How 'American Independence' was interpreted by celebs at Met Gala 2021

It wasn’t the first Monday of May. The hosts had an average age of 23. Several European designers and regular attendees were absent due to travel bans and health concerns. Black Lives Matter protestors were arrested outside the venue. For the first time since 2019, the Met Gala returned with the characteristically opaque theme of ‘American Independence’, celebrating the Met Costume Institute’s exhibition, ‘In America: A Lexicon of Fashion’. The exhibition features such designs as a silk sash in the American flag colours by Nepalese-American designer Prabal Gurung emblazoned with the question – “Who gets to be American?” Designers, old and new, came with their answers. A lot of them were predictable: Old Hollywood glamour, patriotic symbols, and Western tropes. Some brought more representation into these seemingly constant categories referencing Black and Asian American icons and symbols of mixed heritage. There were political statements and representations of intersectional identities. And for all the colour and sparkle on the carpet, there were also dark looks. The play of diverse interpretations destabilised the implied homogeneity of a ‘lexicon of fashion’ in America. The carpet was representative but not comprehensive – that’s understandable, fashion can never be one stable category. There were, however, glaring absences. A Cut article asks,  where were the hijabs on the Met Gala Red Carpet? By way of Indian representation, our regular ambassadors were missing. Sudha Reddy, philanthropist and wife of Indian billionaire Megha Krishna Reddy, wore a fully sequinned gown by Falguni and Shane Peacock, complete with American flag stars and feather trims. Bibhu Mohapatra, the Odisha-born New York-based designer, dressed Puma creative director June Ambrose in a white silk faille gown, hand-embroidered by Indian artisans. [caption id=“attachment_9966611” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Sudha Reddy[/caption] Everyday Americana   Attendees interpreted the dress code, ‘American independence’, in varying ways – some more literally than others. The American flag colours were everywhere: Poet and co-host Amanda Gorman came in a royal blue Vera Wang gown inspired by the Statue of Liberty; Blackish actress Tracy Ross Ellis came in a Balenciaga robe in a similar shade inspired by her mother Diana Ross’s character in 1975 film, Mahogany; Debby Harris, the iconic musician, wore a hoop skirt with red and white frayed ribbons symbolising the flag and a denim jacket by Zac Posen. In a thoughtful interpretation, Saweetee wore a body-hugging gown by Christian Cowan that featured ten million crystals. One train symbolised the Filipino flag, and the other the Black heritage flag – “because that’s what makes me an American girl,” said the rapper who boasts Filipina-Chinese and African-American heritage. Some alluded to ubiquitous elements of American fashion. Actress Lupita Nyong’o wore a denim gown by Versace with a crystal-adorned underskirt peeking through. Co-host Timothée Chalamet paired his hybrid tuxedo-sweatpants outfit in white by Haider Ackermann with classic Chuck Taylors. [caption id=“attachment_9966621” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Timothée Chalamet[/caption] The carpet also abounded with elements of the American Wild West: Jennifer Lopez came in a cowboy-inspired gown by Ralph Lauren and a Stenson hat, while Pharell Williams and wife Helen Lasichanh came in matching leather cowboy shirt and pants by Chanel. Gilded Americana  Stars spangled the carpet – literally. Hundreds of crystals cascaded down Kendall Jenner’s sheer gown designed by Matthew Williams, the American designer at the helm of Givenchy. Williams drew inspiration from the French house’s iconic ballgown for Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady, creating a vision of sultry glamour feigning innocence. Yara Shahidi paid homage to Josephine Baker, the first black woman to star in a major motion picture, in a crystal-embellished gown with a trailing tulle cape by Dior’s Maria Grazia Churi – complete with opera gloves and a flapper-era diamante headband. Emily Blunt reincarnated Hedy Lamarr’s look in the classic 1941 film Ziegfeld Girl, in an encrusted silver gown with a white cape by Miu Miu, and a star-adorned headpiece. Zoë Kravitz wore a striking see-through mesh Yves Saint Laurent halter gown, accessorising only with an understated pair of diamond danglers. [caption id=“attachment_9966631” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Emily Blunt[/caption] Several others referenced Hollywood glamour: Kaia Gerber wore a corseted black Oscar De la Renta gown inspired by a similar one worn by Bianca Jagger to the Met in 1981. Gigi Hadid wore a white silk column gown by Prada with leather gloves – describing her look as a cross between US first ladies and 1950s-60s American Vogue. Gemma Chan brought attention to Anna May Wong, Hollywood’s first Chinese-American star, via a black sequined mini-dress with a dragon motif and a pale green train by Prabal Gurung. Co-host Billie Eilish got her Cinderella moment in a peach Oscar De la Renta gown inspired by Marilyn Monroe. [caption id=“attachment_9966571” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Billie Eilish[/caption] Each looked resplendent, leaving an impression of perfection – like a well-manicured garden. Others aimed for more drama. To not simply impress, but jolt.  