I’m admittedly not great at the Met themes when they are very vague and open to interpretation — textual analysis is why I abandoned being an English major — but it did seem like one surefire way to play with “In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion” is to use that most American-seeming of materials: denim. Lupita Nyong’o did it to great effect, but sadly, as far as I can tell from the photos we have as of this writing, only about three other people went there with her.
It’s come up already a fair bit and it will come up again, but the relative underrepresentation of American designers — particularly lesser-known ones for whom this would have been a genius platform — was galling. So yes, all credit to Donatella Versace for running with a a super denim concept for Lupita’s gown, but how disappointing that, for example, Calvin FREAKING Klein didn’t do it? Calvin Klein makes jeans. Jeans MADE Calvin Klein. The man himself sparked the designer denim trend back in the ’70s. Brooke Shields herself should have been there in a gown made of repurposed vintage Calvin Klein jeans, but instead, I don’t even think CK as a brand was even present. Apparently SOMETHING got between Anna and her Calvins.
Herein also: The rest of the blues, greens, and purples of the Met Gala.
