What’s the point of attending a Ball if you choose to ignore the dress code? Where’s the point in attending Fashion’s most notable Red Carpet if you’re not wearing the right costume?
These are the questions that continuously popped into my mind when I was going through the visual reports from this year’s Costume Institute Gala (past years I had the same dilemma, except this time I’m voicing it firmly). So from the multitude of people who felt it was unnecessary to wear a costume to honor the Met’s Costume Institute exhibition’s theme, I narrowed down to a handful of celebrities I categorized as following:
2014 Met Gala Short Dresses: Rosie Huntington Whiteley who is looking absolutely breathtaking in a Balmain mini dress was accompanied by Olivier Rousteing and would’ve definitely made my best dressed list at any other event. But not when she was supposed to honor Charles James supremely couture work.
Elizabeth Olsen in Miu Miu, Michelle Williams in Louis Vuitton and Imogen Poots in Proenza Schouler were all looking beautiful and I love them equally for the exquisite talent they manifest in each and every part they interpret. However, the Charles James fashion role was not very well prepared…
See also: Who took the Costume Institute Gala dress code seriously?
2014 Met Gala Stella posse: Cara Delevingne, Kate Bosworth, Reese Witherspoon and Rihanna. Reese was the only one who was slightly conformed to the theme but managed to look like a giant lollipop as her dress didn’t flatter her at all while Kate Bosworth looked like she was wearing nothing at all.
Cara Delevingne in pants? Sure, she has the perfect body to pull anything and she has the suitable attitude to even get by in pants when celebrating couture. But… Really?
And then there’s Rihanna, whose star status allows her to walk freely among brands during a season in which she’s representing Balenciaga (we all remember the new SS14 Balmain ads with Rihanna, don’t we?). Perhaps there was a shortage of white cropped tops in Cristobal Balenciaga’s archives so she had to run off to Stella (and mess her hair in the process – what was that hairdo about, by the way?)
2014 Met Gala Canary Dresses: and by that I’m thinking of all the fine ladies who were dressed in yellow gowns! Bright, canary yellow! Katie Holmes in her yellow Marchesa dress would be the perfect picture to describe as ‘uncomfortable’ or … ‘the canary in the room’. She was looking so awkward, I almost felt sorry she had to attend the event!
Three more ladies were wearing yellow, as far as I could tell: Olivia Munn, Julie Macklowe and Jourdan Dunn. But none of the three manages to look as frumpy and as out-of-the-theme as Katie does (my favorite misstep at this year’s Met Gala)!
2014 Met Gala Neutral Dresses: Nicole Richie wearing a dubiously sloppy number from Donna Karan Atelier. The saddest thing about appreciating a dress, is only remembering the hairdo! And in Nicole’s case, her purple hair makes her appearance, not her gown!
Another uninspired grey dress was chosen by Chrissy Teigen – who, although a gorgeous lady with a fabulous body, went for a gown which would’ve been perfect if this had been a Swimsuit Illustrated or Victoria’s Secret party. As this was an event celebrating a very exclusivist couture designer, Crissy was, literally, underdressed for the occasion.
I was looking forward to seeing a handful of people on the Met Red Carpet and one of them was Joan Smalls. Her natural grace and innate beauty made her a favorite of mine years ago and I continue admiring her even though she went for a dull Vera Wang dress. Just like in Nicole Richie’s case, it’s rather sad to not be able to describe her dress but in exchange make a vivid memory from Joan’s really blue lipstick!
I have to slip in a word about Rita Ora who makes up for her weird outfit with her beautiful smile. Again, the only thing I will retain from her Donna Karan Atelier 2014 Met outfit is her wrapped up legs and forearm. And, a special mention goes to Lea Michele who was just… too frumped for words!
2014 Met Gala Dark Dresses: Kristen Stewart (and the rest of the Chanel ladies, among which only Lily Allen looked lovely but out-of-theme still, just like Anna Wintour) were only honoring Lagerfeld’s legacy as their Chanel dresses couldn’t stand out more even if they had their label written all over them.
Kate Upton in black Dolce and Gabbana was so awkward, it might rival Katie Holmes at the biggest fashion misstep on the Met Red Carpet! Like I said in Sarah Jessica Parker’s case: if you’re not the best dressed, at least try to have fun, pouting and looking pretentious will only add to the ridiculous factor!
I realize that dresses like the kind Charles James used to create are really hard to wear (and in reference to that, Sarah Silverman was quoted describing the gown of which she made sure everyone knew it was hard to walk in that it feels like ‘a f…. second skin’. Hayden Panettiere even fell on the Met’s stairs while wearing her voluminous Denis Basso dress. Jenna Lyons (from J Crew) made it clear that she preferred to wear her version of a ‘white tie’ as she wouldn’t want anyone stepping on her ballgown while walking around the event. But a costume is a costume. One should wear a costume while attending a ball. Right?
4 comments
It’s like these big brand names doesn’t even care anymore what their designs look like or who wears these pieces of clothing. What a mess…..
Fashion is looking more and more like a highway – full speed ahead, towards the destination. There’s no enjoying the ride, no sightseeing, no real journeying anymore. We’re getting old-fashioned for this 4 seasons/year fashion industry!
Katie Holmes has no clue at all.
I do not get the appeal of KStew or her dress.
I did like Rhianna and Nicole Richie’s hair and dresses but not for this event, I like that they stayed true to their style and personalities.
All of the others were rather uneventful for such an eventful event.
Why have Gabrielle Union in the picture and not mention her at all. Rude.
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