MET Gala awakens beauties in the garden of time

The exhibit highlights the treasures from the museum’s archives, 250 old and delicate pieces that must be displayed behind glass while using AI and 3D recreations of the pieces to explore all their sensory pleasures. Since the show dictates the dress theme for the gala, this year the dress code was a bit confusing since Andrew Bolton, the Institute’s curator in charge, thought that the idea of decaying dresses reflected the ephemerality of nature, which led to gardens and ultimately the final theme, “The Garden of Time,” a 1962 short story by J.G. Ballard about Count Axel and his wife, who live in a Palladian villa surrounded by gardens in an idyllic existence until a mad rabble marches toward them. The Count halts their advance by picking crystal “time flowers” until the last flower is left, and the “ceaseless tide of humanity” are at the gate, ploughing the estate into a marshland and turning the couple into stone.

It was interesting to see how guests interpreted the theme as they paraded on the red carpet, which this year is white turning green on the sides, which were lined with hedges of roses.

Flora and vegetation

All kinds of flowers bloomed on the red carpet, from fine embroideries to 3D appliques in silk and metals. Roses were a favorite, as were their petals that studded Cynthia Erivo’s suit and train and their thorns, which punctuated the neck of Lewis Hamilton in gold.

Fauna and insects

Animals and insects that grace gardens were potent inspirations: Zendaya was like a blue-green peacock in Martin Margiela, while Rebecca Ferguson revealed a Thom Browne cape lining with black crows flying against a blue sky. 

Butterfly wings figured in Jennifer Lopez’s Schiaparelli gown featuring two million silver foil beads, Versace’s piece for Iris Law and Tory Burch’s periwinkle gown for Uma Thurman.

A midsummer night’s dream

Dreamy looks channeled Shakespeare, which was seen on Elizabeth Debicki’s Dior couture piece inspired by Titania in Anita Louise’s reimagining of the 1935 classic and Lana Del Rey’s Alexander McQueen veiled ensemble.

Ombré

Flowers were dissipating on gowns, fading into oblivion on the outfits of Daniel Levy and Ayo Edebiri, both by Loewe.

Dandies

English dandies calling to mind Count Axel in J.G. Ballard’s story were incarnated in Barry Keoghan in Burberry Mad Hatter mode and in Josh O’Connor, who came in full tails and a bowtie-cum-brooch.

Men with bouquets

When the flowers were not on their outfits, men carried them in bouquets, like Colman Domingo, Usher, and Bad Bunny.

Ethereal nude

The transience of nature echoed in ethereal gowns and nude looks, many exquisitely beaded like Emily Ratajkowski’s Archival Atelier Versace from 2001 and Sarah Jessica Parker’s Richard Quinn birdcage dress.

Reawakened vintage

Sleeping beauties from the archives were mined and reinterpreted for today: Nicole Kidman asked Demna to recreate a 1950s flamenco gown by Cristobal Balenciaga while Zendaya, for her second outfit of the evening, chose a Givenchy by Galliano, created on the day she was born. 

The sands of time

The element of time was another way to apply the theme—through sand by Olivier Rousteing for himself and for Tyla, who also carried a sand-filled hourglass minaudiere and through a crinoline hourglass over a sheath with embroidered crystals in free fall, in the Prada dress of Brie Larson.