The 2022 Met Gala: a Review

 by Amelia Cooper

The Met Gala, or the Costume Institute Benefit, is a glamorous and glitzy evening of fundraising to celebrate fashion and support the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The celebration typically occurs on the first Monday of May every year; however, it was cancelled in 2020 and postponed until September 2021 as a result of the havoc that Covid-19 caused over the last two years. This year and last year’s overarching theme of ‘In America: An Anthology of Fashion’ aims to investigate and illuminate the unsung heroes of American fashion. In September 2021, the subtheme of ‘In America: A Lexicon of Fashion’ led designers, celebrities, and influencers, to celebrate the beauty and sophistication of 1950s Hollywood style. With attendees such as Billie Eilish arriving at the event in a couture Oscar De La Renta gown to pay homage to one of the most iconic symbols of the 20th century: Marilyn Monroe. This fundraising evening acted as part one of the overall theme, joined with the 2022 event occurring on the 2nd of May which functions as part two.

With 2022s theme of ‘Gilded Glamour’, one may expect a sea of velvet, silk, satin, and brightly dyed garments crafted with exquisite detail adorned with pearls and jewels. However, I personally was disappointed with the lack of effort put into this year’s theme by many: it seemed as though many designers somewhat disregarded the theme and instead utilised the event as an opportunity to advertise their own brands. With the Met Gala itself becoming gradually less popular and more controversial after some questionable outfits, including congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s white gown emblazoned with ‘Tax The Rich’, this year’s ball was particularly important to redeem its status, with Vogue Chief Anna Wintour urging the attendees to dress with glamour as their primary focus. 

Although many of this year’s outfits did not live up to the theme, there were still some highlights. For example, Kim Kardashian arrived to the red carpet in the gown that Marilyn Monroe wore when she sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to President John F. Kennedy in 1962. The nude, skin-tight dress is embellished with over six thousand crystals and is now valued at an estimated ten million dollars. Kardashian and her team rented the gown from ‘Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!’, and paired it with platinum blonde hair, which according to the socialite and reality TV personality took a full day of bleaching to achieve. Perhaps this dress did not fit directly into the theme of ‘Gilded Glamour’; nonetheless, it remains to be a beautiful garment and demonstrates at least some effort that has been put into the theme. Even so, it has been argued by some that the wearing of this certain dress was somewhat distasteful, as it is regarded as a historical artefact. Kardashian also wore this dress for only around six minutes and changed into a replica of the gown as soon as she ented the venue. Additionally, co-chair of the event Blake Lively wore a bronze, metallic ball gown with matching gloves and tiara, which in my opinion fit into the theme by itself. Yet, as the star of movies such as ‘A Simple Favour’ and ‘The Age of Adaline’ walked down the red carpet accompanied by her husband and fellow co-chair Ryan Reynolds, the dress unfolded into a turquoise, patinaed colour. Lively stated that she was inspired by the architecture of New York City, and channelled the Empire State Building’s art-deco design, in addition to the constellation pattern that appears in Grand Central Station.

Regarding the 2023 ball, the event is rumoured to be space-themed, potentially meaning that we could see bounds of metallic, space-punk outfits. However, it has also been revealed that, allegedly, each outfit will have to be pre-approved regardless of who the designer is. This will be the first time since 1983 that this is the case, and most probably has been implemented as a result of the numerous disappointments that failed to uphold the theme within this year’s Met Gala.