This year’s Met Gala took place on Monday, May 6th as celebrities walked the carpet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Met Gala, also called “fashion’s biggest night”, is a charity event fundraiser for The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. It falls on the first Monday in May each year as a list of invited celebrities walk the red carpet. 

This year’s hosts were Zendaya, Bad Bunny, Chris Hemsworth, and Jennifer Lopez. Among them were 450 other star-studded guests. 

Each year there is a specific themed dress code for attendees to follow. This year, in honor of the Costume Institute’s new exhibition, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,” the theme is “The Garden of Time”.  This exhibition focuses on nature’s three main elements: land, sea, and sky.

 With the exhibition’s main focus being the natural world, the celebrities at the Met Gala focused on nature in their red-carpet looks. Vogue describes many of these looks as “floral and botanical” with each celebrity adding to this important night in fashion.

Now, with no fashion experience whatsoever, I will be sharing, in no particular order, my top 10 favorite looks from this year’s Met Gala. 

1. Kaia Gerber in Prada and Tiffany & Co.

I adore this dress and its majestic look fits the theme incredibly well. The scale-like details on the dress give her an ethereal and mystical look that reminds me of a magical garden. 

2.  Elle Fanning in Balmain and Cartier

Similar to the previous look, this dress is majestic and incredibly well portrays the essence of the theme. The symbolic bird-like sleeves tie the look together and give it a fairy-tale-esque feel. I think this look connects well with the theme and fits her vibe well. 

3. Barry Keoghan in Burberry

This look pays homage to the Alice in Wonderland character, the Mad Hatter. With time and clocks being a motif in the story, it greatly fits the theme of the Met Gala. This look is also more unique and original which is another thing I like about it. The connection to the theme is very well done and the overall outfit looks great. 

4. Jonathan Bailey in Loewe

This look is a personal favorite of mine because of the flower accents on the suit. In my opinion,  most men at the Met Gala wear basic tuxedos that all look the same so he raised the bar. I think the white jacket with the black pants is very nice and the little pop of color in the flowers ties the look to the theme nicely.

5. Rachel Zegler in Michael Kors

I think this look is stunning as she pays homage to the sea aspect of nature. The dress’s beautiful blue color and the flowy train remind me of a glistening sea. This look fits the theme perfectly. 

6. Tyla in Balmain

While this look seems basic at first glance, when you look closer you can how perfectly she fits the theme. She connects to the land aspect of nature with the color of the dress which resembles sand. On top of that, she is carrying an hourglass. This look connects both with the nature and time aspects of the “Garden of Time” theme. 

7. Mike Faist in Loewe

I like this look because, again, it is one of the more unique looks from a man on the carpet. The radish pin on his suit adds a pop of color and brings in a piece of nature as a way to connect to the theme. I also like the color contrast with the off-white pants and the black jacket. 

8. Zendaya in Maison Margiela by John Galliano

Zendaya had two looks at this year’s Met Gala, but this one was my favorite. The blue parts of the dress remind me of both the sky and the sea, and the way they wrap around and connect with the grapes on the dress gives it a very mystical look. It looks like an enchanted forest in a fairytale. I think this look ties well with the theme and has many parts of nature to decode.

9. Odell Beckham Jr. in Bode

I really enjoy this look, it goes well with the theme and is not a basic black-and-white tuxedo. The flowers and birds around the jacket tie the look together really well along with the bits of color. I also enjoy the bits of white along the edges of the jacket and pants. 

10. Taylor Russell in Loewe and Fred Leighton

This look is incredibly unique and stunning. The white skirt gives it an ethereal look, while the wooden top and the designs within that look like a magical garden. This whole look seems very simplistic, but when looked at more in-depth, the connection to the theme becomes apparent. 

Overall, the eccentric and alluring looks seen at the Met Gala were well thought out and beautifully presented on the carpet. “Fashion’s biggest night” this year had many stunning looks from the celebrities that attended. This year’s Met Gala seemed to be a success, and while next year’s theme is still a mystery, I am excited to see what stars and stylists will be wearing on the carpet. 

https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/met-gala-2024-red-carpet-see-every-celebrity-look-outfit-and-dress

https://www.vogue.com/article/everything-to-know-met-gala