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The Met Gala was this Monday, and celebrities reminded us yet again that even though they have all the money and power in the world, they still don’t know how to follow a theme. The theme for this year’s Met Gala was “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,” with the dress code being “The Garden of Time” inspired by JG Ballard’s 1962 short story. Evidently, many celebrities took the garden part a bit too literally, simply throwing in a floral pattern and calling it a day. 

For the worst looks of the night, it would honestly be a waste of time to even bother bringing up the number of men dressed in plain and frankly boring black suits. However, going to the Met Gala and deciding to play it safe is certainly… a choice.  

First on the list of the worst dressed of the evening is Alexandra Michler Kopelman in… an Easter dress? This Emilia Wickstead strapless gown was unnecessarily poofy and looked like something you would find in an H&M. To quote Miranda Priestly, “Florals? In spring? Groundbreaking.” 

Next on the list is Jessica Serfaty Michel in a bright, colorful, flowery mess of a Dolce cape with a silk chiffon dress underneath, which probably would have been better on its own. This outfit may have been on theme, as the pieces were from archive collections, but that doesn’t make it any less awful. 

Then we have Sarah Jessica Parker, best known for playing the uber-fashionable Carrie Bradshaw, who wore a Richard Quinn corset gown with crystal embellishments and an oversized hat from Phillip Treacy. The actress later explained on Today with Hoda and Jenna that she “literally couldn’t sit” in the dress. Unfortunately, this sacrifice was not worth it as the best way to describe this dress is as looking like she was attending the Kentucky Derby from hell, not the Met Gala. 

Rita Ora donned a Tom Ford gown with a wet-look hairstyle. This “gown” is actually just a transparent mesh bodysuit with rows of beads covering the front and back. It has no sides and the bodysuit seems to have a white cast. The color coordination of the makeup and the gorgeous beads “older than anyone on this planet”, seem to be the only things working out in her favor. 

Doja Cat wore something everyone is either calling the maxi T-shirt, a T-shirt gown, or a floor-length T-shirt designed by Vetements. The rapper’s team used hair gel to make the white cotton shirt cling to her body to make it seem wet. It’s hard to not recognize her commitment to cotton, the “most used flower”, but it’s not anything particularly impressive. She looks like a Greek statue, with goth tears?

Sydney Sweeney is a great example of one of the most common fashion mistakes, poorly accessorizing. The actor’s Miu Miu tulle gown is beautiful, it’s light blue and maybe a little too adorned with flowers to match the theme. Unfortunately, the leather opera gloves made the look messy, and with the necklace, it was overall busy. The actor also traded her golden locks for what appears to be a short black wig with bangs. Perhaps her natural hair color would’ve made a better choice, or maybe just a different wig.

In spite of the astounding mediocrity at this year’s Met Gala, some celebrities definitely managed to stand out in looks that were both theme-oriented and fabulous. Anok Yai was among the best-dressed at the 2023 Met Gala, and she continues to dress to impress. For this year’s Met Gala, she wore a full-body crystal jumpsuit designed by Swarovski made up of 98,000 crystals. Her gorgeous jewelry and stunning makeup fit perfectly with her outfit, making this look easily among the most memorable of the night.

If people didn’t know who Mona Patel was before the Met Gala, they certainly do now. Her custom Iris van Herpen gown styled by Law Roach with actual moving butterfly arm cuffs had the internet abuzz Monday night. X user @aby_nealon posted, “THE BUTTERFLIES MOVE?!! MONA PATEL I WASN’T FAMILIAR WITH YOUR GAME.” 

Alia Bhatt stunned at her second Met Gala ever in a handcrafted mint green saree and a blouse adorned with real gems by Indian couturier Sabyasachi. The most impressive part of this look? The 23-foot-long train detailed with carefully crafted hand-embroidered florals featuring semi-precious gemstones. “It has taken a collective effort of 163 dedicated individuals, including master craftspeople, embroiderers, artists, and dyers, investing a total of 1965 man hours to create this ethereal saree,” said Bhatt in an Instagram post about her outfit.

Wisdom Kaye made his highly anticipated Met Gala debut this year, and he did not disappoint. The fashion influencer dropped jaws in his perfectly on-theme bold red trench coat with burnt accents by Robert Wun. The unique take on this year’s theme easily lands Kaye a spot among this year’s best-dressed.

Fashion power duo Zendaya and stylist Law Roach stole the show with a custom look from fashion house Maison Margiela. The gala co-host wore a green and blue trumpet-shaped gown, a stunning call back to a 1999 Dior runway design. The look was rich with texture and adorned with spirals of tulle along with iridescent faux grapes and a hummingbird earring. It was topped off with a netted fascinator hat featuring a tall feather. Raoul Alejandre complimented the colors with a berry makeup look similar to the viral Margiela runway makeup. It made the star look absolutely ethereal. This was her first look of the night, but her last look was certainly not the least.

Emma Chamberlain’s gothic-inspired look impressed me this year. The influencer wore a strapless Jean Paul Gautier corseted bodice gown featuring a tulle train. The French fashion house spent 640 hours making the dress and took inspiration from a runway corset look back in 2003. Her dark makeup and matching mesh/lace opera gloves with an arm cuff made to look like ivy complimented the dress beautifully. At first glance, the necklace is a bit odd looking, but upon closer inspection, it really ties the whole look together. Chamberlain told Vogue she would describe her look as “decaying”, which fits in perfectly with the theme.

Taylor Russell made her Met Gala debut in a spectacular look designed by Spanish fashion house Loewe. Her arrival was highly anticipated after impressing Anna Wintour when she opened a Loewe runway show in a pewter metal jacket. The brand’s muse wore a high-neck corset that was 3D molded to perfectly fit her body. Hydro-sublimation was used to create a wood marquetry pattern on the corset. The look was completed by a silky white circle skirt featuring a thigh-high slit, and bangs inspired by Audrey Hepburn. Russell definitely did not disappoint for her first time at the gala.

Despite the theme and dress code seemingly getting lost upon most of the guests, at least we were lucky enough to witness the newest additions to the Met Gala’s greatest hits. The accompanying exhibition, Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion, celebrates clothing and fashion that is so fragile it could never be worn again. On display, there were archival pieces dating back to the 17th century that are inevitably decaying. The point of the night wasn’t fairytale and crystalline flowers, but to properly convey how Ballard’s short story portrays inescapable fleeting beauty. While the flowers are technically representative of “The Garden of Time,” celebrities should have opted for more melancholic florals as opposed to busy foliage.

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