The Met Gala has come around again! How are we feeling? Now that it’s been a couple of days, I would like to talk about the ones I saw. I must say there were a lot of looks. Some fitting, some not so much. Some were underwhelming, some were everything and some extra! That being said, I have a lot to say.

Disclaimer:

I really enjoy fashion and art; however, I am not a professional fashion designer or artist so please keep that in mind. I love to talk about fashion so that’s kind of what I’m doing here. And finally, I couldn’t mention every look, or it would be a lot. So, I will just mention some I really enjoyed. It doesn’t mean I didn’t appreciate or enjoy the others. It just means I had a few I decided to write about. Similar to my previous fashion articles.

Also, we all have our opinions, I want to hear yours too! I will also not discuss any controversies that I have been seeing with the attendees, interviews, and other news related to the event. I just want to focus on fashion at this time (mainly the highlights). I will also update this little by little so stay tuned! Remember fashion is subjective and so technically my opinion is just a mere combination of words decorated on a page! And that being said, it’s my art. But let’s go into the art of this Gala! 

Intro

There’s a lot of anticipation for this day. They revealed the theme last year (more on that later). There’s tons of preparation as well. I saw videos of that. I have to say, that’s some of the most fascinating stuff ever. The behind the scenes stuff we don’t get to see. Like the cute doggos and the teams working to make the night so memorable. Not to mention “what happens inside”. No one really knows except for the snippets we do get. It’s something that is pretty much a secret to everyone who hasn’t been inside. 

Theme

To be brief, the theme this year and the exhibition is “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” which will highlight different designs in Black Fashion. The exhibition opens May 10th! This theme was important to showcase black style. One that was talked about alot was the term “dandyism”. I’m sure you heard it a lot. As well as it being “tailored for you”. With that there was a lot to play with and a lot to learn along the way. Because when trying something you can educate yourself and the audience as well. I think many people could have played with this more. 

That being said, well we got a lot of different styles. There was talk on who and who did not follow the theme. Some pulled some strings, others didn’t follow it at all. Some followed it with their hair and makeup and others with their fit and the whole presence. When analyzing further and reading (and watching) a few other’s opinions, many of the ones’ people were really upset with had a story behind them or paid homage to black icons throughout history. So technically in a way, they were on theme, just not the theme we predicted many looks would resemble. 

Overall, I think like usual…there’s people who follow the theme and people who don’t. It’s pretty disappointing especially because we aren’t Cady not knowing the outfit requirements for the event. Like it has been told to us for MONTHS. So yeah. I think we already know people don’t follow rules. And that’s cool, but I rather not focus on them and move to the looks I think really stood out, but fit the theme.

The best looks for the night:

I am just saying the name of the person wearing the outfit. However please keep in mind there is stylists, artists, concept designers, and photographers (a whole team and possibly one behind that one!) all making this thing work. So yeah! There’s a lot behind a look on someone! Okay let’s get into the look!

Hello?! DAPPER DAN! I mean this is exactly who I looked to for the blueprint of the night.

I am going to break these down with 3 I want to talk about and honorable mentions.

1. Overall, it has to be (say it with me) Teyana Taylor! Teyana Taylor’s outfit was amazing and exceeded my expectations for the night. If I only had to pick one and only one, there’s no doubt it’s this one. The colors, the layering, the purpose. It was all here in one look.
2. Damson Idris and if the look wasn’t enough, there was a whole entrance we’re not talking about!
3. Zendaya. This outfit was basic; however, the tiny details came through. It also was perfectly tailored to her proportions which made the look a perfect set. Though I think that there were more exciting looks throughout the night, this was one I really enjoyed and not only me. This look was talked about a lot.

Honorable mentions:

I can’t talk through each look so here’s some more of my favorites of the night.

Cardi B, Ugbad, Coco Jones, Lewis Hamilton, TEMS, Keke Palmer, Laura Harrier, Savannah James, Lupita Nyong’o, Jennie Kim, Nicki Minaj, Simone Biles, Sabrina Carpenter, Zendaya, Anok Yai, Madonna, Rosé, Henry Golding.

Best outfits: Pair edition:

Lauryn Hill (and fan), Andre 3000 (and piano). Inanimate objects can also be a part of a pair. Right? Okay let’s get into the pairs!

Jalen Hurts & Bry Burrows

Debbie Allen & Norm

Usher & Jennifer Raymond

Ciara & Russell Wilson

Honorable mentions: 

Simone Biles & Jonathan Owens- I think their outfits as a pair had the most variety and stood out a lot. 

Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade 

Nick Jonas & Priyanka Chopra

Best groups: 

Rihanna & ASAP (baby and umbrella, ella, ella, aye!). Outfits and hair were on fleek! They were serving! Technically, this is a group! But seriously let’s get into the groups!

Usually with designer brands, I never see the theme of the night reflecting in the outfit to be honest. However, I was quite surprised with a few of them! I would have liked to see more independent designers though. But that’s okay! There’s always hope for next time if there’s an opportunity! Okay on to the brands!

Thom Browne: You know I had to put them. I think overall they were the most memorable without straying from the theme. Every piece was beautiful on it’s own. I was definitely expecting this as their suits have always stood out to me. The plain suit is nice every now and then, but when I think Met Gala, it doesn’t have to be plain. You know?

I mean every time I have seen a Thom Browne look, it hasn’t disappointed me. So I think they did the variety aspect (with shapes and variation) well. And everyone there stood out without making it look awkward as a brand. So when they made the collage of looks on a post, the color story was satisfying.

SWAROVSKI: Well, I think that this one took a bit to grow on me as I had a certain theme in mind. But then when revisiting this did that and more. The craftmanship that their team made to get the ideas from paper to the model was completely memorizing. This is no surprise as for MET GALA 2024, their look for model Anok Yai was one of my favorite looks. And this year the 4 models (Adut Akech Bior, Sora Choi, Alex Consani, and Giovanna Engelbert) served. I love the color selection, as well as the design of all 4 outfits. And it kept the identity of SWAROVSKI with the swan being intertwined into the pieces. And it was perfectly tailored to them all!

Louis Vuitton: Everyone fit the theme and looked very dandy. This goes without saying as Pharell is the co- chair at the MET GALA this year and also the Men’s creative director of LV.  Overall, the color story was nice and muted. They blended together well. I think everyone looked amazing. And each outfit went with their personalities well. It did well fitting the theme, but I just wanted it to be more adventurous, you know? I think there were tiny details that made the outfits stand out. 

Burberry: I think they definitely got the concept. Served. And delivered. Literally it had the base idea and really added layers to it. It was one of the favorite brands of the night as 

Chanel: This was another one where most of the looks were executed with that extra oomph to it. It still kept the identity of Chanel so it’s pretty easy to look and say, “they are wearing Chanel”. It’s the subtle things that aren’t too loud. 

Important mentions:

Everyone behind the camera, behind the looks, and behind the event. Yes, you! The reason why we are here talking about this! And finally, Tacoma the good doggo! 

Well, that’s it. I know there was so much I wanted to say, but again…I want it to still end up readable and if I keep going…well if you’re a part of our returning audience, you know how I am. 😉

So, what was your favorite look from this year’s MET GALA? Give us your thoughts in the comments! 

Written & illustrated by: A.P.