Style /Fashion

Met Gala Fashion Roundup

The most memorable fashion moments from the first Monday in May.

By: Rayne Fisher-Quann

Love it or hate it, the Met Gala is fashion’s biggest night for a reason. On the first Monday in May, the biggest stars in the world all meet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art to do what rich people do best: entertain the masses through egregious displays of wealth and extravagance. And while this year’s theme may have been too on the nose for comfort (the Met chose to reference the Gilded Age, a period of staggering wealth inequality and extreme luxury for the ruling class — sound familiar?), I’ll take any opportunity to judge celebrities from afar. Here’s our roundup of the Met Gala’s most memorable moments.

Blake Lively

Blake Lively is inarguably one of the all-time crown princesses of the Met Gala — her looks always make a stir and, to her credit, they’re always on theme. This year, she channelled the Statue of Liberty and 1920s New York through a showy Atelier Versace transformation, and despite a decidedly 2009 colour scheme, the final result was Twitter’s pick of the night.

Kaia Gerber

Kaia Gerber’s 1920s-inspired Alexander McQueen ensemble was a true showstopper. Her voluminous, waist-grazing curls were definitely the most impressive hair moment on the red carpet, so while her outfit didn’t exactly nail the theme, I won’t hold it against her.

Quannah Chasinghorse

Quannah Chasinghorse wore Prabal Gurung to celebrate Indigenous culture on the Met Gala stage, and the result was one of my favourite Met looks of all time. While some criticized her for going off theme, I say fuck them — Indigenous peoples resisting colonial culture is the best historical rep anyone could ask for.

Lizzo

Lizzo made an unforgettable impression in black and gold Thom Browne regalia, but her outfit (as impressive as it was) wasn’t even the star of her show: with a rare $55,000 flute, she played era-appropriate strains of Debussy for an adoring red carpet audience.

Cardi B

Cardi B’s literal interpretation of the “Gilded Glamour” theme may be unorthodox, but it’s inarguably one of the night’s most impressive looks. Rather than go a historical recreationist route, she draped her body in pounds of gaudy, modern gold jewelry — personally, I’m choosing to believe she was trying to communicate some kind of commentary on modern-day wealth inequality. Comrade Cardi!

Riz Ahmed

Riz Ahmed made a stir with his decidedly political interpretation of the Gilded Age theme — in 4S Designs workwear, double-knee pants and all, the artist chose to represent the working-class immigrants who were the exploited backbone of the Gilded Age’s glamour.