Unless you have been living under a rock since the beginning of the era of social media, you should know the first Monday of the month of May can only be fashion's biggest night as celebrities put their best foot forward to showcase some of the most artistic looks. But there's a catch! The theme of the outfits is pre-decided which results in a lot of celebrities and their stylists to interpret it very, very wrong entirely and more often than not end up in disasters altogether.
However, the theme of the exhibition held at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and that of the dress code are two very different things. As for 2022, the theme of the exhibition was: "In America: An Anthology of Fashion" and as for the dress code, it was "Gilded Glamour". Now, the question is: was it really so hard to connect the two guys?
Overlooking all the letdowns of the evening, we did have a few celebrities paying homage to America's Gilded Age without missing out on the opportunity to showcase the excessiveness and over the top-ness of the age.
Billie Eilish
Gucci
If there's one person that aced the theme of the night, its Billie Eilish. Not only is the look impeccably reminiscent of the painting of Madame Paul Poirson by John Singer Sargent from the late 19th Century but it also has the bustle on the dress that is the signature of the extravagance of women of the Gilded Age.
We, of course, cannot miss out on the edgy hairdo that expresses her individuality without clashing entirely with the outfit.
Blake Lively
Versace
Blake Lively seems to have interpreted the theme in all of its essence, resulting in the fan-favourite looks of the night.
Her initial look was inspired by the New York Empire State Building and the colour was, in my opinion, the splitting image of the New York skyline at sunset.
That is until of course her bustle unfolded into the colour of the Statue of Liberty, the train of the dress embellished with constellations straight from the ceiling of Grand Central. To top it all off, her tiara held exactly the 7 gems to represent the seven spikes of the Statue of Liberty and additional 25 gems for the 25 windows on its crown.
Furthermore, it was an appreciative nod to the birthday girl of the night herself, Donatella Versace.
Shawn Mendes
Tommy Hilfiger
When upcycled fashion meets a good outfit, there isn't anything that can go wrong with it. Shawn Mendes was unarguably the best dressed man of the night.
Not only was the outfit was similar to the coats men wore in the late 1800's but also the thought behind it, upcycling materials and creating sustainable fashion, somewhere bridged the gap between the Gilded Age and the current.
And lets not overlook his Tommy Hilfiger themed nails. Yes sir, living for it!
Sarah Jessica Parker
Christopher John Rogers
If there's one person that can do justice to any theme, its Sarah Jessica Parker.
You name it, she did it.
The plaid: check.
The silhouette: check
The over the top hat: check
The cinched waist: check
Hands down, she was one of the only celebrities of the night that did the extravagance of the theme justice in true Carrie Bradshaw manner.
Emma Corrin
Miu Miu
And last but not the least, we got served our only top hat moment by the queen Emma Corrin.
She wore the plaid coat with huge buttons in truly 1870's socialite male manner.
Everything of this look just worked, right down to the stockings and the pointy boots. Again, one of the handful of celebrities to have taken the term "Gilded Age" and done it justice amidst the very dreary, and not to mention one of the most disappointing nights of the Met Gala we have witnessed so far.
Awesome