We Aim To Slay

Fashion lovers everywhere rejoiced earlier this week to watch the coverage of the 2024 Met Gala, which is held on the first Monday in May, annually.

This Year’s Theme

Vogue Magazine’s comprehensive guide to this year’s event can be found here, and they explain that the Met Gala is a charity event and fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, and traditionally, the Gala has coincided with the opening of the museum’s fashion exhibition.

This year the Costume Institute’s exhibit is called “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,” and this year’s event hosts were Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, and Chris Hemsworth. Vogue’s team explains that the exhibit will feature hundreds of rare pieces from the Institute’s permanent collection, spanning over 400 years of fashion history. Some of the garments that are too fragile to be worn or touched will be displayed through a combination of video animation, light projection, artificial intelligence, computer generated images, and other forms of sensory stimulation.

The official dress code for this year’s Met Gala is “The Garden of Time,” which is inspired by the 1962 short story of the same name, written by J.G. Ballard – you can read the short story here! “The Garden of Time,” tells the story of Count Axel and his wife, living in a villa that sports a magical secret; a garden of crystalline flowers with the power to reverse time. Due to this influence, it was no surprise that many of the attendees chose to play on a floral theme.

**All images are screenshots from various Instagram accounts, both from the designers and the celebrities!**

My Best Dressed Picks

I think Lana Del Rey did the best job of looking exquisite while sticking to the theme, without going with the overly obvious floral motif. I like that she chose to put the focus on the thorn aspect, rather than the flowers themselves.

Elle Fanning’s homage to “The Garden of Time” story with the glass looking flowers on her shoulders was the perfect way to subtly incorporate the theme!

Okay, I’m kind of obsessed with the fact that Olivier Rousteing is quite literally wearing his own face on his top! No notes!

For the same reason that I love Lana’s look, I appreciate that Emma Chamberlain strayed away to from the obvious interpretation of the floral motif.

Harris Reed looks like the Venus de Milo come to life! And, she’s wearing pants! I love a fabulous pants moment for a formal event, there’s something so counterculture about that concept!

Barry Keoghan is quite literally dressed as Count Axel from the story! Perfection!

I’m not sure if I think Rebecca Ferguson is truly dressed on theme, but I find that cape to be exquisite!

Zendaya had us all holding our breath as she retook the red carpet to show off her second look of the evening, this blue number. Personally, I preferred this look to her first outfit (which was a dramatic black dress with a cathedral length train).

Tyla, dressed by Balmain, wore this gown inspired by “the sands of time,” and accessorized with an hour glass purse. This was such a creative way to interpret the dual themes, and I wish more people had thought outside of the box in this way!

The Looks I Found Lacking

Rita Ora – I think the overall styling in what I’m opposed to here. The more I look at the images of the outfit, the less I hate it. But, there’s something unfinished about the look as a whole.

As a pageant girl, one of the rules of gown shopping is to ensure that you are wearing the outfit, rather than it looking as though the outfit is wearing you. And, that is precisely what happened to Kelsea Ballerini. This outfit is overpowering her – if the flowers were a different color, or if it was off the shoulder rather than a full neck, I think it would have been a better look overall.

It’s the headpiece on Lizzo that ruins the look for me. I think the dress itself was very cool, and even fit her body so well! But then there’s this odd headpiece and the look just falls apart. 

Honorable Mentions

Simone Ashley looked so lovely, this would be a fantastic red carpet look for her! My only change would be to style her hair, rather than leaving it down.

Kim Kardashian looks how she always looks – which is HOT – but having seen a photo of this look without the sweater, I actually preferred the look as a whole rather than just the gown.

I think Doja Cat’s look was supposed to be reminiscent of the old linen slips that women would wear beneath their clothing. I’m not sure I love this look, but I do think it falls in line with the overall theme of “reawakening fashion”. It reminds me of a scene from the 2006 Marie Antoinette movie starring Kirsten Dunst.

Kendall Jenner – this might be the best she’s ever looked on a red carpet, and I stand by that! This look screams Arthurian beauty and I’m here for it!

Kylie Jenner has never looked more chic! This is the epitome of old Hollywood glamour reimagined for today!

What Do You Think?

If you’re interested in looking back at some previous Met Gala looks, I’d recommend this article by Vogue Magazine; Every Met Gala Look From the Last Decade!

Who was your best dressed pick for this year’s Met Gala? Let me know in the comments below!

Have a great rest of your week, and remember to SLAY!