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Met Gala 2022: the failure of fashion and withering fashion creativity
To begin with, I want to clarify, that I am no fashion expert, never studied fashion, or had worked in that field not even in the retail fashion industry. But I have always been an enthusiast of all the fashion around the world, keeping an eye on every trend that was showcased on the runway. Saying that since 2011-2012 I have been a fan of Met Gala. It was before Kim Kardashian debuted I have been following the Met Gala theme and fashion. So when the theme for the Met Gala 2022 was announced as the 2nd part of last year’s “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” this year was “Gilded Fashion”.
If you don’t know what Gilded Fashion is, here is short summary. Gilded Glamour is a homage to the gilded era. The era of the industrial boom around the 1800s. At the height of capitalism, when the rich were getting richer and the lower economic class was exploited. Xenophobia was at its high, slavery still existed, half of the population was suffering from poverty and the other half enjoyed their riches accumulated by the exploitation of the working class. Oh, wait that sounds like the time we live now. With the arrival of Covid19 in 2020, we now see the ending of the middle class as they are pushed on the verge of poverty due to various factors like job loss, lack of medical financial aid, and obviously the rise in the cost of living and underpay to survive it. So the outrage for the theme this year is acceptable in a way. We see the attendee donning hundreds of thousands worth of dresses, paying tens of thousands to attend a gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Where just a few miles away we can see the people struggling to survive.
But just like comedy, I prefer not to judge fashion by its theme. Being POC, I don’t mind the theme as I have accepted the fact not me trailblazing against capitalism gonna put end to it. I am working 2 jobs and writing the blog with lots of complaints yet no complaints. Irony.
Personally, when the New York Times fashion director Vanessa Friedman shared on Twitter, that the theme is Gilded Glamour, I was thinking it’s Bridgerton, thought-provoking fashion, satirical attire, retaliation of Xenophobia by POC or elite that claims to be allies. But they fucked up. FUCKED UP. There was so much scope to this theme and that’s coming from someone who just watches a few fashion shows and read some fashion magazines.
The red carpet was more like a runway for Shein or Fashion Nova clothes. The person who got the theme right was the reporter on Red Carpet. How? Why? Loved Kim Kardashian’s glam and her Marlyin Manoroe “happy birthday Mr. President” dress but how the fuck is it Gilded Fashion? Or Kris Jenner donning Jackie Kennedy, how is that Gilded? And I am so disappointed by Kar/Jen clan. Can they just ask Kanye to be their stylist? With Kanye gone, so does their Fashion sense. Can somebody please save Kim from Pete Davidson turning her into Staten island garbage?
Out of 4 co-chairs this week, only Blake Lively served the look. In recent years she had been the apple of met gala when she attended. Her designer Atelier Versace understood the assignment. The change at Met Staire was phenomenal. She owned the red carpet. But then her husband wearing
This year we got our Carrie back to MET red carpet and she owned it. Sarah Jessica Parker wore a gown by Christopher John Rogers, made in homage to Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley, a Black seamstress who made a number of dresses for Mary Todd Lincoln. That was the theme, the Gilded glamour. And we need to keep SJP safe for serving the theme at the met gala.
Riz Ahmed was there, and for anything, he does I can never criticize him at all. Although he is British Pakistani, can I say he is honourary from my country? Pakistan already has Kumail and there is a lot of Indian representation in Hollywood. Can we please take Riz Ahmed for ourselves? Riz Ahmed made the statement representing immigrants that fueled the gilded era. Wearing a blue silk shirt and white undershirt designed by my fellow countrymen Prabal Gurung the wholeness of Immigrants making America great. Now that’s what I call understanding met theme and that’s why I am claiming Riz Ahmed as my representation.
Lin-Manuel Miranda was co-chair for this year. Do I like him, I love him, his work, and representation of south America are what we need. But I was not pleased with his met theme, he could have done better. But he was on theme sort of. He wore long-tailed best designed by his musical Hamilton’s costume designer Paul Tazewell. He represented the classic American gentlemen during the Gilded era. He was accompanied by his wife Vanessa who was dressed in a Fuschia gown which was not on the theme but boy do I love it. It made the statement that her husband is co-chair this year.
Cynthia Erivo paid her tribute to Louisiana history. The gilded era was a sad time when slavery was prevalent and it is part of American history, the brutality, and inhumane treatment. Louisiana did have free black people who were not slaves but to undermine the fact they are equal citizens there was the rule for black women to cover their hair. And Cynthia donned the headscarf with the power. The same way the black women did in the Gilded era came as a statement even during that time and white women started copying it and came to the headpieces that were famous in the Gilded era.
We had Hadid sisters. I love them and their outfits. Gigi Hadid killed the red carpet with her Versace custom look. She was the take on the modern gilded era. The latex jumpsuit with a puffy long/large coat. The corset and open décolleté and neckpiece that the fusion of past and present done right.
Bella Hadid put the sexy aspect on the gilded glamour. I loved her corset, a tribute to gilded glamour. Dress by Burberry, Bella added the It-girl aspect to gilded glamour. Although not my favorite, I liked it. On theme with the sexy aspect to it, which is understandable due to the sexiness and seductiveness we have been getting through the Bridgerton series.
Overall I was disappointed by Met gala 2022. The theme was not followed by most of the designer or their take on the theme was incomprehensible to me. I don’t even wanna talk about Anna Wintour’s dress. Wtf was that, it looked like the 1920s gatsby theme that you get from a fancy dress store. The perfect theme for the red carpet look should have been Capitalization and Fast Fashion: dresses from Shein and Fashion Nova. you can call me bitter but that’s the fact. I want to see the fashion on Met Redcarpet that I cannot fathom affording not something I can get look-alike from a fast-fashion brand
