Resuming its tradition of being held on the first Monday in May, the 2022 Met Gala kicked off at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Regina King and Lin-Manuel Miranda hosted the event, alongside Anna Wintour, Tom Ford and Adam Mosseri.
Following on from 2021’s ‘In America: A Lexicon of Fashion’, this year’s theme is ‘In America: An Anthology of Fashion’. It is the second installment of a two-part exhibition which reflects “the evolution of American style” and explores “the work of individual tailors, dressmakers, and designers”, says the Costume Institutes head curator, Andrew Bolton, via Vogue.
‘Gilded glamour’ is the dress code for this year and stars arrived on the red carpet embodying the grandeur of the Gilded Age of New York.
Alicia Keyes arrives at the In America: An Anthology of Fashion themed Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Kim Kardashian sparkled in Marilyn Monroe’s ‘$5 million dress’ that she wore to wish Mr. President John F. Kennedy Happy Birthday.
Met Gala co-chair Blake Lively turned heads in her glittery Versace gown which transformed into a sweeping blue train. Lively says the mosaic-style dress was inspired by the architecture of New York City and the colours of Grand Central Station.
Plenty of stars opted for the ‘Gilded Glamour’ theme, with Khloe Kardashian donning a shimmering beaded Moschino gown, Lily James rocking a bejewelled Versace number and Lizzo wearing a gold embroidered cape and gown by Thom Browne.
It-Girl Emma Chamberlain looked chic in head-to-to Louis Vuitton, styled with a diamond tiara and bold choker.
Others opted for bright colour, like Kiki Layne in a bright pink Atelier Prabal Gurung, Gigi Hadid in a voluminous maroon Versace coat and Gwen Stefani in a Neon green Vera Wang two-piece.
Some guests chose more subtle looks, such as Emma Stone, who wore a flapper-style dress by Louis Vuitton. The actress later revealed that it was in fact a dress from her wedding, choosing to rewear it it as a statement on sustainability.
Feathers were another theme amongst the guests. Nicola Coughlan stunned in a black and pink Richard Quinn ballgown with puffy sleeves and feathers, while Megan Thee Stallion upped the glamour in a gold Moschina gown with feathered shoulders.
Elizabeth Debicki wore a Dior Haute Couture Spring-Summer 2022 ivory guipure-like embroidered dress in silk crepe with silk cord threads. She also wore Dior à Versailles fine jewellery.
Jewel tones were of the moment. Cara Delevingne wore a Dior Haute Couture Spring-Summer 2019 burgundy ottoman jacket with frogging and satin trousers, paired with gold Dior jewellery.
Model Adut Akech also rocked the jewel tones with an emerald Christian Lacroix dress from Shrimpton Couture.
Karlie Kloss opted for a dramatic and sparkling sheer black look in Givenchy Couture and a smokey eye look.
Bradley Cooper looked dapper in a classic Louis Vuitton suit.
Squid Game breakout star HoYeon Jung looked effortlessly cool in a cut-out Louis Vuitton dress, another piece from the fashion house’s archive collection that featured on the red carpet.
Other stars that wore pieces from Louis Vuitton’s archive included The Worst Person in the World actress Renate Reinsve, who rocked a bejewelled crop-top cape, Gemma Chan in a Spring/Summer 2022 Ellipse dress and sculptural cape from the 2020 Cruise collection, and Chloe Grace-Moretz in a 1800s military-inspired coat and pants.
Louis Vuitton’s artistic director of women’s collections Nicolas Ghesquière said the decision to dress the stars in previously-worn pieces was a statement on circularity. “Never has it been more important to show that creations should be made to last,” Ghesquière told Vogue.