BY KATHY WILLIAMS, ASSOCIATE EDITOR
“In America: An Anthology of Fashion” was the theme for the Met Gala 2022 with a dress code of “Gilded Glamour, White Tie.” Known to be one of the most extravagant nights in fashion, many celebrities and designers collaborated on their interpretations of the theme for the red carpet event held in New York on May 2.
A unique aspect to the Met Gala 2022 was that it was in conjunction with the theme of the Met Gala in Sept. 2021, “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.” They were a two-part display of the American contribution to fashion’s history. The “Lexicon” theme looked at the entirety of American fashion with a focus on the question “Who gets to be American?”. Many American designers were featured with over 100 pieces from them including Marc Jacobs and La Réunion.
The Met Gala 2022 was an observation of the historical perspective of design and dress making throughout history, and it was centered around a two-part exhibit from the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of art by Andrew Bolton, the Wendy YYu Curator in charge of the Costume Institute. In an article for Vogue by Steff Yotka titled “Met Gala 2022 Theme: A First Look at the Costume Institute’s ‘In America: An Anthology of Fashion’,” Bulton said, “The stories really reflect the evolution of American style, but they also explore the work of individual tailors, dress-makers and designers.”
The A-Lists celebrities invited to attend the Gala worked with designers from Cartier to Burberry and combined key aspects of fashion from the Gilded Age (1870 to 1900) such as corsets, frilled hemlines and sensational gowns. Whether or not the celebrities encompassed the theme in their looks falls onto public opinion, but there are some who have been favored as nailing the theme and dress code with their outfits.
Blake Lively has had a record of arriving in well thought out looks for the Met, and this year was no different. She arrived in an Atelier Versace gown alongside Ryan Reynolds in a Ralph Lauren suit. Lively’s gown transformed from bronze to a green shade of mint and had reflective details to represent the changing of the Statue of Liberty’s colors, the ceiling of Grand Central Station and the architecture of the Empire State Building.
Kim Kardashian wore a piece of American fashion in the glamorous vintage Jean-Louis dress worn by Mariyln Monroe when she sang “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy in her iconic performance in 1962. Kardashian admitted how she had to exercise and diet extensively over the course of a few weeks in order to get the dress to fit, and she brought a dress she changed into after she left the carpet that was based off the original.
The First Nations activist and model Quannah Chasinghorse wore a turquoise and silver gown from Atelier Prabal Gurung that paid homage to her heritage with traditional Indigenous jewelry elements made by Lenise Omeaso from the Blackfeet reservation in Montana.
The carpet was not shy of glitz, glamor and gold with lush gowns and tailored suits. Extravagant silhouettes and tributes to American fashion created a night of jaw-dropping looks.
