The Super Bowl for fashionistas has finally happened. The MET Gala 2024 red carpet was a dazzling affair with all the drama and couture. This year’s theme is inspired by the same-titled short tale by J.G. Ballard, ‘The Garden of Time.’ Whereas the inside exhibit showcased the concurrent ‘Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.’ And looking at the red carpet, we witnessed some of the most delicate to bold and visually stunning pieces, from Alia Bhatt’s custom Sabyasachi saree with a 23-foot train, Zendaya in Maison Margiela inspired by Dior Couture 1999, to Gigi Hadid’s gigantic Thom Browne wedding gown.
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Besides these, we had Lewis Hamilton making everyone’s heart (especially mine) skip a beat with his custom Burberry look, and Thai star Bright and K-pop icons Stray Kids making their MET debuts. Scroll down to see some of the moments you might have missed from the event:
1. Lewis Hamilton’s Ode To Black Gardeners
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The fashion prince of Formula 1, Sir Lewis Hamilton, once again showed how to nail a perfect red carpet look. At this year’s MET Gala, Hamilton donned a wool coat with floral embroidery in a striking black colour by Burberry, styled by Eric Mcneal. He finished his ensemble with a black pair of boots and a double-breasted suit underneath. The best and most endearing little addition to his outfit was an embroidered quotation from Alex Wharton’s poem ‘The Gardener’ on the inside, which played a major role in this look – put a picture of him in the Louvre already!
When designing the outfit, the Chief Creative Officer at Burberry, Daniel Lee stated, “His MET Gala look is inspired by the language of flowers in Black history and by the story of John Ystumllyn, one of Britain’s first Black gardeners.” Lee further said that the coat was stitched with cedar branches, which denote eternal life; yucca, which represents eternity and protects restless spirits; daffodils, which indicate toughness; and periwinkle, which symbolises perseverance. A major slay, we must admit.
2. Doja Cat’s Wet Lewk
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The Paint the Town Red singer went all out and served this year’s most controversial yet stunning look. Doja Cat wore a dripping wet cotton Vetements t-shirt referencing the two main characters’ statues during the finale of Ballad’s story ‘The Garden of Time’ (the theme of the MET Gala), infested with belladonna plants in their abandoned villa’s untended garden after being overrun by the mob.
3. Camila Cabello’s Icy Accessory
Let’s make it quite clear (pun intended) that no one else’s accessory at the MET Gala 2024 was quite as chill as Camila’s. The Havana singer showed up for the occasion wearing a shimmering outfit by Ludovic de Saint-Sernin. The bodice of the dress was intricately embroidered with a plunging neckline and a laced design. The garment was studded with 2,50,000 Swarovski crystals over 450 hours, and it weighed 15 pounds (about 6 kg). If her intricate designer ensemble wasn’t enough, her choice of accessories will make you look once more. Camila held an actual block of ice with a frozen rose inside it as a clutch accessory, which slowly melted.
4. Mona Patel’s Butterfly Effect
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No one came to play at the MET Gala, but very few left nearly the same effect as philanthropist and Indian fashion entrepreneur Mona Patel, who captured massive attention with her look. The lady made her MET Gala debut and walked the red carpet in an incredible bespoke design by Iris Van Herpen, which had butterflies added to her sleeves, adorning her structured gown. But the dress’s unique feature was the mechanism that caused the butterflies on it to flap when she traversed the carpet. A stunner!
5. The K-Pop Kids
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A big win for the K-pop fans! Stray Kids took a plane from Seoul to New York City to attend their very first MET Gala in custom suits by Tommy Hilfiger. For a lot of us, this particular American label embodies preppy, college-like sentiments, which wasn’t the case tonight. Each member of the Stray Kids stunned with some eye-catching tailoring in suits, which were painted in a red, white, and blue colour scheme, paying homage to the national colours of South Korea and the United States. The look was finished with golden floral decoration that complemented the theme.
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Apart from the boy group, we had K-pop fashion royalty Jennie from BLACKPINK wearing a blue Alaïa mini dress with a cutout on her torso. She styled her look with some drop earrings as an accessory, and she had her hair done up. A sight to behold!
6. Law Roach In Custom Rahul Mishra
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New fashion besties to stan. Acclaimed celebrity stylist Law Roach donned a head-turning white Rahul Mishra ensemble, which featured the designer’s signature patchwork embroidery.
7. Bright’s Debut
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Those who are regular readers of my author page are familiar with my love for Bright Vachirawit, who made his spectacular red carpet debut at the MET Gala in 2024. The Thai hottie, who is renowned for his roles in hit series like 2Gether: The Series, F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers, and others, became the first Thai artist to do so. He made his debut at the MET Gala wearing a custom-designed Burberry outfit created by Daniel Lee with a princely vibe for fashion’s big night. The look had a netted gold inner and a pleated georgette jacket embroidered with tonal bullion, along with silk pants for a stylish element of tailoring, and a sturdy pair of square-toed shoes to finish the ensemble.
8. Katy Perry (Ai Version)
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Katy Perry wasn’t there at this year’s MET Gala, but for a split second, the internet sure believed she was. This is all because of some cunning AI that produced lifelike images. A few X (Twitter) users threw these pictures into the mix at random, thinking no one would realise they were completely bogus. All this even fooled Katy’s mother, who dropped the singer a text confirming the news.
Also, read: MET Gala 2024: ELLE India Picks 15 Best Looks From The Biggest Night Of Fashion
