After a delayed year due to COVID-19, The Met Gala is back—and it is serving looks. 

The Met Gala is prestigiously known for its unique theme each year, and how the attendees dress in accordance. Anna Wintour, the infamous director of Vogue magazine, invited handfuls of the most esteemed celebrities to celebrate the Lexicon of Fashion in America. After controversial and confusing seating charts were released for the reception–many were leary of the attendees. After weeks of anticipation, society came to know that many of these invitees indeed “understood the assignment”—while some did not. 

The red carpet (or beige in this matter)  hosted an abundance of actresses, actors, musicians, models, and even politicians. Fashionable highs were met, but not without fashion atrocities such as Justin Bieber’s disheveled suit, or even Timothee Chalamet’s lazy white ensemble. The interpretation of this theme was all over the board. Some, like Alexandra Ocasio Cortez, took a political route with their outfits, sparking the annual controversy of who really did follow the theme–and fashionably. Cortez wore a borrowed gown with the words “Tax the Rich”, provocatively emblazoned on the back. 

Others went for a more patriotic look, like A$AP Rocky wearing an ERL quilt made of various materials inspired by a thrifted quilt–which belonged to someone’s late grandma (and was found in a thrift store). It nailed the theme and paid tribute to the simple past of craftsmanship in America. Other celebrities went another direction like Kim Kardashian, who wore an all black slimming Balenciaga dress with a long ponytail, which sparked speculation as it fit the theme of her now ex husband Kanye West’s album Donda, which was just recently released. 

The Met this year reached new heights in views, raking in thousands of viewers to see the themed outfits and designer dresses. The Met being back gives the whole fashion community a light in the tunnel—a return back to normalcy that many have awaited.