Visions of America  The Met Gala is one of the few fashion events that make it to the front pages of global newspapers alongside politics. It’s fashion’s biggest night of the year precisely because it sets the stage for starting global conversations through the semiotic potential of clothes. In the context of ‘American independence’, the attendees had different ways to assert their journey of finding independence. Schitt’s Creek’s Dan Levy collaborated with Jonathan Anderson of Loewe to “celebrate the resilience and the love and the joy” of the LGBT+ community. Drawing inspiration from the works of American artist and AIDS activist David Wojnarowicz, Anderson worked with embroidery and beading to create a dramatic look centring two men locked in a kiss against a world map. US football captain and LGBTQ+ advocate, Megan Rapinoe, wore a Sergio Hudson pantsuit inspired by the American flag, with a clutch that read, “IN GAY WE TRUST”. [caption id=“attachment_9966651” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Dan Levy[/caption] Model Cara Delevingne wore a minimal white Dior pant-look with a vest that read “PEG THE PATRIARCHY” in bright red. It got people talking, but came off as a bit vapid after Luna Matatas, a sex educator and queer woman of colour, accused Delevingne of ripping off the slogan that she trademarked back in 2015. In the most contentious look of the night, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez came in a white dress by Aurora James of the brand Brother Vellies with the words “TAX THE RICH” scrawled in red across the black. Twitter slammed the politician for making such a statement while attending a $35,000 per-seat event. But if Cortez planned to bring attention to the issue while mingling with its perpetrators, it worked. As she posted on Instagram herself, the term ‘tax the rich’ saw a breakout surge on google. Joe Biden also took to Twitter to share his stance: “It’s time the super-wealthy and big corporations pay their fair share in taxes”. It seems, Cortez had her cake and ate it too.  Performing America The walk up the Met stairs with a train trailing each slow step is arguably the most coveted photo moment of the night. Everyone makes their way upstairs, but few looks become the stuff of iconic imagery: Rihanna in a yellow robe by Chinese designer Guo Pei in 2015; Sarah Jessica Parker in a gold Dolce & Gabbana gown in 2018; Lady Gaga wearing fuchsia pink Brandon Maxwell in 2019. This time, we got a mix of newcomers and regulars vying for the photo of the night. Undoubtedly, sports stars fresh off the Tokyo Olympics podium would be the perfect symbols for a night of brandishing American-ness. In her first-ever Met appearance, the gymnast Simone Biles rose – or rather, was anchored – to the occasion. She wore a three-in-one-outfit – designed by the New York-based duo of Beckett Fogg and Piotrek Panszczyk of the breakthrough brand, AREA – comprising a Swarovski laden padded skirt weighing almost 40 kilograms, a minidress, and starry catsuit underneath. Following Biles’ withdrawal from the Olympics for mental health reasons, the look asserted the power of acknowledging weaknesses. In another Met debut, the rapper Lil Nas X gave us the Lady Gaga moment of 2021. He started at the bottom of the stairs in a custom Versace beaded cape. He then removed it to reveal a golden suit of armour and subsequently stripped down to a bodysuit with gold crystals and the signature Versace house print. The message,  according to Lil Nas X , was that of breaking out of his shell. Supermodel and veteran Met attendee Iman took the throne in a gold brocade bustier-and-trousers set worn under a feathery hoop skirt and a matching larger-than-life feathery headpiece. Designed as a collaboration between Dolce & Gabbana and Harris Reed, the dress took 400 hours to make. It was a happy dress – Iman radiated like the sun with her feathery spokes. “I feel great because the whole evening is about hope,” said the Somali-American model who started her cosmetic line for black women way back in 1994. [caption id=“attachment_9966661” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Iman[/caption] On the same night, Kim Kardashian covered her entire body – face included – in a Balenciaga bodystocking, looking like a black hole on the pale carpet. Some have called it a mannequin-look – Kim being a blank slate for the demands of culture to be projected upon. Some inferred a doomsday version of Americana. [caption id=“attachment_9966671” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Kim Kardashian[/caption] Rihanna, the Queen of the last few Met Galas, was the last to arrive. She wore a puffy, black Balenciaga floor-length overcoat, a beanie, and diamonds. It was her most understated Met Gala look ever and juxtaposed the colour of her partner rapper A$AP Rocky’s quilt cloak. Designed by Eli Russel Linnetz, the cloak paid homage to the American tradition of quilting. Each made for a stunning Instagram look. But taken together, they imbued virality with substance – a vision of comfort and latching onto each other for survival. Maybe that’s what’s American fashion in these difficult days. [caption id=“attachment_9966681” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Rihanna[/caption]