The Met Gala is undoubtedly the most anticipated fashion event of the year. It’s an occasion for all guests to show off extravagant outfits made by the best designers in the world. Wearing an amazing outfit, however, is of second-tier importance. Getting the actual invite from Anna Wintour is the honor of a lifetime. Each year, a new theme is created for outfits to be mirrored off of.

This year, however, the gala was a source of controversies and disappointment for many fans who eagerly awaited this event since 2019, after COVID-19 prohibited last year’s Met Gala from happening. The theme was “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” and seemed broad enough to inspire designers for another year of gorgeous gowns. Despite that, many outfits either had no connection to the theme, had a connection but were simply hideous or just served as another reminder that the invite list was not as difficult to make as we all thought it was.

“I think this year’s Met Gala had an interesting theme that could have gone many ways since it was american style and there’s not one specific style that’s seen in American fashion as we are a country influenced by so many different cultures it was interesting to see the take designer’s had on it,” sophomore Lia Alongi said.

Many think The Met is becoming very mainstream. Usually, only top celebrities are invited with one or two exceptions, specifically chosen by Vogue. This year, Tik Tokers like Addison Rae and Dixie D’Amelio were on the guest list along with YouTubers Emma Chamberlain, Nikkie de Jaeger and Jackie Aina. Compared to a few years prior when celebrities like Harry Styles, Emma Watson, Lady Gaga or Ezra Miller attended, inviting Youtubers and TikTok stars was not on brand. Though these influencers have a large presence on social media, their success is still relatively fresh. This is why their presence at the gala was a surprise and most certainly not a good one.

Then comes the matter of the outfits: the most important part of the entire night. Some grandiose gowns were expected and what was given was disappointing, to say the least. Many celebrities didn’t dress accordingly with the theme at all like Hailey Bieber or co-chair Timothee Chalamet. Hailey showed up on the red carpet with her husband Justin Bieber dressed in a black jeweled dress by Yves Saint Laurent. This dress was stunning no doubt, but it was one that could have been worn to the Oscars, not The Met.

“This year’s Met gala felt underwhelming compared to previous years: many of the usual guests were not in attendance, there wasn’t as much anticipation or excitement, and I felt like there were more looks that didn’t stand out than in years past,” sophomore Beatriz Carvalho said.

Another celebrity who surprised all with his out-of-place outfit was Timothee Chalamet, one of The Met co-chairs for this year. He showed up with a formal top, looking like a dress suit which was accompanied by white designer sweatpants and converse. Chalamet, who is known for his exceptional fashion sense and well-liked outfits, disappointed many of his fans at this Met. He was also very off-theme with his mixed outfit, half-formal half-loungewear. He might as well have shown up in his pajamas.

Nonetheless, neither of these two took first place in having the most shocking taste in fashion. Kim Kardashian arrived at The Met in a completely black outfit by Balenciaga, literally from head to toe. This outfit matched Kanye West’s own and many think it was a statement to advertise “Donda ”, West’s recent album. The skin-tight outfit was very unlike she had ever worked before, hiding all her features and even her face.

Despite that, many actually liked the dress-bodysuit mix because of its possible meaning. Some thought this was a great representation of the oversexualizing of women in general in American culture and more particularly of Kim herself. This outfit completely hid her face and “attributes”, yet she was still completely recognizable. Whether this meaning has validity is up to interpretation but there is no doubt that this was still not a traditional “Met” style outfit.

On a more positive note, some invitees thankfully understood what The Met was all about. For example, Billie Eilish went as Marilyn Monroe in an Oscar de la Renta gown, Kendall Jenner who attended as Audrey Hepburn in a Givenchy dress and Kaia Gerber as Bianca Jagger in a black Oscar de la Renta dress with minute floral patterns at the neckline. Many celebrities chose to actually stick with extraordinary outfits as an ode to many classic American icons.

For years, the Met Gala has been one of the few events where the majority of the world stops and surfs social media religiously to look at the outfits one could not even dream about. Unfortunately, this year’s Met Gala strayed from the event’s luxurious norm and did not hold the same weight of extravagance as it used to.

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