Our predictions for all-American themed looks at the 2021 Met Gala

Fashion

Sep 10

The Met Gala is back! The star-studded event, usually held the first Monday of May, will be happening Sept. 13 this year. The theme, you ask? Celebration of all things American fashion, in honor of the 75th anniversary of the Costume Institute. Encompassed within the theme are culture, politics and social movements.

The Met Gala takes place at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City. The elaborate and exclusive event aims to help raise funds for the museum. Each year, the event has a theme that will link back to an exhibit within the museum. Previous themes included Punk (2013), Catholicism (2018) and Camp (2019).

This event is invite-only, and with COVID-19 restrictions, it will be even more intimate this year. The Met steps are grazed by loved actors and actresses, models, singers, athletes and anyone influential. This is also where designers and stylists can make their mark.

Here are some educated guesses for possible looks based on previous years. These are what the Rihannas and Lady Gagas will most likely be wearing on the most luxe event of the year.

All-American designers

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about the American theme is the designers who have shaped USAmerican fashion. Think Halston, Charles James, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Vera Wang and so on.

These designers shaped the USAmerican aesthetic. Many outside of the United States associate these brands with the USAmerican fashion DNA. These brands continue to shape the culture by having fashion icons of the moment — Justin Bieber, Zendaya, Gigi Hadid — as the face of these brands to maintain relevancy and attention.

These designers take timeless, everyday pieces that many grew up wearing and elevate them. They show the aspirational side of these simple pieces while remaining attainable, done with the patriotic color palette of red, white and blue at the forefront to bring it all home. They give an ode to the American Dream and how at any moment you could go from rags to riches.

These all-American brands have significantly shaped the USAmerican fashion and culture. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Tommy Hilfiger Spring 2017 or custom-tailored Calvin Klein suits graze the Met steps. But we also can’t forget about new up-and-coming designers like Prabal Gurung, Christopher John Rogers and Vaquera, who are bringing a fresh take to the fashion scene.

Politics, but make it fashion

Social movements have been at the center of the USAmerican experience for decades. The Black Lives Matter movement and Stop Asian Hate gained visibility in the last year, pushing for change and better policies for marginalized groups.

Fashion takes a lot of influence from events in society. With the transparency of social media, many consumers want brands to speak up and advocate for what’s right. For example, you have brands like Brandon Blackwood who created a line of bags saying “End Systemic Racism,” pushing for equality with a statement handbag in every sense of the word.

We could see some attendees making political statements with their Met looks. They can perhaps take inspiration from the Black Panther Party’s uniform.

They could also wear something similar to what Lena Waithe and Pyer Moss wore to the 2019 Met Gala for the Camp theme. Embroidered across the back of their tailored suit read “Black Drag Queens Invented Camp.” This showcased the originators of the theme and put emphasis on the importance of speaking for those that paved the way for these looks.

Reimagining the decades

Fashion is ever-evolving and telling of the times those looks lived in. There have been many iconic decades in USAmerican history that have shaped the fashion scene. Many say certain pieces from the past always make their way back around. Perhaps some of those looks will make a reappearance on the Met steps this year.

The first decade that comes to mind is the 1930s with Old Hollywood Glam. Imagine seeing looks inspired by Audrey Hepburn’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” dress or Marilyn Monroe’s hot pink dress from the movie “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.”

It would be a missed opportunity not to see light-catching, crystal-studded gowns paired with exaggerated faux fur coats take everyone’s breath away as they did then.

Or will there be an ode to the Roaring ʼ20s? Some could say that we live in a mirroring of what was happening then, now with civil unalignment, economic downturn and devastating diseases. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the 1920s flapper dress reimagined with encrusted beads or layered fringe and feathers.

True Americana

Patchwork, apple pie, cowboys, stars and stripes!

We can’t leave out those who will take the American theme for what it is and go full-blown patriot.

Will it be in the way of Camp, as the most recent Haute Couture collection from Pyer Moss showcasing Black USAmerican inventions? Will we see the iconic head-to-toe roller set or a jar of peanut butter? Or will we see a creative take on the USAmerican cowboy or the flag reimagined?

Maskerade

Due to things ramping back up with COVID-19 and the spread of new variants, the Met requires all attendees to provide proof of vaccination. Attendees are also expected to wear masks except when eating or drinking.

You can’t expect celebs to come to the biggest fashion event of the year with a basic blue surgical mask. With that being said, what elaborate mask looks will come from this evening?

Will it be Alexander McQueen- or Maison Margiela-inspired full facial coverings (with actual masks underneath), or will it be diamond-, flower-, feather-laced partial coverings? Will they have controversial statements sprawled across the front or stars and stripes in ode to the USAmerican flag?

With this being the first Met Gala since the pandemic, we’re all intrigued about how designers will stay on theme while keeping attendees COVID-free with their face coverings.

We hope to see stripes and stars, looks that make a statement, jars of all-USAmerican peanut butter, dresses of the decades, elaborate masks, tried and true USAmerican designers or a mix of the lot. The possibilities are truly endless.

We all can’t wait to see what the attendees’ designers and stylists have up their sleeves, but we will have to wait till Sept. 13 to find out.

What are your 2021 Met Gala look predictions, and who do you think will be wearing what?

Header photo by (Andrew Neel / Unsplash)