I HATE saying this, but I think my biggest disappointment of the night was Lily Gladstone. She’s had SUCH a good red carpet run ever since the Cannes premiere of Killers of the Flower Moon last year, I had high hopes for her first trip to the Met Gala. 

 

Then she appeared, and while I gasped at her head styling—the makeup and hair are PERFECT—I sighed when I scrolled down. The gown and sheer cape are by Gabriela Hearst, the jeweled embroidery is by Kiowa jeweler Keri Ataumbi. 

 

The backstory of this look is pretty amazing. The jewels depict constellations, specifically as seen from the Great Plains (the Kiowa hail from the Great Plains). Ataumbi used a sky map from last year’s summer solstice to determine where the jewels would go on the garment, so that it represents the Great Plains perspective on the night sky. Once again, Lily is using her fashion moments to highlight Indigenous artists and culture. But you hear the story of the dress and then you look at it and it’s just sort of…anticlimactic. I love the constellation concept, I just wish the garment itself was more interesting. Hearst is the one dropping the ball here.

 

Another letdown is Jodie Turner-Smith. She’s a fashion freak who can make anything look good, but this white gown by Burberry is straight up bridal. I guess it’s kind of funny, wearing a wedding gown after breaking up with Joshua Jackson, but not even the cropped blonde ’do is making up for how this is just a wedding dress. 

 

Also in a bridal vein but more on the boho side of things is Michelle Williams in Chanel, rocking pink hair and a reproduction Chanel diadem, for a look best described as “Coachella bride”. Like if I saw this exact outfit, down to the pink pixie, in a styled shoot for a Coachella-inspired wedding, I would not be shocked. Somewhere, Solène Marchand is buying this exact outfit.

 

Next, we have Sydney Sweeney in a black bob and a tulle Miu Miu gown paired with leather gloves. I almost hate this, except I actually think this dress on Sydney, in another context, would work fine, like at Cannes she’d probably be best dressed in this gown. And the hair and gloves could work, too, but together with this gown, no. This is sort of the opposite of Serena Williams’ look, where I don’t like the dress, but the overall styling is solid. Here, I like the individual elements but none of it is coming together in a way that makes sense.

 

Finally, there’s Brie Larson in Prada, in a dress referencing the couturier’s 2007 autumn-winter collection. Let’s call this “Jetsons couture”. I have not understood any of Brie Larson’s sartorial choices in a long, long time.