The Met Gala takes place annually on the first Monday in May. It is a charity event also known as the Costume Institute Benefit and is often called the Oscars of Fashion. This year, it was held on the 6th of May to celebrate the Institution's upcoming exhibition, Sleeping Beauty: Reawakening Fashion. The exhibition, which opens on the 10th of May, features over two hundred and fifty historically significant pieces, referred to as the 'sleeping beauties' because they are too fragile to be worn. It includes an Elizabethan bodice and a silk satin ball gown from 1877. The guests' outfits were supposed to be inspired by the J.G. Ballard short story, 'The Garden of Time', which is intertwined with the exhibition's theme of the evolution of human history and the cycle of creation and destruction. Let's take a look at some of the guest's ensembles and how well they stuck to the theme.
Zendaya
Actress and singer Zendaya, one of the hosts for the evening, wore a gown based on a 1999 Dior dress and designed by John Galliano for Maison Margiela. The one-shouldered tulle creation featured a trumpet-shaped skirt in emerald and royal blue diagonal stripes with gilded grapes and vines at the waist and draped over one arm. She had a swooping bird at her shoulder, and the outfit was completed with dark 1920s-style silent movie actress-like makeup and an elaborate wired mesh and tulle fascinator.
Lily James
British actress Lily James chose an Erdem pale pink crushed satin sleeveless column gown with a sweetheart neckline, enormous train, and wired and jewelled black roses that followed the contours of the dress and her body. She wore her hair in a sleek chignon and accessorised with nature-inspired diamond jewellery.
Tyla
Singer Tyla stood out at her first Met Gala appearance in a Balmain gown that entirely embraced the 'Time' theme. The sand-coloured and textured dress was sculpted to her body, and she clutched an hourglass accessory. In an interview, Tyla said that the dress represented the sands of time, with her body as the hourglass.
Taylor Russell
Taylor Russell, a Canadian actress, embraced the garden and nature theme in a Loewe-designed high-neck corset that looked like wood patterned with painted flowers and leaves at the waist and one shoulder. She paired the corset with a draped, high-slitted ivory skirt in silk crepe marocain.
Lana Del Rey
Singer Lana Del Ray looked like her outfit had been inspired by the enchanted sleep scene in Sleeping Beauty, where the castle becomes overgrown with thorny vines. The cream Alexander McQueen corseted and veiled sheath gown was adorned with embroidered 3D vines that ascended the skirt and formed a frame for the veil. Around her wrist was wound a crystal-embellished red rose corsage.
And a Few More...
Amanda Seyfried
Greta Lee
Sarah Jessica Parker
Gwendoline Christie
Chloë Sevigny
What was your favourite look?
Which celebrity outfit did you like best? Do you think they interpreted the theme well? Would you wear any of the pieces?
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