The Met Gala is an annual fundraising event for the Metropolitan Museum of Art and is highly regarded as the most prestigious fashion event of the year. The 2024 Met Gala took place on May 6, and it came with the extravagance, glitz and glamor it always does. This year, the new exhibit in the museum that the Gala celebrated was “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.” The dress code was “The Garden of Time,” based on the story by J. G. Ballard about a couple being attacked in their garden of crystal flowers.
Like most Met Galas, some people actually dressed on-theme, while others did not and instead left me disappointed by their fashion choices. Here is a list of the five best and worst outfits from the 2024 Met Gala.
Best Outfits
Cardi B
You know you have something special when nine men in tuxedos have to unroll your dress train at the bottom of the carpet. Cardi B styled a Windowsen gown with a ginormous train that entirely covered the bottom of the red carpet stairs. The dress was fashioned with emerald green jewelry and nails that made the whole outfit pop. The outfit reminded me of Ursula from The Little Mermaid as Cardi B walked like Ursula out of water. The only thing wrong with the outfit was that it was slightly off-theme because it had nothing to do with gardens, but it was definitely a bold choice.
Zendaya
Zendaya was a co-organizer of the Gala this year and did not disappoint. Not only did she walk the red carpet once in a custom Maison Margiela couture dress, but she re-walked the red carpet in a Givenchy spring 1996 haute couture dress. The first was mystical, and Zendaya played the role of a witch, dressed in blue and green all over. But the second outfit was the superior one as she came out in a vintage black dress with a rose bouquet on her head. Both looks killed it, and she made history by being the only person to walk the Met Gala red carpet twice in one year.
Lana Del Rey
Lana Del Rey’s outfit was one of the darkest of all the looks of the night, which made it stand out in the best way possible. Rey was covered in an off-white Alexander McQueen gown with branches coming from the bottom and culminating in the headpiece. The look was an homage to the “crown of thorns” headpiece from the 1996 collection of then—Alexander McQueen director Shaun Leane. As a bonus, Rey’s gown fit the aesthetic of her musical career, where she explores themes of melancholy and tragic romance.
Nicki Minaj
Nikki Minaj shined on the carpet, wearing a custom-made dress by Marni’s Francesco Risso. This outfit was different from most of the other looks of the night because instead of wearing an off-white or black outfit, Minaj wore bright colors. Her colors provided a vibrant and striking different blend with the carpet’s theming, and the outfit was the most on-theme of the night because it had a direct connection to gardening.
Tyla
Tyla wore a custom-fitted gown made of sand from Balmain. Her outfit was the most innovative outfit of the night. Tyla embraced the theme of time by dressing like an hourglass with the dress drooping down, giving the effect of sand pouring down. The only downside of the dress was its practicality because when the camera panned away from her, you could see her designer pick her up and carry her to the next photoshoot. Nevertheless, it was a creative outfit and the only sand-molded dress of the night.
Worst Outfits
Chris Hemsworth
It’s clear that people like Zendaya valued their job as an organizer, while others did not. Chris Hemsworth was clearly one of the organizers who did not. No one should be coming to the Met Gala in a basic tan suit from Tom Ford; the Met Gala is about being adventurous and starting a new niche in fashion, not going to your Tuesday corporate job. The proof is in the pudding that good looks can’t just carry the outfit—you also need creative fashion that follows the theme.
Lizzo
This outfit is the opposite of Hemsworth’s; where he was neutral, Lizzo was outgoing. But there is such a thing as pushing creativity a little too far. Lizzo wore a gown by Weinstato, but the material is very cheap-looking. The dress blended in with her skin tone, was a little too weird for the Met Gala, and she looked more like a turnip than a flower. The one positive thing to say about this outfit is that it was creative; I was not expecting someone to transform into—or at least attempt to transform into—a literal flower.
Kylie Jenner
Kylie Jenner wore an ivory gown custom made by Oscar de la Renta. Jenner frequently attends the Gala, and this gown felt a little lackluster compared to her previous outfits. While the gown was pretty, it was very neutral and looked like something she should wear to her wedding. The outfit also had no connection to the theme of a garden or time. It seems like Jenner’s exciting appearances fizzled out at this year’s Gala.
Cara Delevingne
For this look, fashion designer Stella McCartney partnered with Vrai Diamond Jewelry to deliver a 100-percent sustainable look for Delevigne. Despite the eco-friendly efforts, the outfit failed in all other areas. The hood was in no way compatible with the skirt, and the outfit had no connection to the theme. Instead of garden, it was giving more human disco ball. While sustainable outfits are needed in the fashion community, McCartney should design a more generally fashionable outfit instead of just covering everything in diamonds.