Fashion’s biggest night returned to its regularly scheduled programming this year — and the looks were as extravagant as ever.
After an irregular two years, which saw the 2020 event cancelled and the 2021 event pushed to September, the Met Gala returned to its usual slot on the first Monday of May.
The gala is an annual fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, with an A-list guest list brimming with movie stars, fashionistas, athletes, entrepreneurs and socialites.
The night’s co-chairs were Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, Regina King, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. For the second year in a row, honorary co-chairs are designer Tom Ford, head of Instagram Adam Mosseri, and – as has been the case for the past 27 years – Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.
‘Gilded glamour, white tie’
This year’s dress code is “gilded glamour, white tie,” and stars are taking cues from HBO’s The Gilded Age, adorned in their best creams, ivories and golds. The Met Gala honours American designers this year with its theme, “In America: An Anthology of Fashion,” the follow-up to last year’s “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.”
Reynolds and Lively were one of the first pairings to hit the carpet.
Lively wore a copper-coloured Versace gown with geometric detailing on the bodice. The bow-like embellishment transformed into a baby blue train with metallic detailing as she ascended the stairs in The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Her beau, Vancouver-born Ryan Reynolds, wore an elegant velvet tuxedo — sticking to the evening’s white tie theme — with a chain dangling from the cummerbund.
Billie Eilish wore a Gucci look with lace mint-green sleeves and an ivory skirt gathered at the waist. Her signature jet black hair sat high on her head, a black choker fastened around her neck.
The pop singer told Vogue that the outfit was made entirely from upcycled materials. “I just wanted to be as eco-friendly as possible,” she said on the carpet.
Janelle Monáe dazzled in a glittery Ralph Lauren dress with a patterned bib and headpiece. She wore a cuff to match the sleek, backless gown.
“This is gilded glamour from the future,” the Tightrope singer told reporters.
WeCrashed star Jared Leto and Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele went for an uncanny look.
The pair wore a cream tuxedo jacket with black lapels and encrusted with jewels, accessorizing with leather gloves, sunglasses and silky red bowties.
Rapper Megan Thee Stallion took to the red carpet in a golden cut-out Moschino dress with a dramatic, thigh-high leg slit.
The look was complete with a slicked-back hairdo, stiletto sandals and wing-like shoulder pads.
Spring is in the air! Mindy Kaling arrived in a dreamy, lavender dress, with a sparkly purple lip to match and floral decals pinned to her shoulders.
Everything Everywhere All At Once star Michelle Yeoh wore a green dress with a dramatic train and bold red lipstick. Kiki Layne donned a bubblegum pink showstopper with white gloves and floral embellishments on the bodice.
All are designs by American fashion designer Prabal Gurung.
Rapper Kid Cudi wore an eye-catching cobalt blue suit and cape on the carpet, complementing the look with ruffled sleeves, a dark bowtie and glossy black boots.
The inseam of his cape — made by Japanese fashion designer Nigo — was decorated with a blue and black floral design. Cudi went full Euphoria with tear-like jewelled accessories under his eyes.
Anderson .Paak, one half of funk duo Silk Sonic with Bruno Mars, wore an eye-catching, maximalist Gucci jacket.
The singer paired his colourful centrepiece with a blue dress shirt, leather tie and bellbottom leather pants.
Broadway star Cynthia Erivo stayed true to the night’s dress code, stunning in a white frock with lace underlays, a feathered train and a jewelled amber collar.
She topped the textured Louis Vuitton look off with an extravagant headwrap.
A handful of stars wore wine-coloured getups to match the red carpet.
Newly crowned Oscar winner Jessica Chastain wore Gucci in a sequined, burgundy look with a matching headband. Model Gigi Hadid donned a striking, floor-length puffer coat with a corset and spandex pants beneath. Actress Dakota Johnson wore a long red velvet robe over a lacy black jumpsuit from Gucci.
Pickering, Ont.-born Shawn Mendes wore a chic navy suit by Tommy Hilfiger, with matching blue nail polish, a black turtleneck and a single gold button fastened at the waist. Lest he got too chilly, he had with him an overcoat with a popped burgundy collar and sleeves.
Mendes told Vogue that he went for a sustainable fashion look: “I’m just proud this year to be in this.”
Canadian fashion model Winnie Harlow was a showstopper in her Iris van Herpen dress. The ballerina look was offset by an edgy black emblem sewed to the front and a dramatic headpiece with a sharp finish.
Head-to-toe hot pink: Marvel star Sebastian Stan showed up in this monochromatic piece from Valentino. In his bright neon jacket, trousers and sneakers, Stan wasn’t quite a fit for gilded glamour — but it’s a distinctive look nonetheless.
Wintour was an early arrival on the red carpet. She wore a sequined skirt, slit to the knee, with a pastel-coloured feathered poncho.
The Met Gala is a celebration of fashion royalty — so it was fitting that Wintour wore a delicate tiara atop her trademark blond bob.
