OPINION: MET GALA’S GARDEN WAS A DELIGHT, BUT NEEDED A BIT OF PRUNING
Analyzing the Met Gala is always a challenge for me. Unlike other red carpet events, this is the one where the most outlandish outfit wins. Taste and elegance go out the window in favor of chasing down the year’s theme. (This year’s theme was “The Garden of Time,” so there were florals everywhere.) Some of the clothes that I might normally champion easily get pushed aside as boring or “also ran.” Yet, when elegance and showmanship collide, true artistry is born, and we saw some of that at last night’s event.
I’ll start with my “also-rans” and won’t even bother with pictures for most because, well, you’ll get the idea. Actor Hugh Jackman looked stunning in…well…a black tuxedo. I can’t very well criticize Michael Kors for showing up in a tuxedo jacket thrown over a black T-shirt because that is his uniform and I respect that (a black T-shirt is also my preferred uniform). Andy Cohen escorted Sarah Jessica Parker, so it was a smart move to play it quiet. He looked great in his black velvet one-button tuxedo jacket by Berluti. Musician Ed Sheeran, on the other hand, looked as though he were dressing for his high school prom.
Dwyane Wade (who was groomed by Bevel, one of my favorite hair and beard-care collections) wore a quiet and elegant look in a soft, subtle lavender hue and an almost severe jacket and shirt; his minimal look really stood out.
Chris Hemsworth (top, with his wife Elsa Pataky), one of the evening’s co-chairs, may just play a god in the movies, but he sure looked heavenly in a simple cream-colored Tom Ford look (here shown getting ready at The Carlyle. Photo by Krista Schlueter).
Speaking of Tom Ford, his look was all about simple Saint Laurent elegance in a burgundy velvet jacket and black trousers.
Finally, my favorite of the “simple” looks was Tommy Hilfiger! His crisp red satin jacket and navy tuxedo-striped trousers looked fresh and all-American.
A few misses? Actor Chase Stokes (Outer Banks) may have looked young and sexy in his sparkly ensemble, and Morgan Spector (The Gilded Age) nailed the evening’s floral theme, but somehow the whole shirtless thing and the big fabric corsage looked dated and all too literally, “so last year.”
Jeremy Pope (Hollywood) just flat-out needs to fire his stylist. That look was embarrassing.
Again, my favorites for the evening were those guys whose looks were both elegant and whimsical: Jeff Goldblum, Barry Keoghan, Troy Sivan, and Jayden Smith. Jeff Goldblum’s long coat was adorned with a cabinet of curiosities.
Keoghan’s top hat looked like something from Willy Wonka, but the brown velvet was truly scrumptious. Singer Sivan looked youthful and sleek. Finally, Smith’s Thom Browne creation was floral, dramatic, and maybe even a bit busy, but he wore it with ease.
As inspiration boards, Pinterest pages, and smartphone photo albums fill with images from last night’s event, I’m sure retailers and custom tailors will have their hands full with customers seeking outfits influenced by the night’s festivities for upcoming weddings and special events. Let’s sow the seeds and tend that garden, even if it just means keeping a few more floral jacquard bowties and cummerbunds around.
