Who MET the Theme?

Image C/O by Dimitrios Kambouris / The MET Museum / Vogue / GETTY Images

By Isabella Wynn
Visiting Columnist 

​

The MET Gala never fails to pump out fashion flops, celebrity drama, and memes. I am not usually very invested in the MET Gala, however this year I took a look at Vogue’s live streaming and their lengthy list of all attendees and their red carpet looks. 

The theme for the 2024 MET Gala was “Garden of Time.” As you would expect, the red carpet saw lots of flowers and light colors. Of course there were also looks that were a little out of the box; some abstractly fit the theme and some definitely flopped (right down that giant MET staircase).

As someone who knows absolutely nothing about high fashion, I will be giving my honest reviews on the 2024 MET Gala looks. I am simply a thrifting connoisseur and a consumer of the media; don't take these opinions to heart.

Starting off strong, Zendaya gifted us with two stunning looks. Her designers definitely fit the theme dressing her in gowns and floral decor. Some may think that the black gown doesn't fit “Garden of Time,” but I think the color black is timeless and the floral headpiece ties it all together.

Others who had strong looks were Emma Chamberlain and Lana Del Rey. Both of these women had designers who took similar approaches to the theme. They went for more of a roots and thorns look rather than a floral look. I appreciated the unique and darker take on the theme in these two looks. I always love a brown look. Lizzo’s designer also took on more neutral colors paired with subtle florals. I especially liked the shape of her dress. Sydney Sweeney’s look was another one that dipped its toe into a darker theme, mixing florals and pastel blue with black accents and a black wig. I liked it.

My standing ovation critique goes to Tyla in her Balmain gown made out of sand. This was my favorite look as it was so unique and so creative. Playing off the theme of time, her designer made her look like an actual hourglass. The details in accessorizing were beautiful as she wore simple jewelry and carried around a “purse” hourglass.

For a bit of a hot take, I really liked Doja Cat’s look. She showed up in a giant, white, soaking wet t-shirt dress. I didn't like it and didn't get it until she explained it in an interview. She chose to represent the cotton flower with a timeless white t-shirt. She felt it was very poetic and I agreed. In wanting to stand out, she succeeded. Another look that stood out, possibly for what I think are the wrong reasons, was Da ‘Vine Joy Randolph’s denim dress. Denim wins the timeless competition and I think her gown was very flattering on her. She looked like a denim flower. 

Now unfortunately there are quite a few looks that I have brutal opinions on. I saw looks representing (I’m assuming unintentional) themes of wedding cakes, tin foil, 2000s disney red carpet looks, and mermaids. And of course, most of the men disappointed this year wearing simple black and/or white suits with maybe a subtle floral detail. 

Wedding Cake looks: Gigi Hadid, Lil Nas X, Ayo Edebiri, Taylor Russell, and Madelyn Cline.
All of these looks reminded me of a wedding cake. A lot of these looks are gorgeous but I cannot look at them without thinking “wedding cake.” Lil Nas X gets points for consistently stepping out of the black and white suit stereotype. I also love my girl Ayo Edebiri, but the flowers on her dress look tacky to me and I don't think the dress fits her well. Gigi Hadid and Madelyn Cline’s looks simply give “wedding cake”, I cannot focus on anything else. Lastly, I may get some heat for this, but Taylor Russell looks like she is wearing fondue.

Tin foil: Michelle Yeoh, Amanda Seyfried, and Kim Kardashian.
These are just some of the looks that reminded me of tinfoil. Michelle Yeoh and Amanda Seyfried most of all. These two women were dressed in almost the same wrinkled tin foil looking dresses. The only difference was that Amanda’s had little pink tin foil flowers on the skirt of the dress. I did not like these looks and did not think they were pleasant to look at. Kim Kardashian’s designer took a different approach but still falls into the tinfoil category. There are some beautiful details on Kim’s look however it is ultimately shadowed by the fact that Kim looked like she couldn't breathe, the inclusion of the random, gray sweater, and the looks resemblance to tin foil. 

Disney Red Carpet: One of my least favorite looks was Zoë Saldaña’s. I did not see how it fit the 2024 theme whatsoever. I feel like the look speaks for itself when you see it. 

Mermaid: Gabrielle Union’s designer got lazy. They put her in a shiny scaled mermaid dress. It doesn't fit the theme, looks tacky, and isn't anything new. It looks like a bad, ocean themed prom dress. Her husband, Dwyane Wade wore a purple suit, which was a nice color but paired poorly with a plain, v-neck t-shirt.

Other: Barry Keoghan and Nicole Kidman.
Barry Keoghan’s suit looked like the love child of Willy Wonka and the Mad Hatter. Perhaps he was channeling Timothée Chalamet after the release of his Wonka movie and poking fun at the rumors that Chalamet was the original choice to play Oliver in Saltburn. Again, I appreciate Barry and his designer not going with a black suit, but I did not like what they chose. Another one of my least favorite looks was Nicole Kidman’s. Her dress looked like a black, baby bird emerging from the crotch of her dress. I didn’t get it and didn’t like it.

Ultimately, fashion is up for interpretation and in reality, none of us know anything about fashion because it is all made up. Wear what you want and like what you like. I am looking forward to the looks presented in next year’s Hunger Games. 

Whoops, I mean the MET Gala.

​