Madonna is a Met Gala regular. And I thought, after her stunt at the MTV VMAs on Sunday night, that for sure she would be there last night. Madonna being Madonna, an eternal provocateur, would have found a way to f-ck with the theme, In America. But she stayed home…and maybe it’s because her firstborn attended instead.
Lourdes is one of the September 2021 American Vogue cover models, so that’s an automatic invite. And this was her first time. It certainly could have been a moment if Lourdes and Madonna were there together but it’s also a moment that Lourdes should experience on her own, as part of the Jeremy Scott and Moschino team. Hers was not an outfit that was among the best interpretation of the theme, but if you want to count her armpit hair as an accessory, you could loosely link it as a tribute to her mother, an American icon, who grew out her pits back in the day.
David and Victoria’s firstborn also attended the Met Gala for the first time – Brooklyn Beckham was there with fiancée Nicola Peltz, who was one of the many people who showed up in homage to a classic movie star. The Met Gala was basically Halloween this year, as actresses and models showed up as other actresses and models, inspired by Audrey or Marilyn or other screen sirens in their most famous roles. Nicola could be invoking Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and if that’s the case, well, as I’m sure you’re aware, she wasn’t the most prominent Marilyn cosplayer of the night. We’ll get to that later.
And finally, Ella Emhoff, stepdaughter of Madame Vice President Kamala Harris, who signed a modelling contract with IMG shortly after the inauguration. Hers is my favourite out of all the offspring looks: Ella’s in Stella McCartney for Adidas, basically elevated sportswear, I’m obsessed. And it’s very American, from the colour red to the sporty futuristic energy of it, but also the focus on comfort, one of the 12 presiding emotions of the Costume Institute’s exhibit. It particularly prioritises comfort in women’s fashion and an expansion of options in fashion – it’s more choice for everyone. You don’t have to wear a dress and heels if you’re a woman, you don’t have to not wear a dress and heels if you’re a man. So you could say that Ella’s outfit is about fashion freedom.
