Fashion Awakened: Met Gala 2024 Recap.

The flowers are all in bloom, the stars are out, and the carpet laid out. It’s the Met Gala, THE fashion event of the year. Its guests honoured the dress code ‘The Garden of Time’, a theme that accompanies this year’s MET’s exhibition – Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion. 

 Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images

To everyone’s surprise, Zendaya reappeared on the carpet in a black, overflowing Givenchy ensemble, perfectly styled by Law Roach, with an archival bouquet head piece designed by the one and only Alexander McQueen. Pairing the corset with a magnificently dramatic satin train, this dress somehow made even a larger statement than her first, but the piece-de-resistance is the 2008 McQueen head piece, which perfectly complements the garment whilst providing a burst of colours unseen on the carpet design. Zendaya is an IT girl of the MET (as I still reminisce about her Joan of Arc look daily), and she was the only co-host to fully commit to the theme and serve two consecutive looks. We must collectively give Zendaya and Law Roach their flowers because no one will truly compete with these challengers.

Elle Fanning stole my oxygen away in a stunning custom Balmain gown, crafted from resin to resemble glass garden sculptures. Taking inspiration for the birds from the “woodland creatures” who dress princesses such as Aurora (who Fanning played in Maleficent, 2014), Fanning evokes a fairy tale dream, straying away from florals and opting for a sheer gown nearly as delicate as the exhibition pieces. One of the best dressed of the night, Elle never disappoints on a red carpet, or in this case, the Garden of Time.

Balmain continued to prove itself as the night went on, with Tyla dripping in a stunning form-fitting gown made of sand. While the carpet was filled with oversaturated floral motifs from suit embroidery or Loewe stickers, there was a lacking representation of time, a critical component in this year’s dress code. Tyla, however, embodied time itself as her look was a nod to the Sands of Time, accompanied by an hourglass clutch, courtesy of Balmain, and installations of sand across her body. For her first Met outing, Tyla and the Balmain team set the bar extraordinarily high, and I cannot wait to see her style evolve and grow in the future.

Another stand out of the night was Alia Bhatt, who donned a stunning hand-embroidered sari that took 1905 man-hours to construct. Rich in green and pink hues, the designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee embodied the dress code, lacing the garment with flower motifs and jewels whilst highlighting the “exquisite, enduring craft of sari making” within Indian cultures. “There’s nothing more timeless than a sari”, and Bhatt made time stop upon her arrival on the carpet with a 23-foot embroidered train – the best dressed for this year’s Met Gala if I do say so myself.

Loewe, as one of the primary sponsors this year, had a collective of A-List celebrities representing the brand, from Ayo Edebiri (The Bear), to Omar Apollo and Ariana Grande. But did they bring their A-game to this spectacle of fashion? Absolutely not. Taylor Russel, wearing a gorgeous “3D moulded bodice, which is crafted using a hydro-dipping technique” to mimic a wood-like texture, showcased an old-school Hollywood glamour lacking from recent carpets. However, most of the other looks (Ariana Grande, as a primary example) lacked a flamboyancy necessary for an event such as this, and most of Loewe’s looks left us feeling underwhelmed. Usually Loewe is the first to go beyond the constricting box of red-carpet fashion, but stumbled in making it up the steps unscathed this time.

As for the men’s fashion, there is much left to be desired, as it is every year. Most looked like they were working the event, turning up in minimal-effort black tie suits with embroidered flower motifs in an attempt to fit the ‘Garden’ theme. However, Colman Domingo, to no one’s surprise, exceeded all expectations. In a beautifully tailored custom suit from Willy Chavarria, Domingo pays tribute to late black figures such as Vogue journalist Andre Leon Talley and renowned actor Chadwick Boseman. Through various components of his outfit, he references his predecessors, such as his cape bearing resemblance to Boseman’s gorgeous ensemble for 2018’s Heavenly Bodies red carpet. This Monday only further proved how much Domingo continues to challenge and change the silhouette of men’s fashion, opting for bold colours and prints but actually following the dedicated theme.

So, as the flower petals begin to wither, the MET comes to an end this year.

Was I overwhelmed by this year’s looks? No. I was most certainly underwhelmed. However, this does not mean I didn’t enjoy this year, especially in contrast to travesties of the last few years. So many floral patterns and not enough time to discuss them all, this Met was chaos and confusion, but at least it wasn’t awful. If this Met was to serve as a reminder, please if you are a co-chair, at least try to dress up (at all). I’m looking at you Chris.

As Miranda Priestly famously said:

“Florals, for spring?

Ground-breaking.”