and Bulgari jewels

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Billie Eilish in Oscar de la Renta and Cartier jewels

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A post shared by Getty Images Entertainment (@gettyentertainment)

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Lil Nas X in Atelier Versace

Versace
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Gigi Hadid in Prada

Prada
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Amanda Gorman in Vera Wang and Chopard jewels

Chopard
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Carey Mulligan in Valentino Haute Couture and Cartier jewels

Valentino
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Blackpink’s Rose (left) and Anthony Vaccarello (right) in Saint Laurent

Saint Laurent
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Iman in Harris Reed

Harris Reed
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Lily-Rose Depp in Chanel

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Chanel
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Troye Sivan in Altu by Joseph Altuzzara and Cartier jewels

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A post shared by troye sivan (@troyesivan)

Troye Sivan
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Timothee Chalamet in Haider Ackermann and Cartier jewels

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A post shared by Getty Images Entertainment (@gettyentertainment)

Getty Entertainment
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Dan Levy in Loewe and Cartier jewels

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Ella Emhoff (left) and Julia Garner (right) in Stella McCartney, and Cartier jewels and Harry Winston jewels respectively

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A post shared by Stella McCartney (@stellamccartney)

Stella McCartney
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Cara Delevingne in Dior Haute Couture

Dior
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Erykah Badu in Thom Browne

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A post shared by Thom Browne (@thombrowne)

Thom Browne
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Pharell Williams (right) and Helen Williams (left) in Chanel

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A post shared by CHANEL (@chanelofficial)

Chanel
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Sienna Miller in Gucci

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A post shared by Gucci Official (@gucci)

Gucci
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Lily Aldridge in Ralph Lauren and Bulgari jewels

Bulgari
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Megan Thee Stallion in Coach

Coach
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Lorde in Bode

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A post shared by Getty Images Entertainment (@gettyentertainment)

Getty Entertainment
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Frank Ocean in Prada

Prada
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Lupita Nyong’o in Atelier Versace

Versace
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Grimes in Irs Van Herpen

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A post shared by Iris van Herpen Official (@irisvanherpen)

Iris Van Herpen
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Normani in Valentino Haute Couture

Valentino
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Kerby Jean-Raymond in Pyer Moss and Boucheron jewels

Boucheron
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Kristen Stewart in Chanel

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A post shared by CHANEL (@chanelofficial)

Chanel
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Hailey Bieber in Saint Laurent and Tiffany & Co. jewels

Saint Laurent 
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Hunter Schafer in Prada

Prada
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Maluma in Atelier Versace

Versace
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Elliot Page in Balenciaga

Balenciaga
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Mindy Kaling in Tory Burch

Tory Burch
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Whoopi Goldberg in Valentino Haute Couture

Valentino
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Jennifer Lopez in Ralph Lauren

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Getty Entertainment
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Anja Rubik in Saint Laurent

Saint Laurent 
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Sharon Stone in Thom Browne and Chopard jewels

Chopard
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Finneas in Givenchy and Cartier jewels

Givenchy
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Dixie D’Amelio in Valentino Haute Couture

Valentino
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Zoe Kravitz in Saint Laurent

Saint Laurent 
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Iman Hammam in Atelier Versace and Tiffany & Co. jewels

Versace
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Tracee Ellis Ross in Balenciaga and Tiffany & Co. jewels

Balenciaga
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Yara Shahidi in Dior Haute Couture and Cartier jewels

Dior
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Indya Moore in Saint Laurent

Saint Laurent 
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Bee Shaffer in Valentino Haute Couture

Valentino
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Tomi Adeyemi in Valentino Haute Couture

Valentino
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Ben Platt in Christian Cowan and Boucheron jewels

Boucheron
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Rachel Zegler in Dior Haute Couture

Dior
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Zoey Deutch in Atelier Versace and Harry Winston jewels

Versace
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Taylor Hill in Atelier Versace

Versace
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Gillian Anderson in Chloe

Chloe
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Rose Leslie in Oscar de la Renta and Harry Winston jewels and Kit Harrington (left) in Saint Laurent

Harry Winston
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Giveon in Valentino Haute Couture

Valentino
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Talia Ryder in Saint Laurent

Saint Laurent 
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Storm Reid in Prada

Prada
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Ayesha Curry (left) and Stephen Curry (right) in Atelier Versace

Versace
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Lil Baby in Coach

Coach
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Cordae in Coach

Coach
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P.J. Tucker in Gucci and Boucheron jewels

Boucheron
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MCI (P) 032/12/2022. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. Copyright © 2023 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.