We love to see people on-theme at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual Met Gala, but we also love to see people play with the theme. Since each gala is tied to a fashion exhibit in the museum, there are always going to be designers and celebs who go above and beyond to match the history and silhouettes of the time period being explored. But what would the Met Gala be without the reimaginers? The people that push the limits of the theme while still matching Anna Wintour’s vision?
These looks are modernized, bold, and maybe just a few decades outside of this year’s “Gilded Glamour” theme which covered the 1800s through the early 1900s, but we’d be lying if we were saying we wished we hadn’t seen them on the carpet.
Kim Kardashian
Wearing Marilyn Monroe’s original “Happy Birthday” dress, Kim K was definitely walking down the red carpet with boyfriend Pete Davidson with glamour. Unfortunately for Kim, the dress is a 1960s classic, several decades past the exhibit’s Golden era.
Anthony Ramos
In The Heights star Anthony Ramos got the memo on dressing up and not forgetting your coat tails, but his Tommy Hilfiger look was made from vintage sailcloth. This look was an upcycled masterpiece complete with patches that nod to Tommy Hilfiger’s history as well as Anthony’s birth year, initials, and Puerto Rican heritage.
Lenny Kravitz
Can we blame Lenny Kravitz for breaking the rules to turn “Gilded Glamour” into a Victorian rockstar look? Absolutely not. We’re fan-casting Lenny and this look in all upcoming Victorian Gothic movies and tv shows. Thank you very much.
Anitta
The padding and pearls were not forgotten in Anitta’s gorgeous look. We’re loving this slimmed-down silk gown with nods to centuries past.
Emma Chamberlain
It looks like Emma Chamberlain’s look list some lairs, but we’re obsessed with the ways she seemingly took inspiration from all of the work that went under a Gilded Age dress to create her look.
Alicia Keys
What more can we say about Alicia Keys’ look beyond we want to see it again? The New York City skyline cape was the perfect statement to go with the modern shapes and textures that made up her hairstyle and accessories.
Caroline Wozniacki
Cinderella meets Vogue. Caroline Wozniacki let the puff sleeves speak for themselves in her Met Gala look while the rest of her dress had a much more modern silhouette with cutouts.
Franklin Leonard
Ok, Franklin! Franklin Leonard’s look combines the hoop inserts that made dresses wide in the 1700s (wrong time period, but we can’t fault style like this) with the coattails look and velvet we expect from white-tie styles.
Chloe Grace Moretz
Chloe Grace Moretz’s Suit look was very modern white tie, and she didn’t disappoint when it came to adding a coat. The silver sparkling piece was definitely the star of this look.
Julie Dash
Julie Dash served purple velvet on the red carpet! We love the ways that a gentleman’s coat look complimented her breezy shirt and neck ties that nodded to 1800s men’s fashion.
Ashley Park
You know we can’t say no to hot pink. Ashley Park was a dreamy balance of the loud colors that have been trending this year with the corseted torsos and exaggerated skirt silhouettes of the 1800s.
Renée Elise
Renée Elise’s mermaid dress might be one of our favorite truly white-tie looks of the evening. The dress is a little late for a 19th-century party, though. Her dress is giving us a fabulous nod to Irving Penn’s appearance in the September issue of Vogue in 1950.
Gigi Hadid
Puffer jackets are unfortunately, so this century, but Gigi Hadid definitely took the Victorian fashionistas’ excessive use of fabric to heart in this look that gives us major Fashion Week vibes.
Ashton Sanders
Denim and gold with modern accents like aviators and biker gloves are perfect for turning Ashton Sanders into a steam punk vampire we can’t get enough of.
Vanessa Hudgens
Why didn’t anyone tell Vanessa Hudgens and Lenny Kravitz to take a picture together!? Vanessa’s long train is giving us Victorian Gothic with a lacy modern silhouette.