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2024 Met Gala: Why Are Newbies Being Put On The Best Dressed Lists?
I had a lot of high hopes heading into this year’s Met Gala, and it certainly did not disappoint. The night’s theme was “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion”, with the dress code “Garden of Time”, which brought an abundance of fairytale-worthy gowns and outfits in full bloom. So, without further ado, here are the Best Dressed of the 2024 Met Gala (with an honourable mention for AI Katy Perry; if that had been real, then it definitely would have a place on this list).
I admit, it’s 11, but I couldn’t cut it down any further.
Zendaya
2024 Met Gala Choice: John Galliano for Maison Margiela
Let’s get the obvious choice out of the way. If you’re new here, Zendaya is always on my best-dressed lists, and for good reason. The Challengers star and stylist Law Roach always bring their A-game to every event, and with Zendaya returning after five years of absence as Co-Chairs of this year’s event, the duo had no choice but to pull out all the stops.
Zendaya first stepped onto the green carpet in a custom John Galliano gown for Maison Margiela. This look, with its rich ocean-blue colour and bunches of grapes draped on her shoulders and hips, felt perfect for the theme. It was particularly relevant in the wake of Margiela’s viral Spring/Summer 2024 collection, which gave off a similar feel to this dark fishtail gown.
2024 Met Gala Choice: John Galliano for Givenchy
After blowing us all away with her initial look, the Co-chair made a surprise reappearance on the green carpet in yet another John Galliano design. Zendaya’s (“Z’s”) second look, a never-before-worn vintage Givenchy look from John Galliano’s Spring/Summer 1996 collection for the French fashion house, was my favourite of the actress’ two looks.
The off-shoulder corseted black gown continued Z’s darker, more gothic approach to this year’s theme but added a pop of colour in the form of a bouquet-inspired headpiece designed by Philip Tracy for Alexander McQueen in 2006. I loved that this look not only focused on the event’s dress code with the sculptural floral headpiece but also tied into the wider theme of the night, debuting an archival look to literally ‘reawaken fashion’.
It is safe to say that Zendaya well and truly returned to the Met with a bang, reminding us that she is truly the queen of the Met. Let’s hope we never face a Zendaya Met Gala drought again.
STYLIST: Law Roach
Taylor Russell
2024 Met Gala Choice: Loewe
Loewe has had an incredible couple of years, which remained true for this year’s Met Gala. Several of my favourite looks from the night traced back to Jonathan Anderson and the Spanish brand.
This year, Loewe muse Taylor Russell made her Met debut in a trompe l’oeil corset resembling a wood marquetry perfectly slotted into a draped silk circle skirt. The wooden bodice, hand-painted with birds and botanical motifs, was the star of the look, perfectly fitted to the Bones and All actresses figure. The look was completed with a smooth updo, short curtain bangs, and matching wood-effect hair pieces.
STYLIST: Loewe Team
Tyla
2024 Met Gala Choice: Balmain
Taylor Russell wasn’t the only celebrity making her Met Gala debut on Monday night. South African singer Tyla also attended the event for the first time this year. Tyla’s look took a truly unique approach to the theme, attending as the embodiment of the sands of time. Tyla’s form-fitting Balmain gown was made of sand with 3-dimensional features. The gown resembles a sand-coated body rather than a garment. My favourite aspect of the look was the hourglass clutch, which really tied the look back to the evening’s central theme: time.
Tyla’s look was not only unique and innovative, but it was also responsible for one of the evening’s viral moments: the Water singer was unable to walk up the famous Met steps while making her entrance and was instead carried by a small team. This led to Olivier Rousteing taking a hands-on approach to fashion design later in the evening and cutting his creation into a mini dress for Tyla to enjoy the rest of her evening.
STYLIST: Balmain Team
Elle Fanning
2024 Met Gala Choice: Balmain
Balmain did not leave its experimental materials there; Sleeping Beauty herself, Elle Fanning, took to the green carpet in a beautiful trompe l’oeil glass-effect gown. The look was created using four layers of resin, creating the illusion of a glass gown being held up by two birds, a whimsical look paying homage to the actress’ previous Disney role.
STYLIST: Samantha McMillen
Kendall Jenner
2024 Met Gala Choice: Alexander McQueen for Givenchy
Sticking with the Sleeping Beauty theme, Kendall Jenner wore a Maleficent-esque 1999 Givenchy Haute Couture gown from Alexander McQueen’s time at the French fashion house. While online spaces debate the look’s relevance to the theme, I felt that it tied perfectly into a more literal approach to ‘Sleeping Beauties’ with the look resembling something that Maleficent would wear if she attended the Met Gala. In a less literal way, I also thought that the look was reminiscent of thorns, which would tie into the ‘Sleeping Beauty’ theme and the ‘Garden of Time’ dress code.
