5 Met Gala Looks that Redefined Glamour and History

By: Lucy DiChristina

Every year the Met Gala brings the biggest celebrities together to dress up for one of the most well known and influential charity and fashion events. This year's theme was:

“Superfine:Tailoring Black Style”. This theme aimed to express themes from the 2009 book Slaves to Fashion:Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, written by Monica L. Miller. This book expresses the ways that post-slavery era Black people reclaimed agency and self expression, particularly through fashion. This theme holds an extreme amount of weight showing respect and honoring horrific aspects of American history. As every celebrity makes this theme their own, it is important to hold the importance of the theme and accept each outfit as the piece of art that it is. This year’s Met Gala celebrated not just style, but history and identity, and these five looks proved how fashion can honor the past while redefining the present.

Pharrell Williams

Pharell encapsulated this theme in the perfect way for male celebrities. Pharell was one of the co-chairs of the Met Gala this year, putting immense pressure on his outfit for the Met. Pharell, in my opinion, was the best dressed man at the Met Gala. He wore Louis Vuitton and Tiffany & Co, pinstripe and pearl blazer inspired by the textile industry. He used his outfit as an opportunity to let the theme speak for itself and let sublime shine through his outfit.

Ego Nwodim

Although this was Ego Nwodim’s first Met Gala she knew exactly what to do and how to pull out all of the stops for such a special event. She wore Christopher John Rogers and balanced aspects of a traditional suit with clear references to femininity and twisting old styles and reinventing them to fit with modern expression.

Zendaya

Zendaya is one of the queens of the Met Gala. She always knows how to match the theme and stand out. Zendaya is known for stunning the crowd and ending up in everyones top 5 looks of the night. This year was no different; she wore a three piece Louis Vuitton suit, and stunned the crowd.

Ayo Edibiri

Ayo Edibiris look stands out extremely in comparison to the other looks at this year's Met Gala. She came in Ferragamo and Cartier jewelry. She was inspired by her Dad and Grandfather, connecting to the roots of dandyism which she feels exist in her family and then tailoring that dandyism to fit her personal style.

Anok Yai

It is always impossible to pick a favorite from the Met Gala, but this year I think Anok Yai’s look is too perfect to not be the favorite. Just looking at her Thom Browne gown it is stunning and the intricate beauty of the gown shines through, when adding this in to the theme of the night, and the perfect tailoring on the dress it is impossible to not have her look be a major standout of the night.