In a few weeks, we’ll be constantly refreshing our newsfeeds to see what our favourite celebs wore to the Met. Some of the famous faces we know and love will take to the iconic staircase, but before they enter the venue, our eager eyes will be watching. At the Met, occasion dresses have the power to break the internet, and the biggest statements made are the ones we remember most. We do love a bit of outrage though, here’s a selection of celebrities who have shaken proceedings up with their outfit choices.
2018: Madonna
This girl is so good, she only goes by one name. Her rise to stardom in the 1980s was unprecedented, inspiring young women to express themselves with her empowering anthems and tongue-in cheek lyrics.
She knows how to get people talking too, her music video for ‘Like A Prayer’ was thought to upset the Pope! Madonna has embraced scandal throughout her career, and she continues to turn heads. She took the 2018 Met Gala by surprise with a shock performance, wearing antiquity inspired clothing to channel the divinity of the theme of the event, ‘Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination’. However, her figure-hugging black lace ensemble back at the 2016 Met Gala was dismissed by many, but she used it as an opportunity to deliver a message to her critics. She repurposed fashion, making her statement about more than just clothes, with true Queen of Pop conviction. In an era where popstars emerge all of the time, Madonna continues to reign above the one-hit wonders.
1999: Donatella Versace
Everyone knows who Donatella Versace is — especially with her signature platinum hair and bronzed skin. The artistic director and vice president of the fashion powerhouse which bears her own namesake is also a mother, model and muse. Madame Versace is a walking embodiment of couture, and she has carved her impressive career despite having no formal fashion education. In fact, Donatella had set her sights on becoming a teacher prior to becoming heavily involved with her late brother Gianni Versace’s thriving business.
She has left a true imprint on fashion. So much so that after the iconic Jenifer Lopez 2000 Grammy’s appearance, Google were prompted to create their image search feature, to deal with the demand for people looking to set their eyes upon the dress Donatella designed. Her garments have graced red carpets across the world worn by a whole host of famous faces, including Rosie Huntigdon-Whiteley, Serena Williams, Gisele Bundchen and Blake Lively. Despite this, Donatella can’t sew, and she has never produced a piece herself. Yet her breath-taking portfolio boats unrivalled extravagance, and it has secured her place as a leading force in the world of fashion.
2012: Marc Jacobs
Success started at a young age for Marc Jacobs, who has made his name notoriously known in the fashion industry. Known as the ‘boy wonder’, he led the grunge era which decorated the pages of all major glossy magazines throughout the 1990s. Often, Marc Jacobs has spoken about the influence that his grandmother had on him, encouraging him to grow his hair long and learn to knit. He commends her for allowing him to pursue all avenues of self-exploration, and he once said ‘’No one ever said you can’t be a fashion designer […] No one ever said, ‘You’re a boy and you can’t have long hair’”, and Jacobs has continued to live by this sense of freedom. Unknown to many, Marc Jacobs is also the creative director at Louis Vuitton, achieving a gross revenue of $5 billion, by branching out into luggage, accessories and a new clothing range.
You may remember Marc’s iconic 2012 Met Gala outfit, where he wore white boxer shorts and a black-laced dress. He stated that his outfit choice was made in order to avoid being boring, and the Comme Des Garçons dress was far from lacklustre. Jacobs may have downplayed the statement himself, but the dress threw convention out of the window.
2017: Rihanna
Rihanna (real name Robyn Fenty) is pop royalty, with a staggering nine Grammy awards and seven MTV Video Music prizes in tow. You can always count on Ri-Ri to bring her A-Game to any event. Rihanna was discovered by Jay-Z during his time as president of Def Jam Records, and offered an on-the spot contract by the music mogul. After being crowned the winner of Gilette’s Venus Breeze competition in 2007. She insured her legs for $1 billion, showing Rihanna’s tendency to never do anything in small measures.
From Caribbean chic to ultimate glam, she’s known for her fashion decisions that get everyone talking. Her outfit at the 2017 Met Gala was another Comme Des Garçons creation, designed by Rei Kawakubo who was part of the inspiration for the overall event, ‘Art of the In-between’, paired with thigh-high tie up stilettos. No one does avant-garde like ‘Bad Gal RiRi’, and she followed in her own outrages footsteps from the years gone by: in 2015 she wore a canary yellow cape and exquisite headdress, celebrating the ‘China: Through the Looking Glass’ dress code. Bold is brilliant in the eyes of the unstoppable hit maker.
2017: Helen Lasichanh
Whether you know her from her modelling days or for accompanying her husband Pharrell Williams to the finest events in town, you’ll know that this chick has style. Despite her preference to lead a private life, she has shone in the spotlight from time to time, wearing some vibrant pieces to express her unique style. She and her husband are quite the duo, their choice to wear coordinating plaid pieces to their own wedding in 2013 set a daring, experimental tone in their attitudes towards fashion. She and her husband are known to have twin wardrobes, with a shared love for UGG boots and Sacai duffle coats. Alongside setting trends, Helen Lasichanh is a mother of four, showing us all that you can do both.
Her outfit at the 2017 Met Gala got everyone talking, and you’ll remember her becoming the ultimate meme of the night. Her Kawakubo garment was designed so that she couldn’t use her hands while wearing it, but she certainly captured the theme of the evening. The outfit blurred the lines of fashion as we know it, abandoning the classic silhouette in favour of an abstract, post-modern inspired figure.
Inside the Met
The Met Gala is a regular feature in the calendar of all famous faces, and every arrival onto the red carpet is a spectacle in its own right. The media waited four hours to get a picture of Jay-Z and Beyoncé in 2015, taking to the grand staircase more than fashionably late. Outfits go beyond clothes at the Met, as proven by Cara Delevigne’s 11 hours’ worth of body art which she sported at the event in the same year.
Despite the no-selfie room, there was one in the bathroom that went viral. Instagram queen turned entrepreneur Kylie Jenner captured seventeen guests in the infamous shot in 2017. Anna Wintour’s efforts to enforce a social media and photography ban flopped, and Kylie and the gang broke the rule in style. With an approved list of 600 guests, how could the Met Gala not be outrageous? The evening is filled with fashion statements and bold characters expressing themselves, but controversy will never not be glamourous, and we can’t wait for this years’ installment!
Channel your inner diva and live the Met Gala life with one of your chic maxi dresses!
Sources:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/met-gala-2016-madonna-has-a-message-for-her-critics-a7011276.html
https://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/07/us/madonna-fast-facts/index.html
https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/marc-jacobs-met-ball-2012-outfit-red-carpet-designer-look
https://artlistr.com/marc-jacobs-7-interesting-facts/
https://www.vogue.com/article/pharrell-williams-helen-lasichanh-sacai-gloverall-ugg
https://www.eonline.com/photos/20770/2017-met-gala-red-carpet-couples/758558
https://www.vogue.com.au/culture/red-carpet/2018-met-gala-all-the-facts-and-figures-you-need-to-know/image-gallery/b20df2f6a4f62d318202bd86b7e53264?pos=11
https://www.vogue.com/article/rihanna-met-gala-2017-red-carpet-dress-comme-des-garcons-best-dressed