The celebrity attendees indulged in and interpreted the theme of this year’s Met Gala at a level we haven’t quite seen before. Part of that comes down to the heightened social media exposure of the event, which is bigger now than it ever was on that particular front. Another factor that helps is fashion’s recent history of exploring this theme. The Italian design houses in particular (Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana, and Versace) have been doing Catholic-themed collections for a good while now, which means there are recent pieces to choose from or collections to be inspired by. And the biggest factor of all in the success of this year’s theme: it calls for glittering opulence and over-the-top grandeur in a way that naturally appeals to a celebrity looking to make a splash.
The downside to a whole bunch of celebrities leaning into the Met Gala theme at once? A whole bunch of celebrities doing the same thing, over and over again. And while a theme like this one practically begs for elaborate headwear, there were more than a few looks that basically came down to “A normal dress plus a crown” or “a normal dress plus a halo,” which is kind of a reductive way of looking at it.
Onward. To (further) judgment.
Amber Heard in Carolina Herrera
There were a few too many of these sunburst halo crowns. On another night, this look might have seemed really dramatic, but on this night, it felt overdone almost immediately.
Anne Hathaway in Valentino Couture
Anne’s take had more of that Vatican-esque grandeur to it, while her headpiece felt a bit more like a crown of thorns or even the pierced body of a martyr. It’s a much more high-fashion version of Amber’s look.
Anya Taylor-Joy in Dolce&Gabbana
Serving Renaissance Italian Princess realness, which can only be considered on point. She looks great.
Cardi B in Moschino
She looks like she’s about to ask her guards to seize Flash Gordon and take him to the dungeon, which is absolutely a hundred percent fine by us.
Hailee Steinfeld in Prabal Gurung
Meh. How dull. All the fashion at your fingertips and this is what you wind up with, on the biggest fashion night of the year? Prom Queen? Tsk.
Lily Collins in Givenchy Couture
We like the head piece and the makeup effect. The dress is trying to be something ecclesiastical or nun-like, but it’s not quite getting there. The sheer skirt ruins whatever effect the bodice was lightly producing.
Lynda Carter in Zac Posen
BOW DOWN TO A WOMAN WHO KNOWS HER WAY AROUND A GOLD TIARA.
Gotta hand it to her. It’s a stunningly dramatic look. Love the gown, which really treats her like the royalty she is.
Mindy Kaling in Vassilis Zoulias
This weirdly Disney version of royalty, on the other hand, just came off kind of tacky and cheap to us.
Rita Ora in Prada
The head piece is more than a little Beyonce, which is unfortunate given how much and how often she’s compared to her. But it goes well with the gown, which is gorgeous, if a bit on the generic side. The bag has nothing to do with any of it.
Sienna Miller in Louis Vuitton
Meh. It’s just “Hippy Chick” with more sparkle. Par for the course from her.
Solange Knowles in Iris Van Herpen
YES. BRING US YOUR WEIRDNESS, SOLANGE. Enough with all these princesses and saints. Show us your Alien Nun Goddess realness.
SZA in Atelier Versace
Like a lot of these looks, it’s pretty enough, but relying on one basic element to turn a standard gown into something Met Gala-worthy isn’t going to result in the strongest look, nine times out of ten.
[Photo Credit: INSTARImages]
