Why the 2021 all-American Met Gala looks fell short
Written by Jailynn Taylor
While I am happy that my Met Gala 2021 prediction article hit the major subcategories of looks, I am disappointed with the overall outcome of the event.
Many of the looks fell under the same category, which only covers a small blip in USAmerican history and culture. Other looks were lackluster, and some were designed by non-USAmerican designers.
Over the last few years, celebs, designers and stylists have been dropping the ball when it comes to showing up and showing out for the Met Gala themes.
To recap, this year’s theme was a 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.
There were many ways this broad theme could have been interpreted, yet many of the looks fell under the Old Hollywood glam category. USAmerican culture is so much more than sparkly gowns and Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn recreations.
This Met Gala would have been a great opportunity to give a platform to new up-and-coming USAmerican designers, especially to designers of color who are often underrepresented. It could have even been a tribute to all-USAmerican designers that shaped fashion during their time, such as Halston or Charles James.
It also would have been nice to see stories of minorities and their struggles in this country through design concepts. We want more fabrics and silhouettes that have moved trends in this country. We could have seen the evolution of iconic fashion and cultural moments throughout USAmerican history, especially with the Roaring ’20s among us, and being so reflective of that time.
I want more than just pretty gowns. The people want substance, thoughtfulness and cultural moments.
Luckily for us, or perhaps unluckily, this is a two-part exhibition. The second part will be held on the traditional Met Gala date, May 2, 2022.
The theme for the second part is “An Anthology of Fashion.” We are still waiting for further details on what this will entail, but what we do know is the exhibit will focus on USAmerican film directors recreating historical cinematic scenes of USAmerican fashion.
We hope that with the second part some of our style icons will redeem themselves. Fingers crossed.
