MET GALA 2024: WHY WAS IT CONSIDERED UNDERWHELMING?

Last night, on the first Monday of May and as every year, the 2024 MET Gala took place in NYC. The dress code was "The Garden of Time", inspired by the short short of J.G. Ballard about a group of aristocrats who live in a beautiful villa and deals with the concepts of creation and destruction. Seeing how, in the current state of the world, we are all drooling over the rich and famous wearing pretty gowns as death and war surround us from every corner, it seems very fitting with today's atmosphere.

Zendaya, cohost of the MET Gala 2024, wearing custom Maison Margiela by John Galliano. James McCarthy/Getty Images

That being said, and getting into the theme of this blog entry which is fashion critique, it is a widely accepted opinion that 2024 was one of the most underwhelming MET Galas seen to date. Of course, it's not mandatory to strictly follow the theme in order to attend the gala, however there are plenty of other events where a more subdued approach to red carpet styling is welcome. This is THE MET GALA, the biggest fashion event of the year where you can go all out and have fun with what you are wearing: not playing it safe is very much encouraged here.

Cardi B in Chen Peng Studio. Getry Images.

The public was treated to a visual feast by some of the regular MET Gala showstoppers like Zendaya (who wore two looks: a custom piece by Maison Margiela by John Galliano and a vintage SS96 Givenchy gown), Cardi B in a larger-than-life Chen Peng Studio black ball gown and Anok Yai in a fully crystal studded bodysuit by Swarovski that looked like flowing water.

Anok Yai in custom Swarovski. Getty Images.

Some of the first-timers pulled out all the stops at their MET Gala debut. The one who stood out the most was, hands down, Tyla in her sand (yes, real sand) dress which was molded to fit her body by Olivier Rousteing at Balmain, was meant to be worn only once and came with a hourglass purse, completely in tune with the dress code of the night.

Tyla in Balmain by Olivier Rousteing. Getty Images.

A special mention is due to Indian stars Alia Bhatt and Mona Patel, who definitely did their homework and understood the night's assignment. Alia wore an exquisite hand made sari by Sabyasachi with a 6-foot long train that looked straight out of a fairytale, while Mona made her MET Gala debut in a Iris Van Herpen couture gown with moving plastic butterflies in her arms, styled by Law Roach (also responsible for Zendaya's looks the same night).

Alia Bhatt in Sabyasachi. Getty Images.

Mona Patel in Iris Van Herpen couture. Getty Images.

It is worth noting that there were multiple Galliano and Maison Margiela pieces seen last night in the green and white carpet. Could this be a (not so) subtle indication that John Galliano is paving the way for his comeback to the major fashion houses? It seems that he achieved all he wanted at Margiela and might be aiming for more, while preparing behind the scenes. This is all speculation and nothing is confirmed yet, so don't quote me on this.

Bad Bunny in Maison Margiela Artisanal Couture by John Galliano. Getty Images.

Although there were many interesting choices in the stairs of the Met museum last night, there was this feeling that some flamboyance, some unseriousness was missing from the usually wild and fun ambiance expected from the Olympics of fashion. Until further notice, the Heavenly Bodies night of 2018 will remain as the best year the Met Gala has had so far.