The Met Gala: a lexicon of fashion

Fashion’s biggest night returns, and wows, for the first time since 2019

Grace Gould, A&E Editor|September 14, 2021

Fashionable+Fun%E2%80%94The+Met+Gala+serves+as+a+fundraiser+for+the+Metropolitan+Museum+of+Arts+costume+institute.++The+event+raises+millions+of+dollars+for+the+department+every+year.

Hugo Schneider

Fashionable Fun—The Met Gala serves as a fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s costume institute. The event raises millions of dollars for the department every year.

Hundreds of the world’s biggest stars descended onto New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art on Sept. 13 for the first time since 2019 for a night of glitz, glamour, and high end fashion in the 2021 Met Gala.

As the first Met Gala in over two years, there were great expectations for the night’s fashion, and attendees did not disappoint, sporting fabulous ensembles from Versace, Balenciaga, and Valentino.

The theme of the event, America: A Lexicon of Fashion was shown through denim-on-denim outfits, and cowboy hats.  However, the theme was often directed onto more artistic paths with celebrities recreating the looks of American icons Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe, as well as making political statements such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s “tax the rich” dress.

Overall the night was a smashing success.  There were many veteran gala-goers, but also plenty of new faces as influencer Addison Rae and singer Olivia Rodrigo took to the beige carpet for the first time.

As always, there were plenty of jaw dropping ensembles throughout the evening.  Supermodels Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner stunned in their vintage inspired outfits.  Meanwhile, Lil Nas X took a page out of Lady Gaga’s book sporting not one, but three distinct costumes.

Generation Z dominated the event, which was hosted four ways by Timothée Chalamet, Billie Eilish, Amanda Gorman and Naomi Osaka.  The group wowed in their respective ensembles, with Chalamet even sporting Converse sneakers.

However, as usual there were some outfits that failed to impress.  Ciara’s neon sports inspired dress was extremely disappointing.  Meanwhile, Jennifer Lopez’s ensemble resembled more of a Halloween costume than anything else.

These costumes did not take away from the overall fabulousness of the evening though as most attendees managed to stay on theme in style.

Overall, the evening was a welcome return to the glamour of the Met Gala that was missed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  A vaccine mandate that allowed attendees to be maskless on the beige carpet, gave a feel of a pre-pandemic gathering, something that was missed in the event’s absence.

This year’s Met Gala proved after two years that it is still one of the most luxurious and coveted events in the world.  It nearly seamlessly gathered together hundreds of the world’s biggest stars, creating a fashion spectacle that was worth the longer than normal wait. It was a welcome return to the event which proved once again why it as known as fashion’s biggest night.