Reed Selects: All Time Best Met Gala Lewks
It’s officially May, and to me that means only one thing; It’s time for the Met Gala. The Olympics of Fashion at it’s finest. So as we anticipate the couture confections to come, let’s stroll down memory lane with my favorite LEWKS of Met Gala past and check out my pre Met Gala coverage over at PaperCityMag.com
Queen Wintour on the famous steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Photo via racked.com
The entrance to the Met is always transformed into a floral fantasy themed around the year’s central visuals like this one from last year’s ‘Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination. Photo via Pinterest.com
And now, a metaphor. The Met Gala is my Avengers. Attending this soiree is literally the only item on my bucket list besides ‘sing duet of Islands in the Stream with Dolly Parton’. The big Kahuna of Couture, the Met Gala has become the place for outrageous creations and magical star making moments.
But above all else, the Met Gala, formally called the Costume Institute Gala and also known as the Met Ball, is an annual fundraising gala for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York City. It marks the opening of the Costume Institute's annual fashion exhibit. Each year's event celebrates the theme of that year's Costume Institute exhibition, and the exhibition sets the overall tone for the formal dress of the night, since guests are ‘encouraged’ to choose their fashion to match the theme of the exhibit.
It is also one of the most exclusive tickets in town. As a side note, if you have not watched the documentary The First Monday in May (the date in which the Met Gala falls), obvi finish reading my splendid musings, but then go directly to Netflix. I watch it every year, the day of the Gala, just to get my head in the right Sartorial Space.
The official annoucnemtn of the 2019 Costume Insitute’s theme, Camp: Notes on Fashion with Gucci Creative Director Alessandro Michele, Anne Wintour, and the true architect of the entire evening, Andrew Bolton.
This year, the Met Gala theme is a veritable playground of possibility entitled, CAMP: Notes on Fashion, and is being chaired by Gucci’s creative genius Alessandro Michele, Harry Styles, Lady Gaga, Serena Williams and, as always, our Princess Leia of fashion herself, editor-in-cheif of American Vogue Anna Wintour. Here’s a brief download on what exactly that means from Vogue.com,
“[Camp] is the love of the exaggerated, the ‘off,’ of things-being-what-they-are-not,” Sontag offers. “Camp is a woman walking around in a dress made of three million feathers”; “[t]he whole point of Camp is to dethrone the serious. Camp is playful, anti-serious.”
With that said, I think it’s safe to say that my excitement level is so high it is triggering the same anxiety levels that I felt while watching US.
I don’t know about you, but I am already losing sleep wondering what our favorite celebrities are going to be donning for the evening. But, while we wait, feel free to feast your peepers on my top lewks from Met Gala past.
Image via Vogue.com
Who: Solange Knowles
What: Iris van Herpen
When: 2018
Why: Ever a risk taker when it comes to the red carpet, Solange wore one of the most creative designers of our time, and gave a new and interesting layer to the idea of religious dressing.
Image via Vogue.com
Who: Karolina Kurkova
What: Viktor & Rolf
When: 2005
Why: I want to take a nap in this so bad it’s ridiculous. There are certain pieces that are only eligible to be worn on the Met Gala carpet, and this literal plush fantasy from the label’s 2005 Ready-to-Wear collection is definitely one of those pieces.
Image via HarpersBazzaar.com
Who: Mandy Moore
What: Custom Michael Kors
When: 2017
Why: First things first, it’s all knit cashmere. Hellur, you could literally wear this while you binge watch the Marvelous Mrs. Maisal. What’s not to love?! But the intricacies of how this way made mimic that of the 2017 honoree, Commes des Garcons’ Rei Kawakubo.
Image via WWD.com
Who: Sarah Jessica Parker
What: Alexander McQueen
When: 2006
Why: Although SJP has had many a fantastic Met Gala moment (the Monse is still a personal favorite), this is quentessential Met Gala. Dressed to match McQueen himself, her date for the night, it was the perfect convergence of fashion and film.
Who: Lupita Nyong’o
What: Calvin Klein Collection
When: 2016
Why: Lupita is the Webster’s Dictionary definition of a red carpet slayer. Trends? No thanks. She always goes for a moment. The fashion equivalent of a Soundbite.
Image via GlamourMag.com
Who: Blake Lively
What: Marchesa
When: 2010
Why: This is such a moment for me fashion wise. It was during the height of Gossip Girl mania, and she pulled off one of the biggest jaw droppers of the year wearing an embellished and disassembled Micro mini. She also rocked a ponytail that I had dreams about for weeks to follow.
Image via Vogue.com
Who: Anne Hathaway
What: Valentino Haute Couture
When: 2018
Why: Pierpaolo Piccioli is my current Messiah of fashion, and this lewk, it’s brazen red and affixed with the chicest of the evenings crown moments, was an absolute stand out.
Image via WWD.com
Who: Rihanna
What: Dolce & Gabbana
When: 2009
Why: Of all of the powerful women who make up Met Gala history, Rihanna has always come to play (yes, she’s the only person to be on this list twice). But her first appearance in 2009, in this ultra tailored and chic Tuxedo moment still stands out in my mind as a perfect introduction lewk for your first Met Gala.
Image via Vogue.com
Who: Zendaya
What: Custom Atelier Versace
When: 2018
Why: If you know me at all, you know I hold a burning flame (no pun intended) for our dear Zendaya. And for last years Ball, decked as a literal Glamazon Joan of Arc, she was not only on fire (sorry), but she burned the whole damn house down (ok, I’m done).
Image via Vogue.com
Who: Kate Moss
What: Custom Marc Jacobs
When: 2009
Why: The Disco Chanteuse in me Rejoyceth!!! It’s Kate Moss, you need no other reason, but because I’m feeling freindly, allow me break this down for you. Metallic = Swoons. Legs for days = begins to sweat. the TURBAN = prints obituary.
Image via MarieClaire.com
Who: Rihanna
What: Guo Pei
When: 2015
Why: Sorry, I’m no longer friendly. if you don’t get why this belongs on this list, I literally cannot help you. Also, the Meme’s that gay twitter gifted us with after this moment, priceless.
Image via Vogue.com
Who: Linda Evangelista
What: Jean Paul Gaultier
When: 2004
Why: Linda is and always will be the Beyonce of the 90’s Supers and I don’t care what you have to say in rebuttal to this. Don’t @ me. This is timelessly couture, and perfectly whimsical in every way.
Image via Elle.com
Who: Beyonce
What: Givenchy Haute Couture by Riccardo Tisci
When: 2015
Why: Picture it; New York City, 2015. The height of the Naked Dress craze. Sure everyone’s lewks have been gorgeous thus far, but in walks Beyonce also wearing the Naked Dress Trend, and she then proceeds to out Naked Dress every other Naked Dress in existence. It’s peak illusion moment people. THE Interior Illusions Lounge. And once again… P O N Y T A I L WERQ!!!!
This year’s Met gala, ‘Camp: notes on fashion’ will take place monday may 6th at the metropolitan museum of art in New York city.
for more information about the Met, Met Gala, and it’s legendary Costume Institute, visit their official website by clicking the button below.
And make sure to follow along with ME on the big night while I break down my favorite lewks of the night on PaperCity Magazine’s Instagram!
