American fashion may have a rivalry with its continental counterpart. But for one night every year, the US of A gets to enjoy its fashion Super Bowl moment.
That night in question is the Met Gala, a black-tie event held on the first Monday of May each year as a fundraiser and celebration for the Costume Institute and its fashion exhibition. Thanks to the pandemic, the event was put on hold last year and reinstated this month – hot on the heels of New York Fashion Week and a night after an electrifying MTV Video Music Awards.
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This year's showcase is titled In America: A Lexicon of Fashion and guests were encouraged to interpret the theme of 'American independence' in their getups to the gala.
The Valentino contingent with creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli (with shades).
So how did stars re-emerge for the fashion event of the year? Did guests still have the energy to dress up? Had the pandemic reassessed the way we view glamour?
For one, the guestlist was a melting pot of diversity. One couldn't help but notice an underlying tone of celebrating black excellence that was reflected in the presence of Gala co-chair and tennis champ Naomi Osaka, Olympian Simone Biles and actresses like Michaela Coel, Lupita Nyong'o and Whoopi Goldberg among others.
Congresswomen Carolyn B Maloney and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, meanwhile, used the occasion as a platform to amplify their political agendas/messages.
AOC wore a Brother Vellies dress sprawled with ‘Tax the Rich’ across the back (though the Twitterverse was quick to point out the irony of the message at a fashion event). Maloney, on the other hand, was a walking billboard for the Equal Rights movement: she was decked out in a caped gown printed with the slogan 'Equal rights for Women’.
Lil Nas X, who was dressed in Atelier Versace, told a "three-part LGBTQ+ American fairytale through his look" with an impromptu wardrobe reveal on the red carpet.
But unlike the usual fanfare and camp factor that has come to signify the Met Gala arrival, it was a safer and more clinical affair this year. The only time we held our breath was when Lil Nas X performed a three-part wardrobe reveal and we spotted Frank Ocean carrying a mechanical green baby on the red carpet.
Other than that, the 'decadence of America' and 'old Hollywood glamour' were the trite inspirations that most of the attendees quoted in their red carpet interviews when asked about their interpretations of the theme.
And anyone who was hoping that this year's gala would be turned into an opportunity to spotlight the representation for more American labels and young designers may have been a little disappointed.
Demna Gvasalia (right) and Kim Kardashian.
Besides household names like Thom Browne, Zac Posen, Michael Kors, Coach, Altuzarra, et al, the stars were mostly decked out in looks by trusted European fashion houses and couturiers like Givenchy, Prada, Chanel, Versace and Valentino.
The biggest winner of the night, however, had to be French maison Balenciaga. The label kitted out at least five stars in its revived couture collection which marries old school Parisian couture codes with streetwear sensibilities (that's pretty American, right?). Among them were Rihanna, Isabel Huppert, Tracee Ellis Ross and Michaela Coel.
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Soaking it all in was the house's Georgian – the country, not the southern US state – creative director Demna Gvasalia who arrived on the red carpet with Kim Kardashian. Both prefer to remain incognito behind their shrouded faces and head-to-toe black outfits – observing the action and chaos in the shadows.
Scroll on to peep what went down on the red carpet.
Nicola Peltz (right) and Brooklyn Beckham (left) in Valentino Haute Couture and Valentino respectively
Kim Kardashian in Balenciaga
Gemma Chan in Prabal Gurung and Harry Winston Jewels
Kendall Jenner in Givenchy
Rihanna in Balenciaga and Bulgari jewels
Billie Eilish in Oscar de la Renta and Cartier jewels
Lil Nas X in Atelier Versace
Gigi Hadid in Prada
Amanda Gorman in Vera Wang and Chopard jewels
Carey Mulligan in Valentino Haute Couture and Cartier jewels
Blackpink's Rose (left) and Anthony Vaccarello (right) in Saint Laurent
Iman in Harris Reed
Lily-Rose Depp in Chanel
Troye Sivan in Altu by Joseph Altuzzara and Cartier jewels
Timothee Chalamet in Haider Ackermann and Cartier jewels
Dan Levy in Loewe and Cartier jewels
Ella Emhoff (left) and Julia Garner (right) in Stella McCartney, and Cartier jewels and Harry Winston jewels respectively
Cara Delevingne in Dior Haute Couture
Erykah Badu in Thom Browne
Pharell Williams (right) and Helen Williams (left) in Chanel
Sienna Miller in Gucci
Lily Aldridge in Ralph Lauren and Bulgari jewels
Megan Thee Stallion in Coach
Lorde in Bode
Frank Ocean in Prada
Lupita Nyong'o in Atelier Versace
Grimes in Irs Van Herpen
Normani in Valentino Haute Couture
Kerby Jean-Raymond in Pyer Moss and Boucheron jewels
Kristen Stewart in Chanel
Hailey Bieber in Saint Laurent and Tiffany & Co. jewels
Hunter Schafer in Prada
Maluma in Atelier Versace
Elliot Page in Balenciaga
Mindy Kaling in Tory Burch
Whoopi Goldberg in Valentino Haute Couture
Jennifer Lopez in Ralph Lauren
Anja Rubik in Saint Laurent
Sharon Stone in Thom Browne and Chopard jewels
Finneas in Givenchy and Cartier jewels
Dixie D’Amelio in Valentino Haute Couture
Zoe Kravitz in Saint Laurent
Iman Hammam in Atelier Versace and Tiffany & Co. jewels
Tracee Ellis Ross in Balenciaga and Tiffany & Co. jewels
Yara Shahidi in Dior Haute Couture and Cartier jewels
Indya Moore in Saint Laurent
Bee Shaffer in Valentino Haute Couture
Tomi Adeyemi in Valentino Haute Couture
Ben Platt in Christian Cowan and Boucheron jewels
Rachel Zegler in Dior Haute Couture
Zoey Deutch in Atelier Versace and Harry Winston jewels
Taylor Hill in Atelier Versace
Gillian Anderson in Chloe
Rose Leslie in Oscar de la Renta and Harry Winston jewels and Kit Harrington (left) in Saint Laurent
Giveon in Valentino Haute Couture
Talia Ryder in Saint Laurent
Storm Reid in Prada
Ayesha Curry (left) and Stephen Curry (right) in Atelier Versace
Lil Baby in Coach
Cordae in Coach
P.J. Tucker in Gucci and Boucheron jewels