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The Met Gala’s Best Looks—and Wildest Moments

From Billie to J.Lo to AOC, the two-year red-carpet drought has ended!

At last, the second Monday in September is upon us! In something that feels like nothing short of a miracle (a red carpet? In a pandemic? Groundbreaking!), the Met Gala *actually* happened, and it was worth the two-year wait. Whether or not you tuned into the livestream, passing judgement on designer-dressed celebrities while clad in your most ancient sweats, we’ve got you covered with the night’s highlights.

Behold, the chicest and most gasp-worthy looks and moments of this year’s “In America”-themed opening party for the newest exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute. (Want inside the gala? You’ll have to rely on celebs posting “illegal” pics from the bathrooms for that. As far as we know, Anna still hasn’t lifted her no-selfie policy for the event.) But first: That rumour that Jason Derulo fell down the stairs? A weird internet thing that got cooked up while everyone was waiting for the celebrities to arrive, and very much not true.

billie eilish met gala 2021
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Billie Eilish

“It was time for this,” Billie said when asked about her “Holiday Barbie”-inspired Oscar de la Renta gown. “I’ve always wanted to do this, and now I feel comfortable enough in my own skin.” If you thought the endless apricot tulle train was epic, get this: Eilish, who is vegan, agreed to work with Oscar de la Renta on her dress on the condition that they “terminate all fur sales,” per the New York Times. Which they will!

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Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Aurora James

When we couldn’t love a pairing more, AOC, who walked the carpet with Canada’s own Brother Vellies and 15 Percent Pledge founder Aurora James, goes and wears a dress with “Tax the rich” scrawled in red across the back.

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Kim Kardashian

So…that’s Kim Kardashian under there? This somehow makes sense on the most ubiquitous American of the past two decades in a “nothing makes sense anymore” kind of way. It’s the ponytail peaking through for us though.

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Jennifer Lopez

Are we disappointed she didn’t walk the carpet with Ben, as was rumoured? Sure, but JLo’s rather epic Ralph Lauren “rancher goes to prom” look is a fine consolation prize. Giddy up!

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Naomi Osaka

This is cute! The co-chair enlisted her aspiring fashion designer sister when working with Louis Vuitton to create her dress. Inspired by what she calls an “Americana that means a mix of all cultures,” it represents her Haitian and Japanese heritage.

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Kaia Gerber

Pulling a reference from a full 20 years before her birth, Cindy Crawford’s daughter (attending her first Met Gala!) wore an Oscar de la Renta dress inspired by a Halston dress Bianca Jagger wore to the 1981 gala.

Yara Shahidi

Custom Dior inspired by 1920s icon Josephine Baker? Timeless.

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Iman

In one of the night’s most ostentatiously “fashion” moments, Iman wore a Gucci ensemble (that seagrass-inspired headpiece!) that she said “felt hopeful, a ray of light after all the darkness we’ve felt.”

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Lil Nas X

Why wear one Versace look when you can wear three? Lil Nas X started the night with a “royalty” inspired gold cape, transitioned to a suit of armour, and finished the red carpet in a spangled jumpsuit he calls “sexy and slutty.”

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Grimes

Dune superfan and Canadian Grimes wore an Iris Van Herpen masked look (which honestly is not as wild as it would have felt pre-2020?!) inspired by the iconic American science fiction series, carrying a sword made from a melted down automatic weapon.

Megan Thee Stallion

Or, as she styled herself tonight, “Megan Munroe.” The rapper wore Coach to inaugurate Hot Girl September.

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Jennifer Hudson

Serving a look any diva would die for, the Aretha star celebrated her interpretation of “In America” in AZ Factory.

Serena Williams

Come through, Ms. Williams! Serena wore a star-spangled Gucci jumpsuit crowned by a feathered cape, and it was exactly the exuberant entrance the evening demanded.

Tracee Ellis Ross

“I wanted to do a little Grace Jones,” said an electric-blue clad Ellis Ross of her Balenciaga couture moment. “Being a grown woman in this world, having a moment of joy to express the fullness of what our lives is about, is, you know.” We do, we do.

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Dan Levy

The red carpet was off to a slow start—until Canada’s own Dan Levy made an entrance in puffed-sleeve, high-volume JW Anderson for Loewe magnificence.

Gabrielle Union

Wearing a dress that took 1,400 hours to make, Union embraced the theme of “change” in fish-scale emblazoned gown.

Barbie Ferreira

“Old Hollywood meets new Hollywood” via burlesque: That’s how Barbie arrived at her dripping-in-pearls, dream-of-a-dress for her very first gala outing.

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Elliot Page

One word: Sharp.

Evan Mock

And *this* is why we love the Met Gala: Delightfully outré moments like this Gossip Girl star’s Thom Browne leather face mask, which he doffed once he hit the red carpet.

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Lorde

Vogue’s October cover star made an appearance, making sure we knew she got the night’s “epic train” memo too. The headdress gives us Statue of Liberty vibes.

Kim Petras

There’s equine-inspired, and then there’s literally wearing a horse dress, which the German singer says was created for all the “horse girls” of the world. Yay or neigh?

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Debbie Harry

Sometimes girls just wanna take a theme literally, something this iconic American herself embraced in this American-flag-vibes ballgown by Zac Posen.

Ciara

What’s more American than football? Just Ciara dressing up as her NFL-er husband, via Peter Dundas’ take on his Seahawks jersey, right down to wearing his Superbowl ring. It’s…a take?

Lupita Nyong’o

Justin and Britney would be proud. 

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Gigi Hadid

Precisely what The Little Mermaid (see: the Ariel-esque red pony) has to do with American fashion remains unclear, but we’re into the long leather gloves regardless.

Kate Hudson

If this look isn’t an homage to Gwyneth Paltrow’s pink Ralph Lauren Oscars dress, we’re simply not interested. 

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Kendall Jenner

 

If her sister was doing some sort of performance-art piece, Kendall took a leaf out of Kim’s book circa 2010 with this classic naked dress. 

 
 

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