The first Monday in May is fast approaching, which means the next iteration of the Met Gala – the biggest night in fashion – is on its way. While we eagerly wait to see what co-chairs including Beyoncé (her first Met in a decade) wear, how Anna Wintour handles honorary chairs Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez on the steps, and how much impact the anti-Bezos protesters have, we thought it would be fun to hit pause on predictions and instead indulge in some Met Gala nostalgia.
There wasn’t anything memorable about AOC’s ivory off-shoulder dress with an organza flounce except, of course, the words ‘tax the rich’ scrawled in blood-red on the back. The Democrat was clever not to work with a mega fashion house but with the brand Brother Vellies, whose founder and designer, Aurora James, makes fun and affordable accessories inspired by African designs and handicrafts. And yet. Pushing your progressive socialist values while attending one of the world’s most elite and exclusive fundraisers? A canny photo op but self-defeating, too.
Rihanna’s “omelette dress” fully committed to 2015’s theme, China: Through the Looking Glass. She found the bold, yellow cape from the Chinese designer Guo Pei while researching Chinese couture. It was bright to the point of excess, but it felt regal, the yellow against the red steps was sharpened further by Rihanna’s red hair. The fact that one woman spent two years hand-making it, only adds to my love of it. And the memes it spawned afterwards, from the cape ‘cooking’ in a frying pan to being worn by Big Bird, made it all the more memorable.
Timothée Chalamet may have been the internet’s boyfriend since his tender, star-making role in 2017’s Call Me by Your Name, but he’s only attended the Met Gala once, as co-chair in 2021. He didn’t disappoint in his one outing though, making a bold statement with an all-white ensemble that blended typical red-carpet fare (a Haider Ackermann double-breasted suit jacket and Rick Owens turtleneck), with streetwear edge (sweatpants and white Chuck Taylors). Chalamet’s embrace of the humble Chuck was a perfect nod to that year’s theme of American independence – sporting the nation’s most democratic shoe on fashion’s most exclusive stage.
The Met Gala’s Camp theme in 2019 changed the rules of the red carpet. Dressing-up went from glamour to Halloween-in-May overnight. Lady Gaga staged a full-scale performance-art moment, walking three blocks to the museum steps in a Brandon Maxwell cape dress with a 25ft-train, before disrobing to reveal three more looks, finishing in diamante lingerie. Still the one to beat. My favourite Met Gala look is Dua Lipa wearing Versace to the Camp edition. She looked like a Cher Barbie doll that had been back-combed to within an inch of its life, and you can’t say camper than that.
Long before the term ‘Nepo baby’ had entered the mainstream lexicon, Stella McCartney played into the trope during her very first Met Gala. For the theme Rock Style, McCartney, the designer and daughter of the Beatles’s Paul McCartney, persuaded her pal Liv Tyler, the actor and daughter of Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, to wear matching slashed tank tops emblazoned with the words “Rock Royalty”. With everyone else playing it safe in evening gowns, they stole the show – images of the duo filled the front pages the next morning.
