“This is the swaggiest Met Gala, period.”
Those were the words that Teyana Taylor uttered just as Vogue ended its red carpet livestream. But on the other end of the production, just as the night began, there were slight indications of just how swaggy it was going to be – from head to toe.
When the Silk and Sound Choir began their song to officially start the night, it was clear that they were there to do three things. The first was to sing. The second was to make a statement. And the third was to set the tone by letting us know that this night was about to be Black as hell.
We saw a lot of afros on this year’s blue carpet. High ones, low ones, some perfectly picked and others dangerously divided. Colin Kaepernick rocked his natural afro and it was a sight to be seen. Meanwhile, Doja Cat, who told hosts Teyana Taylor and Ego Nwodim that she wanted to feel “like a madam”, had an edgier afro with a light brown halo effect throughout.
I’ve been going back and forth on whether Cardi B’s angular bob counts as an afro. Whatever you might consider it, it was so nice to see her go for a look that wasn’t the long, straight butt-length weave we’ve seen her in over the years. And it was even better to see her sans Offset.
Another element of structure was the kiss curl, which was a signature style on this year’s red carpet. These kiss curls were perfectly styled, perfectly gelled, and perfectly laid. The reason I say laid is because I’ve always felt that a kiss curl is either a laid edge reimagined – or perhaps laid edges are kiss curls reimagined, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I suppose.
One person who leaned into the kiss curl, but perhaps not nearly as dramatically as some of what we saw last night was Quinta Brunson. She was channeling Josephine Baker, and rocked a microbang, too. Though she’s no stranger to short hair cuts and pixies, the microbang was a bit of a departure from her norm but she executed it so well.
Also channeling Josephine Baker was Megan Thee Stallion, who brought the type of structure we were seeing in outfits all the way to the top with a three-tiered ponytail styled after the one Josephine rocked in 1951. The verdict is still out on the outfit but I think we’re all in alignment that her hair was a moment.
Sha’Carri Richardson had an interesting ensemble, but it was so nice to see her combining different elements of her powerful persona and soft femininity through her hair, which featured waist-length tresses with a variation of ribbons and bows.
“I want to represent the feminine power of Black women, and show that there is not just one particular way to be powerful and feminine at the same time,” she said, reflecting on her look.
One look that didn’t quite hit the mark was Law Roach, ironically enough. The expectations were high for the architect of some of the most iconic Met Gala looks in recent years. But his debut blonde, well, new blonde, fell flat. The failure lay in the visibility of his lacefront, because he didn’t properly execute the magic of invisibility. One of the pillars of Black hair styling is how we manage to make it seem effortless. Glue, tracks, indications of the artificialness are supposed to be invisible. His new do looked…well, cheap.
Beyond kiss curls, varied afros and Law’s visible lacefront, though, what stood out to me the most was the amount of fun and creativity people were able to have with this theme. Some took full advantage while others played it safe. And understandably so – because when was the last time a night as big as this been centred around Blackness? Anna Wintour and every single person that embraced this theme helped prove what so many people have been saying all along. There is room for all of us.
