Tailored looks rule at Met Gala
A week before the annual Met Gala held on Monday (Tuesday in PH), stories began coming out on social media. They ranged from lookbacks at previous galas and what the invitees wore, to who would be attending this year and who would be dressing whom.
The theme this year was “tailored for you” and celebrated Black dandyism. Many adhered to the tailored aspect requested and came in a variety of suits—two- or three-buttoned, double-breasted, molded to the body or loosely cut.
Zendaya wore a skinny white Louis Vuitton pantsuit with a matching wide-brimmed hat that drew comparisons to the one by designer Yves Saint Laurent that Bianca Jagger wore to her 1971 wedding to Mick Jagger, nine months after they met at a rock concert in France.
That immaculate look must have resonated with the stylist of “Shogun” actress Anna Sawai, who picked an eerily similar white suit from Dior. Viewers recalled the scene in the “Sex and the City 2” movie when Kim Cattrall as Samantha Jones wore the exact same metallic dress on the red carpet with Miley Cyrus.
Speaking of Cyrus, she cut a striking figure in a custom, midriff-baring black outfit from Alaia by Pieter Mulier that paired a stamped leather top with a long, trailing skirt. She said that this year’s theme means “celebrating identity and uniqueness … and going beyond.”
Jenna Ortega’s tailored look from Balmain was a vigorous nod to the theme. The “Wednesday” actress wore a dress made of metal rulers fashioned into a bustier and skirt that glinted like armor.
Making an entrance
Actress Anne Hathaway wore a white shirt tucked into a long, beaded skirt with alternating bands of black and white by Carolina Herrera. It called to mind Sharon Stone’s outfit at the 1998 Oscars, where she paired a white Gap shirt unbuttoned to the waist and tucked into a ruched satin Vera Wang skirt.
Janelle Monae, who always makes an entrance at the Met Gala, didn’t disappoint. The boxy black, white, and red outer layer she arrived in was peeled away to reveal a sleek suit in those same colors. Both looks were by Thom Browne x Paul Tazewell.
Another actress who understood the assignment was Joey King, who wore a green suit from Miu Miu embellished with glittering brooches that was paired with a black and white checkerboard top and contrast tie.
The male attendees also saw the annual event that raised $31 million for the Costume Institute and the Metropolitan Museum’s other projects as their chance to shine. Actor Colman Domingo, as one of this year’s cochairs alongside Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams, and Vogue editor Anna Wintour, embodied Black dandyism in a royal blue custom Valentino cape that he doffed to reveal a multi-print Valentino outfit.
Other dashing peacocks that rainy evening in New York included Henry Golding in a gold suit by Ozwald Boateng; “Stranger Things’” actor Caleb McLaughlin in custom Dior Men complete with multiple brooches and a silver-handled cane; and ASAP Rocky, who chose a custom double-breasted design from his own agency, AWGE. Now that’s a flex if there ever was one.
“Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” opens May 10 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. It was inspired by the 2009 book “Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity” by Monica L. Miller. The exhibit that runs until Oct. 26 will present garments, accessories and paintings, and feature the works of contemporary Black designers.
