LOS ALAMITOS, CA — The much anticipated Met Gala rolled around on Monday, May 6, complete with its refined extravagance and exquisite designs. The theme for this year’s Met Gala was “The Garden of Time” based on J.G. Ballard’s short story commenting on the inevitable fall of the aristocracy as an army of peasants looms near the affluent Axel and his mystical garden. Chosen in relation to the Met Costume Institute’s 2024 exhibition: “Sleeping Beauties: Awakening Fashion”, the theme inspired the participants to delve into the realm of fashion and glamour.

Zendaya:

Zendaya made her extravagant appearance as a part of the 2024 co-chairs serving not one, but two beautiful looks! Her first look was custom Maison Margiela by John Galliano and embodied a flamboyant peacock with wraps of vines and berries in a royal blue and forest-green ensemble. To some, the makeup may seem extravagant and weird, however, her makeup pays homage to the iconic Margiela makeup that puts great emphasis on thin brows, glass skin, and dramatic eyeshadow.

Zendaya’s artistic representation of garden creatures is gorgeous and very well constructed, on point and delivering this year’s theme. We have to give Zendaya credit for her ability to turn fashion into a spectacle and always getting people to notice. Compared to others, we think Zendaya dressed the best!

For her second dress, Zendaya managed to acquire a never-seen-before piece of couture from Givenchy from their spring 1996 collection, also by Galliano. The dress was a voluminous black gown with an extended train and a dramatic headpiece of a bouquet, taking the theme of Garden of Time literally. We appreciate an outfit change from a star as big as Zendaya. However, the ensemble didn’t shock us as the main shock factor was the humongous headpiece. More defined as art, the headpiece was the star of the show. However, we would have loved another look from Zendaya that displayed more flair in her dress than her headwear.

Doja Cat:

If we had wrapped ourselves in a bedsheet, walked into the shower, and drove straight to the Met Gala, we would be twinning with Doja Cat. Her outfit made us want to cringe and throw up and cry because of how terrible it was; especially as it compared to the finery of the people surrounding her. Although she wanted to stand out, her outfit was definitely not the way to go.

The Met Gala is often synonymous with aristocracy and wealth as seen from the beautiful gowns, but Doja Cat’s wet t-shirt ensemble did not make the cut. If the bar for the success of an outfit was the sky, Doja Cat’s t-shirt would be underground. Honestly, we don’t think they should’ve even let her in — that’s how strongly we feel about her extremely disappointing outfit. Even with her track record of eccentric outfits, we did not think that she would show up in something THAT terrible. Doja Cat’s 2024 Met Gala look was a hard no for us.

Tyla:

South-African starlet Tyla, who is best known for singing the hit song “Water,” made her Met Gala debut wearing a custom Balmain dress as a sand structure, playing on the figure and look of an hourglass clock. We were in love with this look as she had one of the best looks of the night! While remaining perfectly on theme, her styling complimented the dress in the best way as the minimalist jewelry and the brush of sand on her shoulder made the dress the star of the show.

Considering this dress is her debut at The Met Gala, her team did not disappoint as her stunning look made her stand out from other floral-inspired dresses through a creative interpretation of the theme. 

Elle Fanning:

When we first saw Elle Fanning’s dress we were AWESTRUCK. The glass flowers. The gleaming fabric. The sheer beauty. Everything about her Balmain gown screams “Garden of Time” with the obvious reference to Axel’s glass flowers picked in his garden. Fanning’s dress is simply ETHEREAL. With the delicate details and enchanting aura, it feels like she was picked directly out of J.G Ballard’s story. Especially with her natural make-up and slicked-back hair, Fanning was 100% in our top five Met Gala outfits. She effortlessly DELIVERED and exceeded all expectations!

Mona Patel:

Indian entrepreneur Mona Patel made a stunning splash at her debut at the Met Gala with a gorgeous work of art in her custom butterfly dress by Iris Van Herpen, earning her spot on the best-dressed list. Herpen is best known for her structural ensembles that encapture the beauty of both movement and shape.

When we saw this look, we quite literally gasped due to the perfection of her appearance. We were desperate for someone to encapsulate the whimsical and elegant look of a butterfly, and Patel killed it! The butterfly bodice was complimented with gold details and robotic butterflies with a slight flutter to them, which was perfectly on brand with Herpen’s line of work. The styling was amazing as her sleek bun and jewelry made her look nothing short of a princess! This dress is nothing short of a work of art and is officially our favorite look of the night!

Lizzo:

We’re not really sure what Lizzo was trying to accomplish at The Met, but if she was trying to look like a chocolate fountain when someone accidentally drops a strawberry in it, she nailed it. Everything, just everything, is absolutely horrifying to us. Not only is the original dress by Weinsanto giving the energy of a horror movie, but apparently the garment took 600-700 hours for the designer to craft, in which the designer, quite literally cut a whole in the headpiece for Lizzo to insert her face to look life a coffee filter.

However, this look remains on par with her Met Gala 2019 look that left her looking closer to a Barbie lobster than anything else. Unfortunately, it was a miss for us; we didn’t really understand the concept of this year’s dress or what Lizzo was going for, nor were we able to relate her couture look to anything related to the Garden of Time.

Mindy Kaling:

Mindy Kaling was a VISION in her sparkling beige gown titled “The Melting Flower of Time”. Designed by the brilliant Gaurav Gupta, the dress is meant to resemble a flower that is both blooming and withering. From the cascading fabric to her sleek bobbed hair, her outfit was a complete success. Gupta’s abstract design clearly demonstrated the “Garden of Time” theme, unlike some of the other outfits of the night!

Kaling’s look was definitely one of our favorites with her pure elegance and beauty. Both the stunning design and the insightful meaning transformed the dress into an absolute masterpiece, deserving its own spot in the museum! We cannot stop thinking about this dress and are AMAZED by how much work must have gone into creating it. We are honestly OBSESSED with Gupta’s work and LOVE how beautifully Kaling has worn it.

Overall, the Met Gala 2024 was a complete fashion success with the celebrity guests creating major publicity surrounding both the charitable causes and the designers that were featured in the exhibit.