It’s a challenging time for the fashion industry, with multiple fashion weeks and other prominent affairs cancelled because of the pandemic.
We received a glimmer of hope earlier this week, with the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute announcement that the Met Gala will return in 2021.
The glitzy event is a fundraiser for The Costume Institute’s benefit and has dramatically evolved since its 1948 debut as a midnight dinner.
In 2021, the theme is “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion”. The gala’s return on 13 September 2021 will be a pared-back celebration, dependent on government guidelines around social distancing. The corresponding exhibition will run from 18 September to 5 September 2022.
Then, in 2022, the gala will hopefully return to its iconic “first Monday in May” date on 2 May, themed “In America: An Anthology of Fashion”. Its companion exhibition will run from 5 May 2022 to 5 September 2022.
It will be interesting to see how designers translate these two themes into red carpet looks, not only because of how the pandemic has altered our relationship with clothes but also because of social justice movements that are shaping a new American identity.
To celebrate the gala’s return, take a trip down memory lane of ten iconic Met Gala looks:
1. Blake Lively in Marchesa, 2010
2. Winnie Harlow in Tommy Hilfiger, 2019
3. Cara Delevingne in Chanel, 2017
Read about the inspiration for Cara Delevingne’s look here.
4. Rachel Brosnahan in Erdem, 2019
5. Zoe Saldana in Dolce & Gabbana, 2016
6. Jennifer Lopez in Valentino, 2017
7. Serena Williams in Versace, 2019
8. Anna Wintour in Chanel, 2017
9. Gigi Hadid in Michael Kors, 2019
10. Katy Perry in Versace, 2018
If you’re after more Met Gala content, check out these ultimate looks, including throwbacks from the nineties, here.
