What is so American about the theme of Met Gala 2021?

As the most awaited star-studded night in fashion got postponed due to COVID-19, it is back in 2021 with a bang! This time not in May, but on the second Monday of September, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York was all lit up with a blitz of fashion bulbs.

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The most electrifying event of the annual fashion calendar returned with the red-carpet glamour in all its splendor. The event witnessed A-list celebrities from Rihanna, Timothee Chalamet, Jennifer Lopez to Kim Kardashian posing amid camera flashes on the museum steps. What made the 2021 Met Gala extra special was that it marked the 75th anniversary of the Costume Institue in New York. Every year this event marks the annual fashion exhibition of the Costume Institute. Besides being the equivalent of Oscars to the fashion world, it is a fundraising event for the Institute.

For the first time, the Costume Institute has decided on a two-part event for 2021 and 2022. Yes, that’s the good news for you! Met Ball will happen again in May 2022, which is just a few months later.

Another highlight to this year’s event comes with its strong theme. This year Met Gala celebrated the essence of American Fashion with the theme, America: A Lexicon of Fashion. The idea was to explore American Independence. So, such a subjective theme had to fill the red carpet with surprises! 

How is the Met Gala theme decided every year?

The gala is an awe-inspiring display of how fashion and art combine to define the cultural fabric. There is a lot that goes behind choosing the gala theme. These themes have a history to them, or they tell us a story such as the 2015 gala displayed the Chinese influence on Western and Eastern design with the title, China: Through the Looking Glass. A few years later, in 2018, the gala came up with another interesting idea of displaying the holy items from the Vatican city. So, that year they followed Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination. 

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A lot of buzz around the theme of the year starts with the beginning of May every year. The mastermind at the Costume Institute, Andrew Bolton, is the one to curate such iconic ideas over the years. It is indeed a complicated process, and each time he tries (as he tells the Vogue) to come up with a topic that is apt to the times. He also ensures that it defines the cultural shift that is already happening or is about to happen.

2021: A tribute to American Fashion:

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When asked, the Head Curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Bolton says that American fashion is undergoing a Renaissance. He feels that this shift should be honored to celebrate and reflect upon American Fashion. The Curator also added that he was very impressed with the responses from the American designers to various socio-political issues. The theme also extends his acknowledgment to the American fashion community for supporting them for the last 75 years.
The idea of celebrating anything and everything about American fashion will be a part of the next event in 2022. In May 2022, the Institute plans to carry forward the idea under, In America: An Anthology of Fashion.

Met Gala looks that caught our attention this year:

Like every year, this year too gave us make surprises on the red carpet! With such an open and subjective theme, the had to be different interpretations. Let us have a look at some of the most meaningful outfits from the Gala 2021.

Billie Eilish

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Billie graced the carpet in a gorgeous peachy-nude-colored gown by Oscar de la Renta. This fulled bloomed gown has been winning hearts for the co-host of the evening! She paired this look with jewels from Cartier.
Ditching her usual gothic style in oversized clothes, she took inspiration from the American sweetheart Marilyn Monroe. Her soft blond curls made her look parallel to the iconic style of the Monroe.
The artist is beyond thrilled knowing the designers agreed to make her outfit fur-free.

Kendall Jenner

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Another essence of Hollywood style reflects in Jenner’s Met Gala look. Her look was a tribute to the legend, Audrey Hepburn. Draped in a waist-cinching sheer dress by Givenchy, her look offered a modern take on Hepburn’s iconic roles from My Fair lady. Jenner completed her look with matching embroidered gloves, silk tulle corset, and beige leather sandals.

Alexandria Ocasio Cortez

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Making her first appearance on the carpet, Alexandria came in with a strong message. She picked a pain white off-shoulder dress by Brother Vellies. What made her outfit cause a stir was the message on the back. It read ‘TAX THE RICH’ in bright red letters. As the reports of CNN suggest, the US Representative for New York talked about the fair tax code being a part of only the working and the middle-class people. She adds that it is time to bring all classes into this conversation.

Cara Delevingne

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Another bold statement came in with the appearance of the model, actor, singer Cara Delevingne. She ditched the regular gowns, a staple to the red carpet but went with a white breastplate. She paired it up with matching white pants. But what our attention was the bold red letters on her breastplate that read, ‘PEG THE PATRIARCHY.’ The simple look of Cara shows how the carpet can be outlandish and powerful at the same time.

Dan Levy

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Dan Levy made an exuberant appearance in a custom piece designed by Loewe’s Jonathan Anderson. The Schitt’s Creek star made sure not just to turn heads but bring along a strong message with him. He dressed in a striking outfit in the shades of pastel blue, green, and pink. He carried dramatic puffed sleeves, a world map print, and a hand-embroidered portrait of two men kissing. The gala’s theme reflects in the centerpiece of his outfit that celebrates the resilience, the love, the joy of the LGBTQ community.

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These were some of the looks from Met Gala 2021 that we thought were most meaningful as per the theme. Leave a comment below if there are more such outfits that you feel aligns with American fashion.
I hope you enjoyed reading this first blog on Met Gala 2021. In the meantime, stay tuned for my next blog because a lot is coming your way from the Gala!