The biggest night in fashion is back. And we’re not going to beat around the bush: This year’s theme is no bed of roses to interpret.
The 2024 Met Gala, Vogue’s annual fashion extravaganza at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, traditionally takes place on the first Monday in May, and attendees on the star-studded guest list traditionally are tasked with wearing a themed ensemble. Co-hosting this year’s event are Zendaya, Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez, Chris Hemsworth and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour
Last year’s theme was pretty black and white and was “in honor of Karl” — or a tribute to the controversial but influential fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, who died in 2019 at age 85. Due to the simplicity of the dress code, we didn’t get any campy outfits like Katy Perry’s chandelier dress, stunners like Blake Lively’s color-changing number, or straight-up head-scratchers like Kylie Jenner pairing a wedding gown with a baseball cap. Rather, we got a lot of Chanel, which is always chic but yawn-worthy enough that a cockroach that crashed the red carpet became the official star of the night.
But this year’s theme is so convoluted that it likely will sow the seeds of some straight-up mess.
The dress code is “The Garden of Time,” named after the 1962 short story by J.G. Ballard. In the story, an aristocratic couple living in a walled estate with a magical garden tries to stave off an unruly mob trying to break in. To keep the mob at bay, the husband picks flowers trying to turn back time until there’s no blooms left. The mob eventually breaks in, ransacks their place and the couple turns to stone. Due to this, Vogue told its guests that outfits should represent “fleeting beauty” and embody “the beauty of the natural world — its fragility and its inevitable decay.”
As always, the dress code is inspired by the Met Fashion Institute’s annual spring exhibit. The whole point of the gala is to raise money for the Fashion Institute, which is the only department at the museum required to pay for itself.
This year’s exhibit is “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,” and it showcases outfits so old and delicate, they can’t be displayed on mannequins. Instead, the exhibit will involve AI and 3D recreations of the work.
So, what does this all mean? We honestly have no idea — and we’re sure famous guests and their stylists are equally stumped. So, translations of this theme could run the gamut from floral prints, sustainable attire and suits made out of grass — to some celebrities missing the assignment and showing up in fairy tale garb thanks to the words “Sleeping Beauty” existing in the name of the exhibit.
But here at HuffPost, we’re happy to dig up and present all the best, worst and befuddling looks from this year’s bash, which you can take a gander at below.
So, in conclusion: Happy first Monday of May to all who celebrate!
Zendaya
Zendaya’s Second Met Gala Look
Mindy Kaling
Tyla
Ayo Edebiri
Cardi B
Gwendoline Christie
Jennifer Lopez
Bad Bunny
Greta Lee
Taylor Russell
Lana Del Rey
Lizzo
Dan Levy
Rebecca Hall
Elle Fanning
Gigi Hadid
Usher
Serena Williams
Rita Ora
Doja Cat
Dove Cameron
Sydney Sweeney
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo
Barry Keoghan
Sarah Jessica Parker
Da’Vine Joy Randolph
Kylie Minogue
Demi Moore
Shakira
Nicki Minaj
Rebecca Ferguson
Amanda Seyfried
Sebastian Stan
Lily Gladstone
Keke Palmer
Michelle Williams
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban
Taraji P. Henson
Queen Latifah
Kim Kardashian
Kendall Jenner
Kylie Jenner
Kris Jenner
Pamela Anderson
Donald Glover
Jessica Biel
Kieran Culkin and Jazz Charton
Brie Larson
Naomi Watts
Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade
Penélope Cruz
Uma Thurman
Eddie Redmayne
Anna Wintour
Ashley Graham
Emma Chamberlain
Elsa Pataky and Chris Hemsworth
Lea Michele
Luciana Damon and Matt Damon
Steven Yeun
Lily James
