In the past year, when most of America has been clinging to the same pair of sweatpants, this year’s Met Gala was meant to be a reminder of the importance of fashion. As the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City held its annual gala to raise money for their new exhibit, this year’s theme fell close to home. The art exhibit is titled “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” and the theme of the gala was “American Independence.”
Unlike previous years, the gala is split into two events. The first took place on Sept. 13 and the second will be in May of 2022. Both galas center around the concept of American fashion. The second exhibit, “In America: An Anthology of Fashion,” will focus more on the history of fashion in America. The first gala gave attendees a chance to exhibit their freedom through their take on American fashion.
Some looks were takes on classic American fashion, some took a political stride and some exhibited quite bizarre red carpet looks. While many were taking on the theme with true independence, it felt as if many lost the theme in their seams and missed the meaning behind “American Independence.” However, there are still plenty of looks to get excited over and discuss.
Andrew Bolton, the head curator of the museum’s Costume Institute, had a conversation with Vogue prior to the gala to describe this year’s theme and the purpose behind the vision.
“I’ve been really impressed by American designers’ responses to the social and political climate, particularly around issues of body inclusivity and gender fluidity, and I’m just finding their work very, very self-reflective,” Bolton said with Vogue. “I really do believe that American fashion is undergoing a Renaissance.”
Even with this bridge between current fashion and political climate, the night’s outfits were ignorant to important conversation topics in America. In a year where we saw the impact of a pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement, rise in anti-Asian hate crimes and a change in presidency, to see little to no connection to present issues was a loss.
One of the few political takes on the gala was Carolyn Maloney, a Democratic representative for New York’s 12th District. Maloney wore a dress by Antonios Couture emblazoned with “Equal Rights for Women” and a matching purse with “ERA YES” painted on in support of the Equal Rights Amendment. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, representative of New York’s 14th District, wore a dress with “Tax the Rich” on the back, which caused controversy considering the Met’s affluent environment.
Each year the gala is led by co-chairs, usually celebrities. The 2021 Met Gala was chaired by Timothee Chalamet, Billie Eilish, Amanda Gorman and Naomi Osaka. These celebrities opened the gala, walking up the stairs exhibiting their outfits.
Gorman wore a blue Vera Wang dress inspired by the Statue of Liberty, while Chalamet sported a Haider Ackermann tuxedo jacket along with white Converse and sweatpants. Osaka was styled in Louis Vuitton inspired by American, Haitian and Japanese heritage, and Eilish traded her baggy aesthetic for an Oscar de la Renta gown.
The night’s looks continued with a few more nods to American politics. Cara Delevingne’s Dior bulletproof vest was covered with the statement “Peg The Patriarchy.” Dan Levy wore a Loewe-designed outfit featuring two men kissing within a map of North America to represent the LGBTQ community in the continent. Quannah Chasinghorse, an Indigenous model, wore Peter Dundas alongside Navajo jewelry and Indigenous makeup.
A few others had American themes in their outfits, such as Megan Rapinoe’s red, white and blue suit, and Ciara’s football-inspired dress. A few other highlights of the night were Yara Shahidi, Gigi Hadid, Anok Yai and Barbie Ferreira, who took on the old Hollywood style. Rihanna, who is always a Met Gala favorite, wore Balenciaga couture. However, the design’s connection to the theme was not obvious.
Lil Nas X was another showstopper with a three-fold outfit created by Versace. The Grammy-award-winning artist entered wearing a dramatic gold robe, then took it off to reveal a gold, metallic armor suit. The final look was a gold, glitter bodysuit. This idea resembles Lady Gaga’s transforming Met Gala look from 2019, but Lil Nas X managed to make this idea his own.
Overall, most seemed to take the theme lightly or ignore the concept altogether. Justin and Hailey Bieber seemed to take a simplistic approach with Justin wearing a black suit by his own label, Drew House, and Hailey in a black Saint Laurent gown. Both fell nowhere near the theme. Kim Kardashian wore a long, black dress and head covering by Balenciaga, which is unique compared to the other looks of the night — however, the message is unclear. Another strange decision was Frank Ocean’s, who wore a simple Prada-designed outfit, but carried around a green babydoll. Kim Petras also chose a bizarre take on the theme with a horse attached to her Collina Strada dress.
While it was great to have such a notable event back after a long year, hopefully the second part of the gala will involve more risks and a deeper connection to the American theme. Even with many amazing looks and creative designs, “American Independence” lacked a cohesive theme. After the year America has had, seeing no connection to the theme highlights the disconnect between celebrities and reality. While one can love the beauty of fashion and the creativity involved, fashion is art — and art is meant to say something. “American Independence” is meant to say quite a lot, and surely the fashion could say more as well.
Edited by Elise Mulligan | emulligan@themaneater.com
