Met Gala 2021

It is that time of year again friends. That special time of year when even the most fashion illiterate of us watch celebrities, politicians, and the fashion elite of the world and judge what they are wearing. You guessed; this is the 2021 Met Gala roundup! Usually, the Met Gala is held the first Monday in May and has been held like this religiously for years. But Covid came in and ruined the party (literally) for that. There wasn’t one in 2020 and then this one was pushed much further back to allow for a more widespread vaccine and planning of the event.

Before we jump into the looks, let go over some of the basics for this year’s event

Covid Precautions- You had to be vaccinated to attend and show proof of vaccination. Masks were not required on the red carpet but were required to be worn in the actual event while not eating and they even asked them to be worn during photos inside the event. Celebrities who were invited but couldn’t agree to these terms were then asked not to go. Niki Minaj is so far one of the only celebrities talking about this and her not being vaccinated as the reason she did not attend.

How the Gala Works- This is an event held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that has massive fashion exhibits and this kicks off their next exhibit each year. It is mainly a fundraising event for the museum and an excuse for designers to get creative and make something they wouldn’t normally make. Celebrities who are invited to attend the event do pay for tickets, their meals, or for the clothing they are dressed in. Regular people who are just wealthy are the ones who pay for the tickets and food, but celebrities are encouraged to make a donation. Designers and celebrities get paired up (either by one asking the other or through other connections) and then they work together to come up with a concept for the design within the theme of the event. The celebrities do not own the clothes or jewelry, so aside from the donation, they are encouraged to make, they attend for free.

The Theme- Every year the gala has a theme that the exhibit focuses on and that the attendees are meant to use as inspiration. This year’s theme? “In America: Lexicon of Fashion.” Now, there have been a couple of years where I am not fully aware of what the theme means until the gala begins and I can see it in action, but even with this one, I am still not 100% sure what the theme is. From reading articles and recaps of the event as well as just seeing what happened at the gala, my best guess is that it is meant to be inspired by America. It wasn’t just American designers or trends, but many stars dressed in a way to pay homage to an American icon or trend.

Even though there were a few outfits I didn’t love, I am choosing to focus on my favorite looks this year instead of a best and worst dressed list. Not everyone on this list is following the theme, but since my grasp on the theme is loose at best, I decided just to pick the looks I liked for one reason or another, theme be damned. So keep on scrolling to see my favorite looks from the Met Gala 2021!

All photos and designer information from Vogue

Rhianna in Balenciaga Couture. This does not seem to be “on theme” in the sense that it is not paying homage to an American icon or inspired by the country in any way (as far as I know) but she looks like a badass. Rhianna can do no wrong and this is even one of her more mellow looks for the Met Gala and she is still somehow managing to kill it??? Go off!

Emily Ratajkowski in Vera Wang. Again, not sure what this has to do with the theme, but Vera Wang is an American designer so maybe that’s all it is! But! This look was so fierce and elegant I couldn’t not include it. It still has that signature sexiness that we usually see from Em Rata but with a Hollywood glamour to it. The red flower piece sends it over the top and makes it perfect for this space, but would also be a great gown to wear to the Oscars.

Quannah Chasinghorse in Dundas. If anyone understood the assignment it was this lovely woman here. Not only does she looks AMAZING but her entire outfit sends a message. Her makeup and jewelry are all traditional Navajo pieces and designs. Having the gown only be one color really allows for the other aspects to stand out. Plus, the cutouts in the gown are perfectly placed and add a little spice to her look. If this was a completion, she would win. No contest.

Hunter Schafer in Prada. This is in my top looks for the night. These are not organized in any specific order, but this one is in my top 5 of the gala for sure! Does it have anything to do with the theme? Don’t thinks so. Why is there a spider on her face and the whole look very industrial and metal looking? Not a clue. Is it just simply super cool and looks amazing no her? YES! Everything from the slight alien vibe to the all-white contacts is just perfectly executed it doesn’t matter if it is on theme on not. There has been some internet speculation that this is maybe her way of telling the world that she will be playing Spider-Gwen in an upcoming movie. She hasn’t responded to this so I guess only time will tell!

Kristen Stewart in Chanel. There were a couple of variations she did on this look throughout the night for after party’s and what not, but this original look is my favorite. Once again, no idea what this has to do with America, and the design house is not American, but I loved the different approach she took for this outfit. K Stew is usually into much darker, more edgy styles for most red carpet appearances, so it was fun to see her do something so different that she usually does. After all, it is the Met Gala and you are meant to go big or go home.

