15 must-see looks from the Met Gala 2024 red carpet
Truc Nguyen | CBC Life | Posted: May 7, 2024 1:41 AM | Last Updated: May 7
Zendaya, Cardi B, Lana Del Rey and more standouts from one of fashion's biggest nights
Often described as one of the biggest nights in fashion, the Met Gala is an annual fundraiser for The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that takes place — rather iconically — on the first Monday in May in New York City.
This year's event celebrates the Costume Institute's upcoming exhibition, Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.
The exhibition, which features around 250 nature-themed garments and accessories, is an exploration of the fragility and ephemerality of fashion. It's been described as a "celebration of clothing and fashion so fragile that it can't ever be worn again."
The 2024 Met Gala is being co-chaired by Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, Chris Hemsworth — and, of course, Vogue magazine editor Anna Wintour.
The dress code is "The Garden of Time," a theme inspired by British author J.G. Ballard's 1962 short story of the same name.
WATCH | The short story behind this year's Met Gala theme:
Here's how celebrities like Cardi B, Ariana Grande and Lana Del Rey interpreted the evening's theme on the green (!) carpet.
Zendaya
According to her stylist and close collaborator Law Roach, the Challengers star and Met Gala co-chair hadn't even seen her (first) dress for the evening until this past weekend. As usual, she looked amazing in a blue-and-green Maison Margiela Artisanal by John Galliano. The one-shoulder, mermaid-hem gown was paired with a dramatic headpiece and tulle veil detailing.
Surprise: Toward the end of the red carpet arrivals, Zendaya made a second appearance, this time wearing a black vintage Givenchy dress from the '90s with a bouquet-like hat by Philip Treacy for Alexander McQueen.
Emma Chamberlain
The YouTuber and content creator reprised her role as Vogue's special correspondent again this year, interviewing attendees at the gala. For her own red carpet arrival, Chamberlain made a gothic impression in a custom, lacy Jean Paul Gaultier corset dress that reportedly took four seamstresses around 600 hours to assemble.
Jennifer Lopez
A co-chair for the evening, Lopez shone in a silver, strapless Schiaparelli Haute Couture dress. Designed by Daniel Roseberry, the very sheer, fitted gown reportedly took 2.5 million beads to make. Lopez styled the custom dress with nude accessories and a statement Tiffany & Co. necklace.
Mindy Kaling
The Indian-American actor and producer chose a sculptural beige dress by Indian designer Gaurav Gupta. While it may not seem to fit the evening's dress code, at least at first glance, the dress does look great from all angles — and where else can one wear such a gorgeous and truly three-dimensional gown?
Greta Lee
Lee, who sported Loewe several times throughout this past awards season, went with the Spanish fashion brand again for the Met Gala. She paired her sheer white architectural gown with white slingback heels and a sleek wig hand-cut by hairstylist Jenny Cho that's sure to inspire many cuts this summer.
Wisdom Kaye
Unsurprisingly, there were many rose-inspired looks tonight, but model Wisdom Kaye's bold red outfit by London-based designer Robert Wun was particularly impactful. Plus, we love that he literally manifested his Met Gala debut by posting looks on Instagram.
Rebecca Hall
Making her Met Gala debut, Hall wore a diaphanous floral dress with an extra-long train by designer Danielle Frankel. Her sheer floral gloves, which are very on-trend, virtually disappear into the beautiful flowers painted on her shoulders and arms. Finally, her slicked back hair provides some much-needed contrast, allowing the overall look to feel modern and not too saccharine.
Morgan Spector
There were many men wearing oversized florals tonight. A highlight of this mini-trend was spotted on American actor Morgan Spector, who wore a bold red-and-black double-breasted suit by designer Willy Chavarría. The oversized poppies are stunning, and the fit is just right.
Christian Cowan and Sam Smith
The stylish couple wore co-ordinating double-breasted tuxedos in cream and black that were designed by Cowan himself. The win here is in the attention to detail — the jacket closures are made with actual red roses that were dipped in gold and sterling silver.
Demi Moore
Moore's pink-and-black strapless dress was made in part with wallpaper, according to designer Harris Reed. Sculpted hips elevate the look, and we're glad to see that the spiky, cape-like part comes off with ease. After all, there's a whole gala dinner for Moore to sit through following the red carpet!
Ariana Grande
Grande wore a strapless dress with a shimmery, mother-of-pearl bodice by Loewe's Jonathan Anderson and noted that pearl is her birthstone. Her Wicked-inspired beauty look is great, too — it includes what makeup artist Michael Anthony describes as "custom petal wing appliqués," and a minimalist long ponytail.
Lana Del Rey
Talk about a grand entrance. Del Rey posed on the arrivals carpet wearing literal branches draped with tulle. The theatrical ensemble by designer Seán McGirr at Alexander McQueen was inspired by mother nature and pays direct tribute to an archival McQueen look from 2006.
FKA Twigs
The British singer-songwriter wore Stella McCartney lab-grown diamonds and a fashion look inspired by the loop knits and sequined separates in the designer's Fall/Winter 2024 runway collection. It's not really on-theme, but it certainly stands out, thanks to plenty of shine — Twigs rocked sparkles all over her head, face and legs.
Naomi Watts
In a sea of colourful lace and florals, Watts stood out in a high-contrast look featuring a beaded black gown, puffy cape and white gloves. Oh, and apparently, Watts dished that her Balenciaga gown was made from "an old tablecloth that was bought on eBay for €20" and repurposed for fashion's biggest night.
Cardi B
One of the final arrivals of the evening, Cardi B did not disappoint. The American rapper wore a huge black tulle dress by by Windowsen that required a small crew to move along the carpet. She also wore dark green nails to match the oversized necklace, earrings and more from Kamyen Jewellery.
Corrections:- A previous version of this story cited Giambattista Valli Paris as the designer of Cardi B’s dress. In fact, it was designed by Windowsen. May 7, 2024 3:31 PM