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Zendaya is in the building
Ellie Violet Bramley
Co-chair and absolute queen of meta-dressing – see the shoes with tennis ball heels she wore to promote sexy tennis flick, Challengers – Zendaya has arrived. Her stylist Law Roach has had the internet speculating, with a red herring post yesterday on Instagram that read “How did I forget that I have this dress in my archive!… we had the dress the entire time,” followed by a face palm enoji. But the floral Emanuel Ungaro couture gown he posted a picture of was clearly not meant to be. Of course Zendaya went for the drama of this gown by Maison Margiela’s John Galliano, complete with wonky silhouette and plumage.
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Ellie Violet Bramley
Leave it to the new-ish head of British Vogue, Chioma Nnadi, to bring a Burberry look to the Met carpet. All soft sherbet lemon and frills, it feels very soothing on the eye. Again, Ballardian nightmare this is not. But it is extremely lovely.
Jeff Goldblum is here and the gloves are off
Chloe Mac Donnell
Jeff Goldblum has arrived and the fashion gloves are now off. He looks smart in a black overcoat, straight leg trousers and high shine shoes. But being Goldblum of course there’s going to be a fashion twist. This time it comes in the form of a natty white scarf, an eclectic collection of brooches and green tinted glasses. He’s even made the white magician-esque gloves somehow work. Is there anything this man can’t pull off?
Greta Lee, star of Past Lives, can do no red – or even green – carpet wrong. Yet another twist on the naked dress, this sheer lace gown is the work of Jonathan Anderson at Loewe. Lee told Vogue ahead of her Met debut that “it has this really hard architectural shape but made of this transparent lace.” Is hard/soft the new high/low in fashion? Perhaps if Lee has anything to do with it. Also in that vein is her hair, a wig apparently chopped by hairdresser Jenny Cho and inspired by Stella Tennant.
Greta Lee is worried about missing dinner
Another celebrity, another Loewe look. The Spanish house is really ruling those steps tonight. Greta Lee’s column gown features a solid shaped “shield” which the actor says isn’t “exactly functional”. She’s having to pose side on so the paparazzi can get a clear shot of her face. Speaking to Vogue she is now pondering about how she’s going to eat in it. Completely sheer aside from some chantilly lace and carefully placed 3D flowers this is one brave look for the best dressed Gala battle.
Ellie Violet Bramley
The “naked” dress has been a staple on the Met steps ever since Cher wore one designed by Bob Mackie in 1974. While Cher’s version went down in some quarters like a lead balloon – a copy of Time magazine with her wearing it on the cover was banned in some cities at the time – we can, I think, be sure that Emily Ratajkowski’s will receive a less draconian reception.
Gigi Hadid wears New York-based designer Thom Browne
Ellie Violet Bramley
Spilling trains are something of a pedestrian sight on the amped-up stage that is the Met Gala steps, but model Gigi Hadid has still managed to make this one special. With a little help from New York-based designer Thom Browne, who may perhaps be best known for being the designer behind Sydney’s chef jacket in The Bear. It apparently took 13,500 hours to create. I wonder how many Boursin cheese filled omelettes topped with crushed sour cream and onion crisps one could make in that time.
And just like that… Sarah Jessica Parker has arrived
Chloe Mac Donnell
And just like that … Sarah Jessica Parker arrives. For her 12th Met Gala, the actor has chosen a sculptural look from the British fashion designer Richard Quinn. With intricate lace and thousands of crystals it’s the most glamorous lampshade we’ve ever seen. Being SJP she’s gone heavy on the accessories. The statement hat is from Philip Treacy while even her boots have been vajazzled.
Ellie Violet Bramley
Yet another star of Challengers, Mike Faist, has shown up on the grass-green red carpet. Like co-star O’Connor, Faist has kept things safely at the baseline with a Loewe design. The radish feels like a quirky spin on a botanical theme, even if it is a little more Peter Rabbit than bleak Ballardian sci-fi.
Ayo Edebiri in not so groundbreaking florals
Chloe Mac Donnell
For her very first Met, Ayo Edebiri has opted for a custom dress from Loewe. Edebiri is known and loved for her cool and off-beat style so on paper a floral dress sounds a little off-brand. But take a closer look and you’ll notice that the flowers are individually cut-out to give a 3D effect.
Ellie Violet Bramley
It will surprise not a single fashion observer that Josh O’Connor, star of Challengers, is wearing custom Loewe by Jonathan Anderson, given O’Connor is an ambassador of the brand. The elongated tailcoats of his look have a pleasingly eccentric air to them, while the floral footwear nods to the botanical theme without getting bogged down.
Chloe Mac Donnell
Handbags are out, hourglass timers are in. We wonder how long it will take Tyla to make it up the steps.
One Day actor Ambika Mod arrives on green carpet
Ellie Violet Bramley
You can bet your bottom dollar that Emma, the character that actor Ambika Mod plays in One Day, would have done her homework ahead of the Met Gala, and read all of Ballard’s back catalogue in readiness. Mod has also clearly done her fashion homework here, too, with a subtle but effective strapless gown complete with the sprayed-on image of an hourglass figure – a nod to the passing of time that is a key theme of the source text? Smart and chic, we never doubted she would get top marks.
Chloe Mac Donnell
The singer Tyla is making her Met Gala debut in a custom Balmain gown which looks like falling sand, further emphasised by the sand filled hourglass she’s holding. The dress is completely moulded to her body and she’s currently being helped up the steps by four assistants. This has viral written all over it.
Boho is back
If you hadn’t yet heard the coin belts jangling on the breeze, this photo proves without doubt that we the boho-chic renaissance is in full swing. Here we see the pioneer of the noughties iteration, Sienna Miller, alongside Gerwig, Barbie and Sex Education actor Emma Mackey, actor Zoe Saldana, posing with the designer to thank or blame, depending on who you talk to, for bringing it back to the fray, Chloé’s Chemena Kamali. For fans of frills it’s all very exciting, but it feels a little too Left Bank for a Ballardian Met Gala.
Bad Bunny arrives in Maison Margiela
Chloe Mac Donnell
Bad Bunny has arrived in Maison Margiela. The visible thread stitches seem to be a nod to the reversal of time which is a fun and quite deep interpretation of the theme. The dark floral bouquet also captures the mood. Who wants fresh flowers when you can have feathered Maison Margiela flowers?
Greta Gerwig in Chloé
Ellie Violet Bramley
Is it possible that even director Greta Gerwig, one of the main architects of the hot Barbie pink vortex the world fell into last year, has also tired of pink? It would seem possible judging from her all-black ensemble, the work of Chloé creative director Chemena Kamali. Understated but dramatic nonetheless.
Met Gala host Jennifer Lopez shimmers in Schiaparelli
Chloe Mac Donnell
Met Gala host and red carpet pro Jennifer Lopez has arrived. She’s wearing a custom gown by Schiaparelli which looks like its made up of shimmering crystals. Perhaps, a nod to the crystalized flowers in JG Ballard’s book?