Simone Biles in Area. Even though the design doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the US, the label that designed it was founded and is still based out of New York City. Their focus is on textiles and embellishments so they nailed that here. I just loved the train that was coming off of this gown. The rest of the gown is gorgeous (as is the woman in it) but we so rarely get to see trains like this that are solid. Typically trains are very light and flowing behind, so whenever we get a more heavy-duty one it particularly stands out. Plus, Simone Biles is a gold medal Olympian. Doesn’t get much more American than that.

Lupita Nyong’o in Versace. Even though the designer isn’t American, this design couldn’t scream the USA any more than it is. Denim is so quintessential of American style that she really hit the nail on the head with this look and design. Can we also talk about how glorious her hair is? Again these aren’t in any specific order, but she would make my top 5 looks as well. It is so off-brand for her (typically in very glam gowns) and I absolutely love it.

Taylor Hill in Versace. Nothing about this follows the theme, but I couldn’t help but include it. it gives me Greek goddess vibes from the tie around the shoulder to the headpiece worn low across the forehead. It is very in style for her as she tends to wear items like this on red carpets, but the unfinished hem is what truly sold me on this whole look. I love an unfinished hem when it comes to any item of clothing, but we rarely ever see it on gowns like this in such a high-profile setting. It just truly levels up the look.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in Brother Vellies and Aurora James. I will not be discussing the controversy of her dress because at this point it is tired and played out and I already discussed why all of that is ridiculous on my Instagram. So let’s talk about the fact that she is wearing a simple dress made from recycled fabric, with a glorious message, and minimal makeup. Her hair and jewelry are also simple which allows her dress and natural beauty to do all of the talking. Pictured next to her is Aurora James, the designer of the dress and owner of the brand listed.

Nikki de Jager. I have searched the internet everywhere and cannot find who designed this gown! If you know, please comment down below so I can add it!

This gown is paying homage to black American trans icon, Marsha P Johnson. Marsha was an LGBTQ activist. She was one of the prominent figures involved with the Stonewall riots for LGBTQ rights and is a major reason the community has what it does now. Nikki not only wore a floral headdress like Marsha but had the quote “pay no mind” added to the front of her dress. This was a well-known thing Marsha said often in regards to those who were discriminatory against the LGBTQ community.

Lil Nas X in Versace. This again really has nothing to do with the theme and as far as I can tell there was nothing specific he was inspired by (like an icon) but he did have a 3 part approach where he shed each layer to reveal the next version of his costume. Some people have really hated this look for being too extreme, but the whole point of the Met Gala is to be different and bolder than you would be on any other red carpet. But not only was this on-brand for him as a performer, but it also was so striking and different from any other look on the carpet the whole night.

Billie Eilish in Oscar de la Renta. This is something we haven’t see from Billie Eilish on a red carpet before. Once she turned 18 her style definitely changed, and this is a very drastic version of that. This entire look was inspired by Marilyn Monroe, making it one of the only ones on this list that fits with the theme. It does a modern take on old Hollywood glam that fits her so well, and I love that she opted for a pink gown instead of the traditional white people so often go for with Marilyn Monroe. She also said she would only work with the brand if they agreed to stop using fur, and they signed a contract agreeing to do so. If more celebrities did this when it came to partnerships, we could solve so many problems.

Barbie Ferreira in Jonathan Simkhai. Seems pretty obvious that this look is inspired by the flapper girls of the 20s. This was one of the looks that got a lot of criticism for being “too costume-y” but again, it is the Met Gala for a costume installation at a museum. She looks glam and fabulous. Her makeup is flawless. The dress combined with her hair and hairpiece is so so gorgeous. This is another one of my top 5 looks of the night. There is nothing like old Hollywood when it comes to this level of glam.

Amanda Gorman in Vera Wang. This is my favorite look of the night. I know I said that I didn’t have these in any specific order, but if I had to pick one to be the top look that I cannot stop looking at or revisiting, it would be this one. The jewels. The hairpieces. The blue. The woman in the gown!! I can’t. And no this isn’t the most eloquent but I can’t help it! When something looks this good there is nothing to do but stare in awe of the beauty.

Dan Levy in Loewe. Once again we have a very busy look, but in a way that is so completely perfect, I am speechless. This outfit was inspired by the artist who created the piece on his top, who made it with the AIDS crisis of the 80s. It was a nod to the struggle that the LGBTQ community has had to go through over the years, and was designed by an American designer. The looks like this that have paid respect to icons of the past have truly been my favorite. Not many red carpets allow people to be able to do that and this theme was the perfect way to allow people to do this.

Thank you for making it through this roundup! I know it’s a week late but still better late never right? I am having a rough time with getting all my content out that I want to lately, but bear with me! I am working on some new video ideas, setting aside time for all the content creation, and I have a lot planned for the blog for fall! Cute fall fashion but also some fun, more Halloween-themed shoots! See you guys on Wednesday!

Madey