Restraint, a dress code simple enough for celebrity stylists to follow and the talent of controversial designer John Galliano have saved the Met Gala’s fashion credibility.
Last year’s Met Gala jumped the shark, or the kitten, when actor Jared Leto dressed as the late Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld’s pet cat Choupette, shifting the event from couture to cosplay.
But this year, Kim Kardashian, Zendaya and Game of Thrones actor Gwendoline Christie returned the annual fundraiser for New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art to its former glory, in exquisite hand-stitched creations fit for a gallery.
The talented women with vastly different styles, bodies and résumés all turned to Galliano to interpret the dress code of The Garden of Time, inspired by a short story by J.G. Ballard. Zendaya turned twice, appearing first in a dramatic Dionysian look inspired by a Galliano haute couture gown for Dior from 1999 and hours later in a Galliano for Givenchy gown from 1996.
The celebrity vote of confidence signals Galliano’s return to the top of fashion’s pecking order, on the high heels of his critically acclaimed Paris haute couture show for Maison Margiela in January.
In 2011, Galliano was spectacularly dismissed from his job at Christian Dior for drunken anti-Semitic comments, but he has slowly rehabilitated his reputation on and off the runway.
Kim Kardashian, Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner arrive at the Met Gala 2024.Credit: Getty
Galliano is a favourite of the Met Gala organiser and Vogue editor Anna Wintour, who refined this year’s theme following the confusion created by Camp: Notes on Fashion in 2019 and In America: An Anthology of Fashion in 2022. This year, it was simply a matter of adding flowers, and you were ready for your close-up.
The main red carpet rivals for Galliano were Jonathan Anderson at Loewe, which sponsored the event, and Thom Browne, who is the partner of Met curator Andrew Bolton.
Flying the Loewe flag were The Crown actor Josh O’Connor in an exaggerated tuxedo with floral boots, Wintour in a floral-embellished coat worn over a simple white gown and Greta Lee in a structured lace dress. Browne embellished his preppy suiting with florals for Cynthia Erivo, Australian basketballer Ben Simmons and TikTok star Reece Feldman.
Chris Hemsworth in Tom Ford.Credit: Getty Images
“Let’s face it, the luxury labels are the real winner of the event,” says fashion curator Alison Kubler. “Money is raised for the Met but the advertising these brands receive is incalculable.”
The floral theme was still too simple for some. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga actor Chris Hemsworth wore a plain cream suit from Tom Ford with glossy black boots. A shirt unbuttoned to seedy nightclub levels was Hemsworth’s only concession to style.
Pop star Troye Sivan’s pale blue Prada shirt sliced up the back and worn with a black bib avoided the dress code, with a butterfly brooch pinned at the waist appearing to be a last-minute addition.
Theatre producer Jordan Roth swung to the other end of the menswear spectrum in a custom Valentino hooded gown embellished with floral details and matching pink and green make-up. It was over the top, on theme and stopped a bud short of cosplay.
Singer Rita Ora also took the look-at-me approach in a nude illusion creation from Marni. The beaded fringed design could almost be described as a dress and was draped over a puckering body stocking.
Skating closer to a kitten incident, or Bjork’s infamous swan dress from the 2001 Oscars, was Lana Del Rey in a mobile mosquito net.
The strapless bone gown from Alexander McQueen creative director Sean McGirr, embellished with thorny branches, a single rose and enough netting to keep a horde of bees at bay, was as dramatic as Del Rey’s music.
In the past, Rihanna has delivered the final style note for the event. Last year, the singer arrived well after the dinner had begun wearing snow-white Valentino. This time, Rihanna planned to wear her own label Fenty but was a no-show, making way for Galliano’s long-awaited triumph.
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