Met Gala 2021: The Only 2 Looks We Thought Were Worth Mentioning

IT’S BEEN A WHILE since we’ve covered the Met Gala—2014, in fact—(here and here), and once again in 2018. Of course, it was cancelled last year due to the pandemic, but this year, it was brought back and there was so much social media coverage of it, it’s clear that everyone is relieved to have some happy distraction to report on for a change.

The gala, which took place last night (September 13) and raises money for the museum’s Costume Institute, was moved from its traditional spot of the first Monday in May and combined this year into a two-part affair to mark the institute’s 75th anniversary. It coincided with the opening of “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,” the first of a two-part exhibition at the Met’s Anna Wintour Costume Center.

This year’s official theme was “American Independence”, and it was clearly left to interpretation. If you were looking for old-world glamour, you would have had a difficult time finding it last night, for instead of beautiful evening gowns, it looked more like a circus. J.Lo’s Ralph Lauren ensemble looked like a last-minute “sexy cowgirl” Halloween costume that she picked up at the drugstore; A$AP Rocky was literally wearing a patchwork blanket; Kim Kardashian’s face was completely obscured by a weird Balenciaga mask; Grimes was carrying a sword; and we have no words for Eva Chen’s strange roomy dress of clashing colours and checker board gloves.

But, there were two stand-out looks that we did like quite a bit—one, an ode to Bianca Jagger in 1981, and other, to Audrey Hepburn in 1964, and both beautiful interpretations of the past. Scroll through for a glimpse…

First up is original supermodel Cindy Crawford‘s daughter Kaia Gerber, who quietly shone above the noise in her elegant Oscar de la Renta custom black faille strapless gown. An ode to Bianca Jagger’s Halston look that she wore to the Metropolitan Museum Gala in 1981, ivy vines made of black thread work embroidery lined the top of the corset bodice of Gerber’s gown and flared into a billowing skirt. The look was understated chic and utterly timeless.

We’re not 100% sold on the trend of so-called “naked dresses” that have been proliferating on red carpets over the past few years, but somehow, this particular one didn’t look too bad. In fact, we think it might have looked rather beautiful. Encrusted with rhinestones that wrapped their way up the shoulders like epaulets and a crystal fringe that formed the bodice, Kendall Jenner‘s Givenchy gown was said to be an ode to old Hollywood glamour, and more specifically, to Audrey Hepburn as Eliza Doolittle in George Cukor’s 1964 film, My Fair Lady. It makes the second of our two favourite gowns of the night.

HONOURABLE MENTION: OTHER LOOKS WE DIDN’T MIND

Above: Sienna Miller (left) in Gucci and Emily Blunt in Miu Miu

Above: Hailey Beiber in Yves Saint Laurent

Above: Lauren Santo Domingo in Oscar de la Renta

Above: Tom Ford in Tom Ford

Met Gala Timeline Through The Years

The WWD published photos from their archives of the gala throughout the years. Here are a few of our favourites.