Welcome to the Morning After the Met Gala, a day on which we always have much to discuss. I’m so happy to welcome everyone back to this moment, after 16 months! We will be covering the event all day long here at GFY — the red carpet was packed, and given that you had to be vaccinated to attend, now we also know a lot of celebrities who’ve gotten the shot. (As well as some weird stuff about Nicki Minaj’s cousin’s friend’s testicles.) As usual, we’re kicking off with some of the biggest looks — although not necessarily the best ones! — as well as some General Thoughts about last night. The theme of this particular Met Gala, in case you missed it, was “In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion,” which is admittedly kind of a word salad but also a theme that seems fairly uncomplicated to parse: Wear an American designer. Easy!
Or not so easy? Never before have we seen a Met Gala red carpet more encumbered by celebrities’ contractual marriages to big design houses. On a night when I would have expected, you know, a lot of American designers, we mostly got a lot of the same old, same old European mega-brands, as well as a truly disappointing lack of archival or vintage pieces. Why? Presumably money. Money money money money money. Halston ain’t buying any ads in Vogue; Donna Karan doesn’t really exist the way it used to, but you’d think they could figure out a way to get a starlet in a great vintage number. But I admit that I was shocked to see NO Marc Jacobs on this red carpet at all. Maybe Marc doesn’t want to pony up for a table at the Gala anymore; maybe he and Anna are in a fight. (I imagine they might be in a fight now.) But Marc Jacobs is the most influential living American designer and the crown jewel of NYFW and for him not to be represented on this red carpet is honestly downright bizarre. With the caveat that I haven’t seen every look yet, as of this typing, I didn’t see any Pyer Moss, any Brandon Maxwell, any Jason Wu? I don’t believe there was any Calvin Klein. The theme is literally American fashion. Where were the American designers? What is happening?
Christian Siriano, who was everywhere at the last Met Gala, had some thoughts:
Lots of French designers tonight interesting….. #metgala
— Christian Siriano (@CSiriano) September 14, 2021
Indeed. I’m sure someone more knowledgeable about these things than I am is working on a piece about what happened here, and why a Met Gala celebrating Americans at an American museum during New York Fashion Week featured barely any American designers. I look forward to reading it. I also look forward to your thoughts about that and such other important topics as how Hailee Steinfeld looks right now; whether or not Debbie Harry is doing what Madonna should be doing; if we think Madonna didn’t come to this because she didn’t want to get vaccinated; if it’s sort of surprising that Rihanna didn’t wear an American designer (given that Rihanna, if anyone, is always incredibly thoughtful about interpretation of theme); and whether or not we’re all supposed to be carrying robot babies now.
[Photos: Shutterstock, Getty Images]
