Known as “Fashion’s biggest night” or “prom for celebrities,” the annual Met Gala is famously held on the first Monday of May, this year’s event landing on May 6.
The Met is both held at and a fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, receiving over 400 million views a year.
Global Editorial Director of Condé Nast and Editor in Chief of Vogue, Anna Wintour hosts the event annually. Each year showcases a new theme with celebrities wearing fashion’s latest looks aligning to the design.
The 2024 Met Gala celebrated the Costume Institute’s new exhibition, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” and the official theme was “The Garden of Time.”
The theme was inspired by a 1962 short story by JG Ballard, called “A Garden of Time,” which describes a world in which a count and countess use ‘time flowers’ from their garden to manipulate time and keep a menacing mob at bay. With each plucked bloom, they wind back time, but as their supply dwindles, the inevitable encroachment of the mob becomes imminent.
As per usual, the gala consisted of a myriad of celebrities properly demonstrating and eloquently executing the theme or creating their own interpretations through various creative approaches and outlook.
The common execution from public figures seemed to pay homage to different elements of “A Garden of Time” and nature.
“Challengers” and “Euphoria” star Zendaya, appeared in not one but two striking looks, including a custom Margiela look, which paid tribute to the natural world. This was seen through the dark blue and emerald green fitted piece adorned with birds, flowers, vines, grapes and nuts.
As for Grammy Award winning artist Tyla, she dressed in a custom Balmain creation made of sand and micro-crystals, representing a sand sculpture or sand of hourglass. She matched the masterpiece with an hourglass purse.
Fashion lover and PV junior Grace Ludwig described one of her favorite looks of the night. “Anok Yai took my breath away like always. Her looks never fail to impress— she displayed a striking blue ombre look representing water in ‘A Garden of Time,’” Ludwig said.
Yai’s full-body jumpsuit contained 98,000 swarovski gems in three striking shades of blue, creating an ombre look which embodies the water that allows a luscious garden to bloom, with crystals sprinkled along her chest, resembling individual droplets.
Additionally, Grammy nominated singer and songwriter Lana Del Rey, along with influencer and Met Gala correspondent, Emma Chamberlain, both represented the roots of an overgrown garden.
Del Rey was fitted in a haute couture version of a fit-and-flare silhouette, custom-made Alexander McQueen by Seán McGirr, with McGirr describing his interpretation of the look as, “the idea of mother nature, but a slightly more sinister aspect.” Del Rey’s silk, tulle and georgette corseted dress included hand-embroidered thorny vines that rose from her skirt and behind her head, the look finalized with a single red rose corsage.
The look was a nod to the British fashion house’s “crown of thorns” headpiece from the fall/winter 1996 collection.
Chamberlain displayed the decay of the natural world through a custom brown lace Jean Paul Gaultier dress featuring a strapless corseted bodice and ivy-like lace tendrils wrapped around her arms and a tulle train.
But, as always, not all attendees matched the theme.
Humorous remarks from fans often target A-lister men, such as actors Chris Hemsworth or Nicholas Galtzine, who took fashion’s biggest night to wear simple black tie apparel, a blue or beige suit.
However, this year’s menswear was on another level. Stars like Eddie Redmayne, Bad Bunny, Lil Nas X and Lewis Hamilton dominated the carpet with creative and classy looks, showing depth and individuality.
And while both fans and celebrities look down upon influencers and tiktokers attending this event, scarcely any were in attendance this year except for IMG model and fashion influencer Wisdom Kaye, named by Vogue as “TikTok’s best-dressed guy.”
Kaye’s look won in the men’s category through his long vermillion red tailcoat from Robert Wun with a matching hat. The unique part of this seemingly normal look were the burnt out or rotted holes throughout the ensemble, hinting that some force, be it a flame or natural fragmentation, had taken hold, embodying the theme in an unexpected way.
As many shared the theme through vibrance representing mother nature, flowers, or water, Kaye’s attire explored the concept of decay over time, as all good things eventually rot and come to an end.
“I didn’t know who Wisdom Kaye was before this year’s gala but I am lucky to have found him, he truly is very artistic along with having excellent fashion. He’s a great example of how all men should continue to put in effort to fit the theme and provide nuance rather than show up in a simple suit and tie. ” Ludwig remarked.
PV Junior Maha Khan describes a different interpretation to the theme many celebrities followed. “My personal interpretation of them was how many celebrities turned it into a fairy tale vibe with ball gowns and old time suits, like it was straight out of a disney movie. It was also impressive to see that almost all of the looks were so beautiful, elegant and classy.” Khan explains.
As most old Disney films have to do with nature and royalty, it was pleasant to see this take on “The Garden of Time.” “Euphoria” star Sydney Sweeny arrived in custom Miu Miu, wearing a baby blue ball gown covered with ruffles and fabricated flowers paired with black gloves. Sweeney also added a black bob, a surprising change for the famously blonde actress.
Actresses Sarah Jessica Parker and Allia Bhatt also played into this classic, vintage disney film theme, as Parker was displayed in a sculptural Richard Quinn corset gown, which she topped off with a Philip Treacy fascinator and Bhatt displayed the timeless essence of the theme through an iconic hand-embroidered Sabyasachi couture saree with a 23 foot train. “I felt like the theme needed something timeless and there’s nothing more timeless than a saree,” Bhatt explained.
Additionally, “Saltburn” star Barry Keoghan demonstrated classic male looks in old Disney films, wearing an olive velvet Burberry velvet jacket, waistcoat and trousers and a ruffled silk poplin shirt. He paired the look with a black wool top hat and leather Oxford boots.
“I felt that Sweeny looked like one of the stepsisters from Cinderella with Cinderella’s iconic blue gown with her step sister’s black bob, and Bhatt’s look reminded me so much of Princess Jasmine. As for Parker and Keoghan, they both perfectly represented outfits of late 1700s and early 1800s, when these vintage Disney films took place.”
The 2024 Met Gala was an impressive exhibit of the evolution and individuality of fashion through the eyes of today’s top stars. This year’s gala was one of the most simple, timeless and classy ensembles throughout the past years, while properly displaying the theme and continuing to portray the power of fashion.
