Favorite Met Gala Looks 2021
Once a year, typically on the first day of May, all the best dressed elite status celebrities come together to raise money for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s and Costumes in our favorite fashion district New York City. Getting an invite to this upper east side event can be tricky, but when you do, the hardest part isn’t just getting there from whatever state or country you’re in but executing an outfit that goes hand and hand with the theme. This year’s theme was “American Independence”. Today we’ll be going over our Favorite Met Gala Looks of 2021.
1. Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish is an American singer/ songwriter who first started getting noticed when she released her debut single “Ocean Eyes” in 2015. She quickly rose to fame due to her unique vocals and style which led this beautiful artist to receive an invitation to the most elite event of the year. Despite it being her first Met experience, Billie wasn’t going to show up like it’s the first day of school which is why she went all out following this year’s theme to the “t”. The pop star showed up in a beautifully custom made nude Oscar de la Renta ball gown dress created by Laura Kim and Fernando Garcia, the creative directors of Oscar de la Renta. In a recent Vogue interview Billie goes on to explain her dress being inspired by the old Hollywood look/ Marilyn Monroe which was heavily captivated. Believe it or not she also goes on to explain how the original idea she had was going to be some type of bright green outfit that demanded attention but ended up going with the more classic on brand look that we loved.
Although she wore Oscar de la Renta the singer decided to go the more vintage route when it came to jewelry. She wore rings, earrings, and a necklace all from Cartier’s archives, and it matched perfectly with the theme of her dress. One of Billie’s makeup artists goes on to explain in the same Vogue interview that Billie’s makeup was old Hollywood inspired with a bit of punk rock, he says in quote “As if Marilyn Monroe was a rock star”. To say the least, that image was captured.
2. Alton Mason
Alton Mason is an American male model but is most known for being the first African American male to walk in the Chanel fashion show back in 2018. He was deemed male model of the year by GQ Australia and was listed in Forbes 30 Under 30 2021 for Art and Style. This year Alton was invited to the 2021 Met Gala and did not disappoint. Mr. Mason wore a custom made Detailed Theophilio pearl two piece set with Shaun Ross x United Nude pearl boots. What makes this particular outfit stand out is the fact that it definitely gave “American Independence”, the entire outfit was created by African American designers, and it reminded us of a Disney prince.
Alton is only 23 years old so we still have a lot to see from him but he’s proven to be more than just an amazing model. He won the industry’s vote for social media stars and he has a thriving background in dancing. Although a lot of his jobs were rescheduled due to the pandemic, Alton has still been seen in areas like New York serving amazing street wear looks and also being the talk of designers from all around the world who all say “ He’s the closest thing to a modern day Michael Jackson”. It’s said when he walks on set the entire atmosphere changes, and we can believe it due to his captivating energy at the Met Gala.
3. Alexandra Ocasio Cortez
Alexandra Ocasio Cortez is an American politician, activist, and economist who’s been serving as the U.S. Representative of New York’s 14th congressional district since 2019. Like the previously talked about celebrities, this was Alexandra Ocasio Cortez’s first Met Gala and she came for the WIN! The politician stayed true to her roots and made a true Democratic statement with a white dress designed by Aurora James that read “Tax The Rich” in bright red wrapped around it. This statement definitely stirred up some controversy, but that’s just what AOC wanted. After making her appearance critics responded by calling her a hypocrite, she responded by saying “NYC elected officials are regularly invited to and attend the Met due to our responsibilities in overseeing our city’s cultural institutions that serve the public. I was one of several in attendance. Dress is borrowed.”
Despite the dress being a captivating experience, it wasn’t just the dress people were hating on. Reporters started to do some digging on the Canadian designer Aurora James and found out that she has unpaid debts dogging her in multiple states. The IRS was asked to make a comment about the situation but declined. It’s said Aurora James owes over $100,000 in state and federal taxes. This ironically got people wondering why the designer would make a dress pointing attention to taxing the rich when Aurora herself could be considered rich.
4. Karlie Kloss
Karlie Elizabeth Kloss is an American supermodel who Vogue Paris declared one of the “top 30 models of the 2000s” when she was just 17. She rose to fame quickly as she was a Victoria Secrets model from 2013 to 2015 but resigned to study at a university. This definitely wasn’t Karlie’s first Met experience as she attended 11 times, but this was and is our favorite outfit by far. She wore a beautiful red rose detailed dress by Carolina Herrera, black Christian Louboutin heels, and De Beers jewelry. What makes this dress so special is the true American feel it gives. Roses are commonly associated with love and romance and even secrecy. Many designers and other creators really felt drawn to the dress because of how significant the meaning was, especially because the theme was “American Independence”. To say the least, this year’s dress was definitely a step up from her last Met look.
Her 2019 Met look was ridiculed by many because she paired a gold mini dress with “An over the top black puffy sleeve”. During that time people went to twitter writing about how boring her look was and how she’s the most vanilla person in the world. The backlash was definitely real, and so were the burns because she rose from the ashes like a phoenix and went above and beyond for this year’s look. “This work of art was inspired by America’s flower, The Rose. it was an honor to work with Wes Gordon and the Carolina Herrera atelier. this dress feels equal parts iconic and elegant” said Kloss. Fans agreed.
