It's been impossible to avoid Bella Hadid’s sheer, backless, stiletto sharpened catsuit today. Social media is agog with outrageously flamboyant outfits courtesy the Met Gala, once the province of expressively elegant gowns. So much has changed.
Instagram is flooded with images of Katy Perry in her red gown (a Maison Margiela Couture dress by John Galliano) and lacy sci-fi inspired veil headgear. According to social media trolls she’s topping the list for the worst dressed at the Met Gala this year. But it's admittedly a hotly contested title. Jaden Smith is definitely a contender, jauntily walking the red carpet looking like he spent way too too much time at the dentist’s getting metal fillings done. He’s proudly clasping what looks like coconut husk. Look closer and it's a tuft of his dreadlocks, presumably shaved off a while back. Apparently it's his “date” for the do. *Eyeroll*.
Jaden Smith spotted at Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garcons: Art of the In-Between - Arrivals of the Met Gala in New York. In keeping with his nonchalant, free-spirited style, the actor showed up at the gala carrying his dreadlocks and sporting a sultry crop.
Well, its the Met Gala after all. The perfect excuse for VIP attendees to turn up looking like glitter balls, confetti and random geometrical objects exploded over them. Many of the garments flaunted on the red carpet makes one wonder if the wearer lost his/her way en route to a Comic Con. Or a Star Trek convention.
Ever since 1948, this annual event has seen high profile actors, singers, models and socialites dressed in elaborate outfits waving and posing for the cameras. There’s a theme every year. This time its Kawakubo / Comme des Garcons: Art of the In-Between. Make what you will of that.
This is the second time an entire show is dedicated to a living designer. The first time this happened was in 1983 for Yves Saint Laurent. Celebrated Japanese designer Rei Kawabuko’s works celebrate all things unconventional and avant garde, hence these are the elements celebrity outfits showcased this year. The idea: to blur the lines between art and fashion. The result: well, a lot of blurry lines. Between fashion and practicality for starters, but that's an easy one. As any fashionista in toe-numbing high heels knows, you always pick fashion. Then there's the line between design and aesthetics. That's more challenging to define. After all, as Beauty and the Beast shows us, beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.
That’s why you’re not supposed to look quizzically at Rihanna’s floral multi layer outfit that looks like its engulfing her for dinner. Or at Julian Moore’s knee-grazing Calvin Klein dress that makes you wonder if hens frolicked about on it before she got dressed. Twitter meanwhile is having a field day tripping on Priyanka Chopra’s Ralph Lauren gown. It looks like it is inspired by a trench coat, but has an inexplicably long train which has become the butt of all jokes. “BCCI hired Priyanka to provide cover protection to stadiums during rains,” reads one of the tweets. “Free cleaning under Swacch Bharat Abhiyan,” reads another.
The ‘Desi Girl’ star Priyanka Chopra turned heads with her customised Ralph Lauren evening gown with a long train that required major assistance to manage on the red carpet.
The outfits have only got edgier and wackier with each passing year. Over the top is now the norm. No more elegant silhouettes and dainty bows. Purists may argue it's unseemingly avant garde. But you have to admit that the bizarre outfits are those that usually stand out, and have instant recall. Remember Rihanna’s bright yellow ‘omelette outfit,’ which she wore to the 2015 Met Gala? Of course you do. You probably still shudder a little. Not necessarily a good thing, but given the recent trending topics on social media, its mostly the ostensibly 'hideous' outfits that grab eyeballs. At this edition of the Met, fashion watchers have a different problem though. So many of the outfits border on the ridiculous that it's tough to pick the ones you love to hate. At the rate that we are going at, in a year, what will stand out the most will just be a little black dress.
