The 2022 Met Gala has passed us by again, and as we marinate on everything we saw, digest the looks, understand the process, we're finally ready to talk about who nailed the theme. As a refresher, the 2022 Met Gala theme was Gilded Glamour. Coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in the title of their joint 1873 novel, the term refers to the period of time in which the book is set. So the United States following its Civil War. While the Gilded Age itself refers to the years between 1870 to 1900.
Safe to say, with the boom of period drama's like Bridgerton, The Great, and Portrait of a Lady on Fire taking over the zeitgeist in the past years, we optimistically thought that the 2022 theme would be slightly easier to interpret for celebrities than, say, Camp. We thought wrong. Granted, we expected that certain guests would march to the beat of their own drum, looking to other great American epochs for inspiration in line with the Costume Institute's exhibition theme In America: An Anthology of Fashion(looking at you, KKW). I digress, below, are all of the on theme looks from The Met Gala 2022 red carpet.
Billie Eilish
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In her upcycled Gucci look, Eilish's cinched corseted look – and I can't stress this enough – slayed. From the buttery bustle to the green lace sleeves, Eilish's literal play on the theme was a salve to the fashion world's soul.
Emma Corrin
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Huge amount of respect to Emma Corrin for not succumbing to the trappings of glittery naked dresses (were they ever at risk of this though?) and leaving overt hotness at the door, but while their look is certainly thematically accurate with their channeling of socialite Evander Berry Wall, it was not one that was our preference this time around. We can not elaborate further.
Kodi Smit-McPhee
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We love this gorgeous weirdo! In head to toe Bottega Veneta and gilded-era archival Cartier, Smit-McPhee's modern interpretation of the theme feels fresh and contemporary, especially in the menswear realm where so many served up disappointment on a gilded platter.
Bella Hadid
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Of all of Burberry's guests, Bella Hadid stood out as most on-theme. The custom leather corset and chiffon shawl felt like an apt, gothic, modern, nod to the era in question. Bonus points for the little curtain braids.
Paloma Elsseser
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The corset, the pearls, the lace train. While Elsesser's Coach look is giving very much 1800s nudity, we can't fault her for lack of theme or the way she's bodied it. 10/10.
Nicola Coughlan
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Some of the Bridgerton girlies did not show up and the ones who did only barely showed out, but not Nicola Coughlan. For Coughlan, who worked with Richard Quinn on her regency-inspired look, the brief she had been preparing for for the past two years was as easy as it is to get sucked into Lady Whistledown's gossip.
Rosalia
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At first glance, Rosalia's Givenchy dress seemed just like a very superior version of other tulle beaded dresses we've seen each year for decades, but spend a little more time on it and you'll notice certain silhouettes that are on-par with the era. Take the draped chiffon shoulders for example, or the corseted waist, or the gloves – oh! The gloves. We heart you Rosalia, always and forever.
Riz Ahmed
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The Gilded Age in the eyes of the elite was a time of immense wealth, but for others, it was defined by inequality and poverty, especially for immigrant workers. Ahmed paid homage to these workers, with a look that he noted was reminiscent of the labourers of the era. “This is an homage to the immigrant workers who kept the Gilded Age going,” he told Vogue on the red carpet.
Adut Akech
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Delivering archival Christian LaCroix excellence and nothing less.
Adwoa Aboah
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There was a substantial amount of black and pink looks on the carpet last night, but Aboah's voluminous Tory Burch moment stopped us in our tracks. The neckline! The volume! The bows!
SZA
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Our Met matriarch! When Vivienne Westwood exists, it's hard to understand why more people didn't wear her. SZA, however, in her good and true nature, did. And what a moment it was.
Evan Mock
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Dying for Evan Mock bodying his butter corset. With Harry Styles out of the picture this year, Mock has stepped up to the plate and gobbled it up.
