After almost two years, the red carpet finally rolled out of its dusty quarantine home with the return of the Met Gala, reigning in the season for expensive looks, flashing cameras and awards. It has been quite a while since our beloved artists, models, actors or actresses, athletes and fashion designers have shown up on our screens, and the question arises: did they miss the mark?
Upon asking UNLV students, the responses were mixed, with many agreeing that it had no effect but did make them feel that the world was returning to some form of normalcy.
The theme set this year for the Met Gala was really vague. “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” can be defined in many different ways. Some students say that the theme needed “more variety” because America’s fashion has evolved so much throughout its years.
When asked about which outfit “understood the assignment,” student Charles Mateo said, “CL coming in with a denim hanbok (a cultural korean dress) was so surprising because she wasn’t expected by many to be there, but it shows how much of a cultural salad this country can be. Lili Reinhart understood the assignment. Her dress was all the 50 states’ flowers and that definitely represents America.”
Reinhart and CL definitely served looks and ignited discourse with regards to the theme this year. However, there are even more celebrities who made statements. Rihanna, for instance, came in with Balenciaga Couture where you could only see her face and hand with a black beanie attached to the piece dazzled with BVLGARI jewels.
She was accompanied by boyfriend A$AP Rocky who was wearing a specially made quilt by ERL. This addition was questionable until the significance of quilting in America came to mind. Puritans, in the colonial times, quilted to provide warmth in the winter. This may not have been intentional, but it was bizarre to see a quilted blanket train on the carpet.
Additionally, congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez showed up in a “TAX THE RICH” dress by Brother Vellies at one of the most high money displays of the year. You can say that she used the theme of “In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion” to make a statement. That fashion can be a way to protest, but to many, it came off as hypocritical or at least counterproductive despite her gorgeous looks.
After asking many students how they felt hearing about or seeing the stars hit the red carpet, there were a myriad of responses. Most students actually agreed that the Met Gala did not affect their lives or how they felt, but some stated that it was nice to see our normal events and productions returned on-screen.
This event evoked a sense of normalcy returning from a world ravaged by COVID-19. We may have initially started out with missing that part of our lives, sitting in front of the screen adorned with bedazzling outfits, but amidst the pandemic, we have changed our ways and priorities in this growing world.