When it comes to the Met Gala, it’s all about the details. And since this year’s dress code was “Fashion Is Art,” we gathered subtle details you might’ve missed from fashion’s biggest night, from one-of-a-kind shoes to intricate beading embellishments. Here are the 25 looks below:
1.
Chase Infiniti wore a Thom Browne dress that was inspired by Alexandros of Antioch’s Venus de Milo statue. According to Vogue, it was embroidered with 1.5 million sequins and covered with silk fringes in 600 different colors.
2.
Eileen Gu wore a live bubble machine dress by Iris van Herpen, Azusa Murakami, and Alexander Groves. According to an interview with ESPNW, the dress is made of 15,000 glass bubbles and took 2,550 hours to make. The machine itself was built under the dress, which made hundreds of bubbles come out for a whimsical effect.
3.
EJAE’s hair was inspired by Korean female artists of the Joseon dynasty and was also adorned with Korean hairpins called ‘binyeos’ throughout her braids.
4.
Cardi B’s Marc Jacobs pink Kiki platform shoes were hiding under her one-of-a-kind Marc Jacobs Met Gala nude, lace look.
7.
According to People, Isha M. Ambani’s look was all about family, as most of the jewels — about 200 mine-cut diamonds — were taken from her and her mom’s personal collection and sewn into the bodice. The entire look took 1,200 hours to make.
And don’t worry, the mango accessory wasn’t real. It was sculpted by Indian artist Subodh Gupta.
8.
Bad Bunny decided to become a silver fox for the Met Gala this year. The prosthetics were created by makeup artist Mike Marino, who has also worked on other major Hollywood movies and TV shows, including The Penguin. While it hasn’t been determined how long it took for him to transform into an older Bunny, he joked to Vogue that it took “53 years exactly.”
9.
Sabrina Carpenter focused on film (literally) for this year’s arts theme. Her dress pays homage to Audrey Hepburn’s 1954 film Sabrina. Below you can see a custom headpiece with the Sabrina title card, front and center.
A closeup of the rhinestone film-covered dress showcases actors Humphrey Bogart, William Holden, and Audrey.
10.
Gabrielle Union looked stunning with her updo. In an Essence interview, she said it was going to be a lot bigger. She said that she wanted to give influence to a Kwame Brathwaite picture, who is a Black photographer.
11.
Co-chair Beyoncé did not disappoint with her diamond-spiked headpiece.
Here’s a closeup of the diamond-encrusted skeleton mesh dress by Olivier Rousteing.
12.
Rihanna had “living sculpture” hair with an Art Deco–style hairpiece, according to her hairstylist, Yusef Williams. He told British Vogue, “The hair had to complete the look, not compete with it.”
As for her dress, it was sculpted by hand, made with recycled metal threads that are used for computer wiring and 115,000 crystal beads, and took 1,380 hours to embroider.
13.
Kendall Jenner went for simplicity on the Met Gala carpet in a custom GapStudio look, which was inspired by the sculpture Winged Victory of Samothrace. Can you see how Gap’s famous white T-shirt is the basis for the look? As for the leather bodice, Gap Inc.’s creative director, Zac Posen, 3D-scanned Kendall’s body to make sure it fit perfectly.
Here’s a closeup with the pearl accessories.
Once Kendall was inside, though, she left her freak flag fly with photographic prints of the statue’s wings that were mounted onto the satin-based chiffon.
14.
As for her bestie, Hailey Bieber also wore a sculpted look, but hers was made entirely out of 24-karat gold.
15.
Audrey Nuna’s lips aren’t just black; they’re covered in rhinestones, which was a last-minute call.
16.
Marcello Hernández brought his heritage and family with him to the Met Gala. In an interview with Vogue, he points to a brooch on his chest: “My mom made me this, with Sammy Jeweler en la Calle Ocho en Miami,” he said. “I have an angel de la guarda (angel of protection), an azabache — a stone for protection — and a Larimar, which is a Dominican stone.”
17.
Anoki Yai told Vogue, “In the climate that we’re living in right now, we need hope…I feel like being the Black Madonna in a Trump world is going to send that message.” She added, “I want to look like a walking statue — that’s why I decided on prosthetic hair.” Also, the tears? Stunning.
18.
Sarah Paulson opted to cover her eyes with a dollar bill, which has garnered a lot of backlash. Fashion designer Matières Fécales wrote on Instagram: “Fashion is Art and at its most daring, Political. [Sarah] is wearing the ‘Blinded by Money’ leather mask and the Destroyed Tulle Debutante Ballgown. The collection was a reflection of the greed and corruption that comes with extreme power.”
19.
Simone Ashley went the “naked” route with a chain-link Stella McCartney dress. According to the brand, “the dress is constructed from 70% repurposed Falabella chains and threads sourced from the Stella McCartney London atelier.”
As for her hair, hairstylist Peter Lux wrote on Instagram: “This look is inspired by the strength and legacy of powerful women throughout history, intended to look like armor and feel strong, sculptural and refined.”
20.
Sunday Rose’s matching earrings are perfect for her Met debut. In an interview with Vogue, she said she wanted to symbolize something that was blooming since it was her Met.
21.
Heidi Klum hit the mark with this year’s theme, inspired by Raffaele Monti’s Veiled Vestal sculpture. The dress itself looks like marble, but it’s flexible because it’s made out of foam and latex. Heidi said she could even sit in it.
22.
Kris Jenner’s Dolce and Gabbana high jewelry Alta Moda earrings are the perfect accessory to celebrate body and sculpture for year’s Met theme.
23.
Irina Shayk wanted to make sure the time was right with her look. She wore a diamond-encrusted bra top with watches connecting throughout. According to fashion designer Alexander Wang’s press release: “Conceived as a wearable archive, the look draws on Surrealist principles, recontextualising functional objects as fashion.”
24.
Ciara brought her own royalty with this Queen Nefertiti-inspired headpiece that was completely made out of her own hair, which included gold-like flakes throughout. “We wanted to create something that felt powerful, intentional, and rooted in a deeper story, so we reimagined Nefertiti through a modern lens,” she told InStyle.
25.
And finally, Emma Chamberlin’s entire Mugler dress was a work of art. Inspired by Vincent Van Gogh and Edvard Munch, it was hand-painted by artist Anna Deller-Yee. The dress took 40-hours to paint and four days to dry.
Do you have a favorite look from the Met Gala? Let us know if the comments below.
