In a spectacularly star-spangled celebration of American fashion, the lucky few who graced the iconic 2021Met Gala red carpet did not disappoint.
Known as “fashion’s biggest night out”, the annual affair is a fundraising event for the Anna Wintour Costume Center at the New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. This year’s soirée celebrated the opening of the exhibit, “In America: A Lexicon of American Fashion”, with all in attendance given the dress code of “American Independence”.
COVID-19 precautions were also in attendance, as the annual event is usually held on the first Monday of May, Given the pandemic, the event was cancelled in 2020 and postponed to September this year. In the lead-up to this year’s Met Gala, Vogue announced that the event would be “a smaller and more intimate affair than years past” in order to keep the night a COVID-safe event.
But looking up from the setbacks, this year’s Met Gala was also different from events prior for other reasons. For one, it was the first time the red carpet was live-streamed for fashion enthusiasts around the world to enjoy. And in another exciting round of firsts, the gala honoured Amanda Gorman, Billie EIlish, Naomi Osaka, and Timothée Chalemet as the youngest line-up of Met Gala co-chairs to date, giving a nod to the influence of Gen Z on the fashion industry.
Each year we look forward to seeing the creative interpretations of the theme, so without further ado, we present our favourite looks from the Met Gala 2021: American Independence.
Emma Chamberlain
YouTube darling Emma Chamberlain in Louis Vuitton.
Timothee Chalamet
Co-chair Timothee Chalamet in converse and Haider Ackermann suit.
Evan Mock
Gossip Girl star Evan Mock in a Thom Browne suit and Lorraine Schwartz jewelry.
Billie Eilish
Co-chair Billie Eilish in Oscar de la Renta.
Lil Nas X
Lil Nas X in three custom Versace looks.
Yara Shahidi
Yara Shahidi in Christian Dior.
Saweetie
Saweetie stunned in Christian Cowan.
Amanda Gorman
Co-chair Amanda Gorman wore Vera Wang.
Troye Sivan
Aussie singer Troye Sivan rocked a dress by Altu and Rick Owens boots.
Storm Reid
Storm Reid in a two-part Prada ensemble.
Madison Beer
Singer Madison Beer in a bedazzled Patricia Voto emerald gown.
NikkieTutorials
Beauty YouTuber NikkieTutorials wore a whimsical gown with floral headpiece, paying homage to trans icon Marsha P. Johnson.
Lorde
Lorde also channeling queen energy in custom Bode.
Addison Rae
TikTok star Addison Rae in Tom Ford for Gucci.
Olivia Rodrgio
Gen Z pop punk princess Olivia Rodrgio wore Saint Laurent.
Naomi Osaka
Co-chair Naomi Osaka wore a dress designed by her older sister and Louis Vuitton.
Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian went total blackout in Balenciaga.
Chloe x Halle
Singing sisters Chloe and Halle Bailey in Rodarte.
Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello
The couple wore Michael Kors.
Kendall Jenner
Model Kendall Jenner in Givenchy.
Hunter Shafer
Euphoria star Hunter Schafer in Prada.
Justin and Hailey Bieber
Justin Bieber wore Drew House while wife Hailey wore YSL.
Megan Thee Stallion
WAP singer Megan Thee Stallion stunned in custom Coach.
Gigi Hadid
Gigi Hadid debuts raven hair in a custom Prada gown.
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky closed the red carpet with A$AP in Eli Russell Linnetz and Rihanna in Balenciaga.
For those of us who can’t get enough of the fashion, we have the next Met Gala to look forward to— taking place on May 2nd, 2022 where the event will revert to its usual “first Monday of May” scheduling. This next Met Gala will open the second installment of the Costume Institute’s exhibit celebrating American fashion, “In America: An Anthology of Fashion”. We’re already counting down the days!