All night I kept trying to figure out why people seemed so much more comfortable this year at the Met Gala. Is it just me? Didn’t they all look and seem that much more comfortable? My theory is that because of the theme, they were, ironically perhaps, liberated from having to do the sheer and lace and skin thing. Is that the advantage of a higher neckline? It’s definitely one of the reasons I avoid body-con. Worrying about a wardrobe malfunction is stressful.
This was also one of the most hair-creative Met Galas we’ve had in years. It was definitely the headpiece effect. Tousled waves just aren’t going to cut it when you’re putting on a tiara and going Baroque so hairstylists were given that much more to work with. Kerry Washington and Uma Thurman both went with volume but in two different ways.
For Kerry, it was about showing off the golden accessory that complemented her gold dress. The dress was a shrug for Duana. I agree that, compared to the intricate detail we saw in some of the other looks, by comparison Kerry’s might have been rather plain. I think that’s why I’m drawn to it for personal preference. It didn’t need anything else because it was liquid gold, valuable on its own. That said, given its simplicity, she had to bring the drama with the hair. And this hairpiece did that job. Keeping the lips low key was also a good call. It made her skin pop even more. Like, her face right? She has never, ever been more beautiful, holy sh-t.
Uma too went pretty simple in this Gabriela Hearst off-the-shoulder white gown. Not really feeling the neck situation – my friend Danielle Graham noted that they look like those charms you put on a bracelets (one for your zodiac, an initial, your favourite Monopoly piece) – but what elevates the whole look here is the hair. For any other occasion? Like the Oscars? Fine. Maybe too much. But this was an elaborate theme, evoking the complicated sh-t they used to do to their hair back in the Marie Antoinette days. I love the accordion effect that the two braids create from the back and the sides. And with her famously unusual features, she really did look like she stepped out of a painting in a museum, which was kind of the goal of the night.