The most obvious way this look is on theme is through the ‘Reawakening Fashion’ concept. While Kendall may have claimed that this was a never-before worn garment, with the look initially being shown on a mannequin at Givenchy’s famous Fall/Winter 1999 show, internet sleuths and fashion history experts alike have sourced images of Winona Ryder in the look for Flaunt magazine in 1999. Regardless of whether the dress was previously worn by a human or not, the concept of ‘reawakening’ the piece remains, and this was easily one of my favourite looks from the night.
STYLIST: Dani Michelle
Mona Patel
2024 Met Gala Choice: Iris Van Herpen
You may remember that in February, I analysed this year’s Met Gala theme and ran through some things I hoped to see at the event. One of the main things I was hoping for was mechanical butterflies. Mona Patel’s look had something very close, a series of moving flower petals extending down her arms. A look this perfect can come from one man and one man only. Law Roach was flexible with his retirement, to which Zendaya is the only usual exception, to style Patel, and he gave me exactly what I wanted.
STYLIST: Law Roach
Paloma Elsesser
2024 Met Gala Choice: H&M
If you told me a few days ago that one of my favourite looks from this year’s Met would be by H&M, I don’t think I would’ve believed you. While it may be a beloved high street store and H&M Group home to my staple shops, Arket, Cos and & Other Stories, I really underestimated its potential for the Met.
Paloma wore a custom two-piece set featuring a 3D-printed green bodice and a neutral low-rise bubble skirt (my personal favourite summer trend). The bodice featured elaborate floral details that tied into the sculptural look. Moral of the story: Don’t underestimate high-street designers at the Met.
STYLIST: Carlos Nazario
Greta Lee
2024 Met Gala Choice: Loewe
This one may have been my absolute favourite of the night: Greta Lee in Loewe.
The Past Lives star debuted at the Met Gala in J.W. Anderson’s Loewe, which we all expected as the two have worked closely throughout this past award season. Lee is a Global Brand Ambassador for the brand. While we may have known that Greta would wear Loewe, I don’t think any of us could have predicted this look. The sheer lace column dress was ethereal and feminine, contrasting with the shield-like structure’s strength and rigidity. This wasn’t just one of the most beautiful gowns of the evening; it has to be said that it was one of the most beautiful gowns I have ever seen.
STYLIST: Danielle Goldberg
Adwoa Aboah
2024 Met Gala Choice: H&M
H&M strikes again. And it’s another look with a bubble skirt (I am telling you this is the skirt of the summer). While this may not have been Adwoa Aboah’s Met Gala debut, it was her pregnancy debut. The model showed off her baby bump in a vibrant red H&M two-piece featuring a layered, ruffled top and voluminous maxi skirt.
One of my favourite aspects of this look was the beauty look. The skin was kept very clean, with a minimal eye look that didn’t even appear to include mascara, offset by an alternative approach to a red lip.
Double congratulations seem to be in order: one for Adowoa’s pregnancy and another for being one of the best-dressed of the night.
STYLIST: Karla Welch
Lana Del Rey
2024 Met Gala Choice: Seán McGirr for Alexander McQueen
Lana Del Rey returned to the Met Gala for the first time since 2018 and did it with style. The singer wore a custom design that references an archival Alexander McQueen look from Autumn/Winter 2006 in a darker approach to the botanical theme, which proved a popular angle amongst attendees.
The corseted dress featured statuesque branches inspired by Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti’s sculptures. It tangled into a sheer veil that fell over the singer’s upper body. The look was so unique and captured such a beautiful interpretation of the theme, balancing both the archival and whimsical approaches to the night’s theme.
STYLIST: Molly Dickson
Ariana Grande
2024 Met Gala Choice: Loewe
Ariana Grande also returned to the Met steps this year after being absent from the event since 2018, and much like Lana, she did not take this return lightly. Wearing a strapless gown by Loewe, Ariana looked channelled her upcoming role as Glinda the Good as she transcended the green steps. The gown has a similar silhouette to Taylor Russell’s (which I loved on both of them) but instead of going for that wood-like texture, Ariana opted for a mother-of-pearl look for her corset, something that she had been hinting at on Instagram in the days leading up to the event. The gown also included the most popular silhouette of the season, a dropped waist and a tulle skirt.
For her beauty look, Grande donned a butterfly-inspired eye look, which, while beautiful, didn’t really tie in with the pearlescence of the gown. Personally, I would’ve loved it if the makeup look had focused more on that underwater approach to the natural theme, maybe with a wet-eye or—hair look. But that being said, I loved this look regardless, and it was one of my favourites of the night.
STYLIST: Mimi Cuttrell
Final Thoughts
At this point, it is safe to say that Loewe was my favourite designer at this year’s Met. Between Taylor Russell, Greta Lee and Ariana Grande’s looks, the decision is out of my hands; it is J.W. Anderson’s world, and we are simply living in it.
