Each year on the first Monday in May, fans all around the world eagerly await the “Superbowl of Fashion” to grace their screens. The Met Gala has become a wondrous exhibit of fashion and artistry through avant-garde looks from the industry’s top designers. It also acts as a fundraiser to support the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute curated by Andrew Bolton.
This year, for the 2024 annual exhibition, Bolton wanted to dive into the history of fashion and bring some archival pieces back into the limelight. He eventually landed on this year’s theme: “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.” The carpet was given a dress code labeled “The Garden of Time” which inspired the attendees and their designers to come up with some absolutely breathtaking work inspired by natural elements that debuted on May 6.
There were many looks that made their way down the Met carpet this year, all equally inspired and captivating in their own right. There were a few stand-out looks that perfectly depicted the theme and encapsulated the artistic prowess that the Met Gala prides itself on.
Memorable Moments
Emma Chamberlain walked the carpet in a brown sheer dress designed by Jean Paul Gaultier for her fourth year as a Met Gala red carpet presenter. It took around 640 hours to imagine and create. She told Vogue Magazine in an interview that her gothic look was meant to look like “the underbelly of nature” and twist the garden theme. She described her look in one word: “decaying.”
One of the first celebrities to grace the carpet was Jennifer Lopez wearing a piece from Maison Schiaparelli designed by Daniel Roseberry. Met Gala co-host Gwendoline Christie referred to her presence as a “Hollywood vision.” The piece was inspired by the delicacy of butterfly wings and was a jaw-dropping entrance for JLO’s 14th Met Gala experience.
Amelia Gray wore a dress from Jun Takahashi’s 2024 spring collection that was probably the most in tune with the exhibition aspect of the night. The gown was essentially a terrarium that lit up from the inside revealing bundles of roses and greenery. It is akin to another terrarium dress that is featured on the advertisement posters for the event and exists within the Met exhibition itself.
Demi Moore wore an architectural gown designed by Harris Reed inspired by the thorns of a flower. The gown’s floral embellishments were made almost entirely from upholstered vintage wallpaper. In an interview with Vogue Magazine, Reed said that dressing Demi Moore was “one of [his] favorite moments” of his life because he loved that she was open to embracing his creativity.
Ariana Grande was a “popular” sight that evening in a custom Loewe look designed by Jonathan Anderson. The bodice is made entirely of mother of pearl which then flows into a silk chiffon skirt with hues of pink and green in honor of her upcoming debut as Glinda in the film rendition of the Broadway musical “Wicked.”
Gigi Hadid was one of the most anticipated guests of the night and certainly did not disappoint in her custom sculptural gown by Thom Browne. It was handmade by 70 people using more than 2,800,000 beads over the course of over 13,500 hours and made its mark as one of the most intricate garments on the carpet this year.
Kendall Jenner took inspiration from the “sleeping beauties” aspect of the theme and decided to reawaken an archival Givenchy dress by Alexander McQueen. The garment was only shown on a mannequin once in 1999 making Jenner the first human to ever wear it and it did not require any alterations to fit her body.
Elle Fanning wore a dress by Balmain that looked straight out of a Cinderella story. The dress was made of a material that looked similar to resin and laid like an ice sculpture on her body. There were also two sculpted bits that were designed to appear to be holding the garment up which appears to be a nod to the princess as well.
Lana Del Rey sprouted out onto the Met steps looking like Mother Nature herself. Her designer Seán McGirr took inspiration from the structural elements that are true to the Alexander McQueen branding but with his own ethereal flare. He told Vogue that he took a more “sinister” approach to the theme by intertwining the garment and her hair with tree branches.
Sabrina Harrison wore a piece curated by Chrishabana that looked to be made of gold and inspired by a painting by Salvador Dalí called “The Persistence of Memory.” The painting features a contorted dripping clock similar to those on Harrison’s gown. This was probably the most unique take on the theme as most of the other guests chose to wear florals.
Last but certainly not least, Met Gala co-host Zendaya brought the audience to their knees with not one, but two custom looks. She walked at the start of the night in a theatrical blue and green Maison Margiela look aimed at the “Garden of Time” theme. She then shocked the world by appearing a second time in a black avant-garde archival Givenchy gown made by designer John Galliano in 1996, which happens to be the year that she was born. She added an extravagant headpiece adorned with roses to compliment the look.
Boring Tuxedos Are Not for the Met
There were a number of plain tuxedo looks that found their way onto the carpet. The Met Gala is the one event of the year where people want to see something amazingly unexpected, so the disappointment is monumental when a guest doesn’t even try to hit the mark. Seth Myers told Vogue Magazine, “No matter the theme, I always just wear a regular tuxedo.” Many of the other men on the carpet like Andy Cohen and Jack Harlow also opted for a mundane suit. Tuxedos look nice and all, but they are not quite the recipe for a memorable Met look.
There were some suits on the carpet, however, that did hit the mark. Damiano David wore a Diesel suit that was constructed using a sheer lace fabric which perfectly complimented the pink dress that Diesel made for Dove Cameron. Dan Levy even wore a suit designed by Loewe that resembled a regular tuxedo but was embroidered with a multi-colored floral print which added an element of creativity to the look.
There is one male look from the runway that deserves ample recognition as it became one of the more poetic theme interpretations of the night. Fashion influencer Wisdom Kaye wore a bright red reconstructed suit that featured flared-leg trousers and a long tailcoat designed by Robert Wun. The ensemble was accessorized with what appeared to be burn holes in the fabric that are indicative of nature’s degeneration. This rendition of a classic suit only further proves the point that some of the more unimaginative suits on the carpet this year simply lacked a creative spark.
