Our Virtual Met Gala and Favourite Looks From The Event Over The Years
- Generation XX
- May 8, 2020
- 6 min read
On Monday 4th, the Met Gala was due to be held. Unfortunately, of course due to coronavirus, this was sadly another iconic event that has been cancelled. Luckily, they are trying to reschedule but the date for this has not yet been put in place. This years concept was very in-depth and intriguing; it was inspired by a specific scene in the 1992 Sally Potter film, Orlando. Tilda Swinton enters the maze in an 18th century woman’s robe à la Francaise, and as she runs through it her clothes change to mid-19th century dress, and she re-emerges in 1850s England. The theme is therefore called “About Time: Fashion and Duration” Andrew Bolton states that it is a “nuanced and open-ended” approach. “It’s a reimagining of fashion history that’s fragmented, discontinuous, and heterogeneous.” It’s exciting just to imagine what some of the outfits are going to be worn for this theme!
We decided that on the date of the Met Gala, we would create a little opportunity for others to dress up either in their adaptation of the theme, or to just dress up for the fun of it! I personally love dressing up all fancy so jumped at the chance. Being a difficult time for everyone, we thought it would be a good opportunity for people to take their mind off of whats going on in the world and to feel confident in themselves in a lovely outfit. We understood from when we advertised it that a lot of people are incredibly busy at this time with submissions and other work, but I’m glad we did it as it was something different and quite fun! And we got the chance to dress up!
There are so many iconic looks and it’s so hard to pick my favourites as there is just way too many but here is a small collection of ones that resonate with me.
My favourite Met Gala looks from 2019:
With the theme last year being ‘camp’ there was such a variety of innovative looks; here are my favourites:
I think Ezra Miller and Billy Porter really stood out for me, they are so memorable and imaginative and I think they look fantastic. They epitomise camp brilliantly within their outfits and I absolutely adore Ezra’s makeup.
Although I don’t think it necessarily reflects camp, I loved Nina Debrov’s dress! I was just so impressed by the manufacturing of it and the lengths they went to creating it. It was 3D printed and took 60 hours to print and over 200 hours in total to complete, it also took 6 people to put it on! I thought the colours were so beautiful and she looked very angelic.
I couldn’t miss out some of my favourites from 2018. I was obsessed with 2018 Met Gala, even though the theme was considered quite controversial. I honestly think that everyone looked incredible so it’s so hard to choose favourites but I think these four were the ones that really stood out for me:
Gigi Hadid was probably my favourite, her dress was made my Versace and inspired by stain glass windows. The shape, style and colours of dress are beautiful and is the type of dress I would dream to wear if I ever attended a ball.
Zendaya, Rihanna and Blake Lively I think were the others that really caught my eye; the beautiful colours and amazingly long train of Blake Lively’s gown, the innovation and powerful nature of zendaya’s armoured dress, and Rihanna’s beautifully embellished and regal outfit and headdress accompanied with her Louboutin shoes. No doubt as to why I love them so much.
The Met Gala is honestly the highlight of my year and I get incredibly excited when the time comes around for it to be all over the internet and our social media, I can’t wait to see this years, whenever that may be!
Amelia:
2019
Lily Collins in Giambattista Valli, her make-up was exquisite and really pulled together this look. The fit of this dress accentuates her figure and the extravagant frills and train perfectly personify the “camp” theme.
Katy Perry’s outfit really embodied camp. I love every part of it, from her simplistic hair and make-up to the chandeliers literally framing her body and head. Being a person that’s not afraid to make a statement, I felt this look was really perfect for her, by Moschino.
Florence Welch wore a custom bird inspired gown which is so evidently Gucci, I absolutely love it. The detailing is so fine and it definitely makes a statement.
Ryan Murphy’s pearl encrusted cape was another that stayed in my mind. Truly fabulous, taking two months to make and weighing over 100lbs. And if that’s not enough, a complete bejewelled orange tuxedo to match, by Christian Siriano.
Jordan Roth in Iris van Herpen, a designer that will forever capture my attention and obsessions. It truly encompasses Roth’s love for theatre, when opening to three and a half metres wide. It was truly so powerful and mesmerising to see revealed.
Celine Dion’s Oscar de la Renta look was so perfect, so intricate, and so camp. She is a true fashion icon and she did not disappoint.
Lady Gaga has to be mentioned, not just for her four outfit choices by Brandon Maxwell, but the amount of EXTRA she put into her display. I was in complete awe watching it unravel through my Vogue livestream. I really think it will be a Met moment to remember.
Rihanna has had the most beautiful looks for the past few years, except last where she didn’t attend, and her outfits perfectly encapsulate the themes.
I also think Gigi Hadid served LOOKS for the last two galas. I was really in awe, she looked so gorgeous. Specifically for 2019, her make-up was so essential in her outfit and completely summaries the purpose of the gala – to be completely over the top.
One look that has stuck with me for a long time is Claire Danes in a glow in the dark Zac Posen princess gown, for the 2016 Met Gala – “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology”.
I also really enjoyed Vogue’s video of Naomi Campbell talking through all of her Met Gala looks over the years.
It was so so difficult for me to pick just a few favourite looks. I also love the bathroom pics, the after party outfits, and the getting ready shots. I could create a whole magazine dedicated to it.
The Met Gala really is an opportunity for people to push their outfits to the limit. “Too much” is never enough. Every year I look forward to the event and I sit at home waiting for the livestream to begin. I truly get so excited every time a new guest enters. I cannot wait for this year’s event, even if it’s not for a few months!
Our take on this years Met Gala:
Millie:
I don't own anything that I could have executed the theme accurately but I do absolutely love to dress up and I have a lot of formal dresses! I hardly ever get the chance to dress like this so I had great fun doing it. I took part of my inspiration from Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's; the dress I am wearing (not that you can really see) is my favourite black dress which comes to below the knee and is very similar to one of the dresses that she wears in the film. It's such an elegant dress and is paired perfectly with a statement necklace and delicate pearl earrings and headpiece. Being that the film is based in the 1940's which is my favourite period for fashion, I thought that it worked well and that in a way it reflects the theme of 'About Time: Fashion and Duration'.
Amelia:
I have this lovely blouse with rushed cuffs and high neck which I think emulates Edwardian aesthetics with a modern twist.
Thank you so much to Leah and Jimmy for taking part in this too! You look absolutely fab! X
We hope you have enjoyed this blog post as much as we enjoyed making it! Stay safe and keep your eyes peeled for our most recent developments coming your way soon! Also, keep a look out for our newsletter released on Sunday on our Instagram story to see what we've been up to this week!
Take care!
Millie and Amelia X
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