Celebrities attended the Met Gala 2024, an annual charity and fundraising event which marks the commencement of the Met’s fashion exhibit.
From the red carpet to the museum halls, Met Gala 2024, just like every other year, became a tapestry of creativity and expression as its attendees dazzled in meticulously-curated ensembles. The prestigious event happened the evening of May 6th at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. It upheld its reputation for extravagance while showcasing a plethora of highlights that left a lasting imprint in the world of fashion.
Met Gala 2024 paid homage to the theme, the “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” as its attendees adhered to the dress code, “The Garden of Time.”
Here are some of the highlights during the illustrious affair.
READ ALSO: Met Gala 2024: Announces Theme, Centers On The ‘Sleeping Beauties’ Of Fashion
The Met’s co-chairs
The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced the co-chairs of this year’s Costume Institute Benefit. Joining Anna Wintour are Bad Bunny, Chris Hemsworth, Jennifer Lopez, and Zendaya. Wintour, longtime editor in chief for American Vogue, helped raise $223.5 million for the Costume Institute Benefit and has been a Trustee of The Met since 1999.
The Met also announced Tiktok’s Chief Executive Officer Shou Chew and Loewe’s Creative Director Jonathan Anderson as honorary chairs.
Met Gala serves as a charity and fund-raising event for the Costume Institute for exhibitions, publications, acquisitions, operations, and capital improvements. Vogue mentioned that year after year, the gala raises eight-figure sums in the private, no-phone policy benefit. The gala is timed to mark the commencement of The Met’s fashion exhibition.
The theme and dress code
This year’s theme for the gala plans to cover the themes of fashion history, nature, technology and the senses. Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion is also an exhibit that will be on view at The Met Fifth Avenue, starting from May 10 to September 2.
It will showcase 250 clothing items from different time periods with nature-inspired imagery. These will symbolize the delicate and temporary being of fashion while also exploring rebirth and renewal.
Meanwhile, J.G. Ballard’s short story, “The Garden of Time,” inspired the dress code for the event. The story highlighted aristocrats Count Axel and his wife in a villa with a surrounding magical garden. This theme anticipated that a lot of attendees would evoke floral details and appliques, and other nature-centric attires.
Zendaya’s two looks for the Met Gala
Challengers star Zendaya surprised onlookers as she went on the Met Gala red carpet. She first wore a custom-designed emerald green and electric blue gown from Maison Margiela’s John Galliano. The dress is made from iridescent organza and sage-hued lamé, a corset of duchess satin, complete with hand-painted metallic details. The actress accessorized with a hat created by Stephen Jones, a veil, and Tabi pumps by Christian Louboutin.
Zendaya then graced the crowd with a surprise second appearance from Galliano’s first haute couture for Givenchy’s Spring/Summer 1996 collection. It is an off-shoulder corset top and A-line skirt with a long train, with a bouquet of flowers on her head.
Sydney Sweeney’s sleek, black bob
Anyone But You star Sydney Sweeney dropped her blonde look and sported a black bob at the gala. She came to the event with a powder blue, Cinderella-inspired gown with sheer sleeves from Miu Miu, accessorized with a crystallized veil from Jennifer Behr.
Hair stylist Glen Oropeza fixed and shaped Sweeney’s black wig, cut into a bob with bangs that float above her eyes.
Camila Cabello’s ice purse
“Havana” singer Camila Cabello stole the show as she walked the red carpet of the Met Gala 2024. She donned a Ludovic de Saint Sernin number, but the highlight of the dress is that it is made of over 250,000 Swarovski crystals and took 450 hours to make.
E! News reported Cabello said the dress was very heavy, but that’s not the only detail that left the crowd wonderstruck. The singer had a clutch made of actual ice and had a rose inside.
“My hands are cold,” she muttered as she reached the top of the stairs. According to her, the accessory symbolized “impermanence.” She was not upset that it would melt if it meant she got a rose once she leaves.
A staggering 13,500 hours
A report from People reported that model Gigi Hadid once again delivered a show-stopping look at the Met Gala. She had on a Thom Browne off-shoulder gown with rose detailing and an attached train with yellow details and shaped like tuxedo jackets.
The dress required five handlers to fluff it out for onlookers to see. The dress also took a whopping 13,500 hours to finish with 70 people making it by hand as per Vogue. The corset dress had over two million white micro bugle beads embroidered on it.
Stray Kids make history
Korean pop group Stray Kids make history at the Met Gala 2024 as they are the first KPop artists to ever grace the prestigious event.
A report from Vogue stipulated that many Korean celebrities went to the Met, like NCT’s Johnny, and Jennie and Rose from Blackpink, who attended the 2023 and 2021 gala respectively. However, the groups never had all members show up and wear the same designer, until this year, through Stray Kids.
The members all sported dapper custom pieces from Tommy Hilfiger. “Representing Tommy Hilfiger as eight members for the first time on the Met Gala carpet is truly a rare and honorable moment for us,” member Felix said.
Lily Gladstone’s first Met Gala
Killers of the Flower Moon actress Lily Gladstone chose an intentional dress for the Met Gala, this being her first time in attendance as per Vogue. She wore a black dress from Gabriela Hearst and sparklers from Kiowa jeweler Keri Ataumbi.
Hearst said in her Instagram post that Gladstone’s attire is a custom black silk wool cady bustier dress and black silk organza cape. Makers hand-embroidered stars from recycled silver and glass beads from Ataumbi.
“Each individual star is hand-crafted from recycled silver and glass beads,” Hearst explained. “[These have] been hand-embroidered in place to appear as they would be seen in the night sky of the Great Plains on the summer solstice. A total of 493 stars and beads were embellished, taking over 120 hours to complete.”
Other first timers at the Met Gala 2024
Among the debut attendances the event witnessed are that of Ayo Edebiri, Tyla, Ambika Mod, Mike Faist, and Nicholas Galitzine.
Edebiri wore a floral lace, halter neck gown from Loewe. Her dress had a silhouette at the back with a rainbow gradient of flowers on the skirt.
Tyla turned from water to sand wearing a beige-gold, sculpted gown from Balmain. Her shoulder was also dusted with “glittery dust” as per Elle.
One Day actress Ambika Mod also attended the Met Gala for the first time this year. She, like Tyla, wore Loewe’s white silk dress with a three-dimensional print of another dress, the 1951 Petal ball gown. British Vogue revealed the print is “an apt way” to utilize fragile old pieces and revive it through futuristic techniques.
Challengers’ Mike Faist arrived at his first ever Met Gala red carpet wearing a classic black tuxedo and cream trousers, again from Loewe. He accentuated his look with an embellished radish brooch and round-toed shoes.
The Idea of You star Nicholas Galitzine debuts at the Met Gala, too. He wore a custom black wool fitted jacket from Fendi, with satin lapel and embroidered flower with a matching tie.
Baby bumps at the gala
Expecting moms also graced the Met Gala of their attendance. Glee star Lea Michele showed up at the red carpet while showing off her baby bump. She looked stunning in a blue Rodarte gown with a one-shoulder strap and white flowers adorned on the bodice. She is pregnant with her second child with husband Zandy Reich.
British fashion model Adwoa Aboah announced her pregnancy at the gala as per People. She donned a red H&M skirt set with a red ruffled crop top. She paired her voluminous, layered top with a maxi skirt with a bubble hem.
Check this link for the full Met Gala 2024 highlights.
Banner photo via Instagram @jlo.
