The 2024 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art has finally arrived. This year’s exhibit is “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,” based on J.G Ballard’s 1962 short story about a magical garden where the flowers have the power to turn back time. It was encouraged that guests consider outfits that represent clothing too old to wear again. The looks were meant to represent “The Garden of Time,” which is about evolution and transitions within the changing natures of fashion. Many guests appeared with lovely floral suits and gowns. Here are some of the most highly rated and controversial 2024 looks:
Lana Del Ray, American singer and songwriter wore a fully custom design by Alexander McQueen Sean McGirr. She brought forward an elegant and dark look that still captured some romance. Del Ray wore a nude corseted silk dress that was hand embroidered with bronze hawthorn branches. Her headpiece, however, was what made her ensemble stand out from others on the red carpet. Made out of real branches draped with a sheer vail, this look was specifically inspired by the Fall/ Winter 2006 “Windows of Culloden” show, in which a model wore an elegant gown and a very similar statement headpiece.
Doja Cat, American rapper, singer and songwriter had one of the most controversial looks of the night, after making her way to the event in nothing but a plain white towel. Though many people thought that this was her final look, Doja ended up changing into a floor length white t-shirt spread with hair gel, giving the illusion that she was drenched in water. Doja explained her look, saying that she wanted to attend the event wearing the world’s most commonly used flower: cotton. She also explained that she went with a white t-shirt because she believes it to be a timeless piece.
Gigi Hadid, American supermodel and television personality, arrived at the event in full Thom Browne. She went for an “Old Hollywood” look with the signature blonde bob and red lips. Her look was an off-the-shoulder primarily white gown that became three-dimensional towards the bottom of the dress. It was adorned with lovely yellow roses and green leaves. Hadid claimed that she was inspired by the icon Marilyn Monroe when putting this look together. She wore one of the most detailed dresses of the night, which took over 13,000 hours to create, considering it had over 2.4 million micro beads on it.
Zendaya, American actress and model, showed off with two stunning looks from Maison Margiela Artisanal and Galliano. Her first outfit reflected 19th century romance, yet still had elements of modernity. She wore a beautiful satin emerald green and electric blue gown. It was hand painted with metallic details and had a drape that made the dress appear iridescent. The look also included a handmade veil that was embedded with stockings. Later that night, she reappeared on the carpet with a second look from the Givenchy 1996 line. The black dress added a nice rustic vintage vibe which suits the museum well. She also wore a hat that contained a colorful flower arrangement by Alexander McQueen.