All eyes were on the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Monday, May 2, 2022, as Hollywood’s biggest stars arrived for the Met Gala, fashion’s biggest night of the year.  The annual event, hosted by Vogue, marks the opening of the Metropolitan Museum’s annual fashion exhibit and is also a fundraiser for the Museum’s Costume Institute.

Last year’s Met Gala, which featured the theme “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,” was postponed to Sept. from its usual date of the first Monday in May as a result of the pandemic.  The 2022 Met Gala returned to its traditional date and due to the close proximity of the 2021 and 2022 events, both shared a theme, with this year’s Met Gala being the sequel to the one in the fall.  The 2022 event was titled “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” and featured looks inspired by New York City’s Gilded Age in the late 19th century.    

As always, each celebrity had a different take on the theme.  One of the most praised looks was Blake Lively’s, who’s gown was designed by Versace.  Fans had high expectations for Lively because she was a co-chair of the event, along with her husband Ryan Reynolds, and she did not disappoint.  Lively arrived in a copper colored gown, but when she undid the bustle of her skirt, a turquoise underside appeared, representing the color change of the Statue of Liberty.  Her gown also included elements of other famous pieces of New York City architecture, such as the Empire State Building and Grand Central Station.

“I was so impressed by how Blake Lively was able to represent the Statue of Liberty’s color change in one dress.  She really set the bar high for everyone else because she took on the theme so well,” said senior Ellie Shapiro.

Although there were certainly plenty of jewels and sparkles, many celebrities tried to portray a more realistic idea of the fashion of the age.  Billie Eilish’s Gucci gown featured a corset and lace sleeves, which was a popular style worn by many women during the Gilded Age.  However, she individualized the look by adding green and purple elements and accessorizing with gothic jewelry.

“I loved that Billie Eilish honored the fashion style of the late 19th century, but I thought the strange color choices on the gown took away from it being an accurate representation of women’s fashion during the era.  It wasn’t my favorite,” said senior Jae Longaro.

Another look that many had an opinion on was Kim Kardashian’s.  Known for her bold fashion statements, Kardashian’s Met Gala looks always draw attention, and this year proved no exception.  She arrived in Marilyn Monroe’s iconic “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” dress, which Monroe wore to sing at John F. Kennedy’s 45th birthday celebration in 1962.  Although the dress itself was beautiful and fit the theme well, many were upset by the measures Kardashian took to wear it.  On the carpet, she publicly shared that she had been on a strict diet and work-out routine in order to lose the 16 pounds necessary to fit into the dress.  Her comments were criticized by both fans and fellow celebrities, who feel that the night should be about empowering women and beauty, not body shaming.

“To walk on a red carpet and do an interview where you say how starving you are… because you haven’t eaten carbs in the last month…all to fit in a …  dress? So wrong,” said actress Lili Reinhart in an Instagram post.

The women at the Met Gala were not the only ones to make a fashion statement.  Many of the male celebrities who attended had fun with the theme as well.  Cole Sprouse’s silver metallic suit definitely represented the “gilded” aspect of the theme.  Joe Jonas wore a long white coat with a lace train that matched his wife Sophie Turner’s gown.  Both Sprouse and Jonas were praised for their thinking outside of the box and for not arriving in a basic black suit, like many other men did.

“I think that the men’s looks are just as, if not more, interesting and dramatic than the women’s.  I wish more men had fun with the theme and weren’t afraid to take fashion risks,” said senior Nicole Meehan.

The 2022 Met Gala was hosted by Regina King, Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and Lin-Manuel Miranda.  The night was a celebration of New York City, as the Gilded Age represents the beginning of the era of immigration that made New York the city it is today.