Twas’ the biggest night in the fashion realm–the superbowl of fashion–the most exclusive party of the year, the first Monday in May: the Met Gala. The event took place on Monday, May 5th at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in Manhattan. Anna Wintour hosted the event along with four co-hosts every year and this year Bad Bunny, Zendaya, Chris Hemsworth, and Jennifer Lopez had the honor of hosting with her.Â
A dress code is always assigned for the Met Gala and this years’ was “The Garden of Time” to celebrate the Costume Institute’s new exhibition “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.” It’s up to the guests and their stylists to interpret the theme and like every year, it’s always very interesting, and… entertaining to say the least, to see what the celebrities come up with. Some celebrities even don more than one outfit during the course of the night and during the after-parties. Â
Demi Lovato’s Return To The Met
Starting off more specifically, Demi Lovato graced the world with her return to the Met Gala after her last appearance in 2016. Lovato teamed up with Prabal Gurung to create a lavish silver floor-length dress with a train. Her dress also showcases 500 hand-cut mirrored flowers with the dress fabric encrusted in sequin and glass crystals. The dress was supposed to demonstrate her evolution as an artist and it did just that!
Tyla’s Sand Dress
Tyla’s Balmain dress was made out of sand sculpted to fit her body and she carried an hourglass, which seemed to count down the minutes til the dress was no longer wearable. After reaching the top of the steps, the creative director of Balmain, Olivier Rousteing, cut the silk train off of Tyla’s dress to her knees. Before that, the dress was so stiff that it took a group of four men to lift both her and the dress up the stairs–as they should. She quite literally left her legacy on the carpet.Â
Camila Cabello’s Ice Block Purse
No need for a normal clutch when Camila Cabello had a block of ice to hold her rose. Cabello’s metallic dress was artistically distressed towards the hem with a laced-up v-neck which she styled with strappy heels and, of course, the ice block. But Cabello carrying the ice block for the first several minutes on the carpet wasn’t the only impressive thing that she shocked the audience with; her dress weighed 15 pounds! According to Vogue, the dress took over 450 hours to make and was embedded with 250,000 Swarovski crystals.
Our Sleeping Beauty: Elle Fanning
The Maleficent actress looked angelic in a see-through glass gown, another dress created by Balmain. It was an off-the-shoulder dress with birds hanging off the neckline and a draping skirt. Cartier diamond earrings and silver sandals were her choice of accessories for the magical evening. Fanning’s look perfectly reflected the theme!
Phoebe Dynevor And Victoria Beckham’s Collab
The diamond of the Met Gala, Bridgerton star, Phoebe Dynevor, walked the steps of the Met in a sheer, flowy baby-pink dress designed by Victoria Beckham. Dynevor’s after-party look, where she was seen hand-in-hand with Bridgerton co-star, is also a look designed by Beckham: a black midi dress (accessorized with an engagement ring?!).
Zendaya’s Multiple Outfits
Zendaya knows how to turn heads on a red carpet and after her successful press tour for her new movie Challengers, she proved to the world that she can pull off any style, even tennis ball heels. As one of the co-hosts for this year’s Met Gala, Zendaya understood the assignment! The first look she presented to the spectators had deep blue and green striped fabric layered atop a satin corset with floral motifs with a matching corsage and headpiece. The gown was designed by Maison Margiela’s, John Galliano, and the headpiece was made by Stephen Jones for Margiela. Law Roach, Zendaya’s stylist of 13 years now, curated each look as Zendaya executed the outfits with such elegance and has been doing for the length of their partnership.Â
As if the first look didn’t shock the world enough, Zendaya walked the steps of the Met again in a never-before-worn black vintage dress from Givenchy’s spring couture 1996 collection, according to Vogue. A black off-the-shoulder ball gown was her second choice of the night with a bouquet on her head–yes, her head. Zendaya is probably the only person who could pull off walking the red carpet with a bouquet of flowers on her head and look stunning while doing so.Â
Ariana Grande’s Surprise Performance
The “thank you, next” singer, Ariana Grande, surprised the Met Gala attendees with a live music performance. While there is normally live entertainment before dinner is served, Grande’s performance wasn’t known to the guests. Before giving an exquisite performance in the museum, she stepped onto the nature themed carpet with a mother-of-pearl bustier and a pleated chiffon skirt designed by Loewe’s, Jonathan Anderson. The outfit was a nod to her upcoming portrayal of the character in the live adaptation of Wicked, Glinda, where she will star alongside Cynthia Erivo and Johnathan Bailey. During her performance at the Met, Grande performed some of her top hits like “7 Rings,” “We Can’t Be Friends” from her most recent album Eternal Sunshine, and even covered the “Once Upon A Dream” track from the Sleeping Beauty soundtrack, hinting at the theme’s inspiration.Â
Honorable Mentions
- Doja Cat’s wet dress and towel look made a statement that night
- Kim Kardashian’s “boyfriend” sweater over her luxurious gown
- Sorry everyone, no Emma Chamberlain and Jack Harlow meme this year; they exchanged a quick hello and a hug before returning to the night’s festivitiesÂ
- Lily Gladstone’s debut at the Met Gala
- RomCom queen, Meg Ryan’s return to the gala after 20 years
- Sabrina Carpenter and Barry Keoghan’s cute exchangesÂ
- Gigi Hadid’s glorious gown along with the five men helping to carry it up the stairsÂ
Some of the most notable guests were missing from this year’s gala like Blake Lively, who is always a favorite and is known to match her dress to the carpet, and Taylor Swift, whose second half of her European tour kicked off just a few days after the Met Gala. The extravagant event is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated events of the year. If you wish to relive the 2024 Met Gala looks, watch Vogue’s livestream replay on their YouTube channel here!