With a Dandyism theme, suits and suiting are on everyone’s mind, and though “dress like the boys” isn’t a huge stretch on the theme, many of the women in this category might never get to wear pants to an event, depending on their stylist’s inclinations or whatever story the movie’s marketing is supposed to sell.
And to a one, they look like they’re having a lot of fun with it.
They start with quite okay, not ‘traditional’, it’s the Met Gala, but let’s say ‘recognizable’ takes on a suit. Sarah Snook seems a little overwhelmed by hers – I would have preferred only one oversized element, the shoulders and the train make her seem a bit restrained in there somewhere …
…but when you look at her face, it’s clear she’s having a ball, so it’s clearly working for her and quite likely comfortable?
Anne Hathaway, whose Met Gala looks are usually on the conventional side but almost always work, went with the ‘tailored shirt of the impossibly chic hostess whose house you’ve been invited to’ look and, again, who could complain about this?
Does it fit the theme “Tailored For You”? Absolutely. Does it nod to Black Dandyism, or “Tailoring Black Style”? It does not! But is it ultimately going to go in her files as a successful look, particularly on a night when it wasn’t about her, so it did not need to be a showstopper? Absolutely.
There are, of course, a lot of people whose night it wasn’t, and they managed that with mixed success. Chappell Roan, for example – this does fit the theme, and it shares a lot of DNA with Cole Escola’s look…
…but it also looks like the kind of thing Chappell would wear on any given Tuesday. To the grocery store. Like it’s shiny pink-and-purple and sequinned and retro and futuristic and… well, and? This is a good look but it’s not in any way a departure for Chappell.
While we’re here, though, it also looks not a little bit like she’s auditioning for a live-action remake of Jem and the Holograms, and I know we already had one of those, but I actually would really love it if that were Chappell’s entree into feature films. Xennials who are reading this and just got excited, can you imagine her as one of the Misfits?
Joey King is one of those people who I have to look up every time, and even though I’ve seen some of her work she doesn’t stick in my mind. Or she hasn’t, until this look:
It’s not Joey King’s night either. It was unabashedly a night to celebrate Black style and culture’s and how they shaped both high fashion and street. But if you’re invited to a party, and there’s a theme, and especially if it’s your first invite to that party? Custom Miu Miu that looks like this and (and this is key) nothing like anyone else? That is a win.
Bias check – I may not be fully objective, as I bought a blouse just like this this weekend, only red and black. But now I see that not only do I need some sort of curly, frilly tie, but a super-thin turtleneck to go underneath? I am ready to rise to this challenge.
You know who was ready though? Angela Bassett, who did the thing:
This works particularly well for me because of the luxury of it. There are many, many takes on suits all night long, but I love that this one is both lush and louche, with an abundance of velvet balanced with those sheer accents? Please.
It’s Burberry, it’s got one of the most successful canes of the night (a lot of them stole focus) and – it was her first time at the Met Gala too! As if!
Also in blue, please meet Regina King. One of many whose outfits contained storytelling and messaging, it was meant to evoke the Garden of Eden, seen through a Black lens - and the architecture of the neck was mesmerising from every angle.
Now. Does it bear any particular resemblance either to tailoring or to Dandyism? Not overmuch. And though I couldn’t find pictures to prove it on our photo agency, there are indications on others that this wasn’t finished as well as it might have been – Met Gala looks are very, very famously last minute.
But, in fitting the theme because it represents and celebrates Black culture and joy, it’s A-material.
Oh, you thought that was the end? We’re just getting started here.
Generally speaking if you think of the Williams sister you’re most likely to see on a carpet, it would be Serena. And she was here, albeit not in a suit – she wore a gown in a sort-of seafoam colour:
It may be that in Monica L. Miller’s book, Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, there’s something about quilting or puffiness – we saw multiple versions of puffy parkas redone as fashion last night, invoking one of the all time greats, Solange - but I didn’t really feel it from Serena’s dress on any level. It’s nice, but very much gets a shrug from me.
But Venus? Venus KILLED it.
I love that it’s part campy Catholic school, and/or would not look out of place on Angel DuMott Chouinard in a production of RENT. She looks like she loves it, too:
I love that it’s a different colour than a lot we saw last night. That the skirt length is playful, unlike many massive pants or ball gowns, and that she’ll be comfortable enough to have a good time.
If she more regularly hit events like these I would call it a personal best; as it is, I think it’s just a complete triumph of excellent judgment (and design) .
And then there were three.
You know, if you were hanging around on the feed late, waiting for a KarJenner or Rihanna, you might have been utterly shocked to see Lauryn Hill at the Met Gala!
I don’t know what this tiny scepter is, but I appreciate it in the overall scheme of this look, and she’s Lauryn Hill – ergo, she arrived too late for Ego Nwodim or Lala Anthony to find out! In fact, I’d say there are lots of things about this outfit that aren’t quite at the level of style we’ve come to expect:
I would have preferred a deeper, more saturated (or less Easter-y) yellow, like ballpark mustard or a school bus. And I’m not sure the Birkin/Kelly bag adds anything, especially since her other hand is occupied with the magic mirror or whatever this is. (Lainey: a fan.)
But if she’s happy, I'm happy. We got Lauryn Hill at the Met Gala before GTA 6!
And still more riches…
In my headcanon, Lupita N’yongo looked at the Met Gala theme, paraphrased in her head as “Swagger”, and thought ‘I’m going to reinterpret my own iconic look from when I won that Oscar – just in case people forgot’:
Like…!!
Who gets to look like this!? I don’t mean her face, either – there’s something about the level of detail in the hat and cape in this iced blue shade that is so unlike all the rest of the looks, that is so confident in its delicacy, and then doubles and triples down on every detail…
Plus I don’t know enough about hats to give this one its proper nomenclature but to me it looks like the ones the little girls wear in Madeline, and that combined with her hair just puts the whimsy, and the joy, back over the top once again:
But perhaps the GOAT of the “Menswear Styled For Ladies In Colours” set is this woman:
Look at Tracee Ellis Ross – who giggled as she told Lala Anthony this was “just a little look”. Look at the fun and joy on her face. This is part of the gift of Dandyism too – the game of finding out what you can do with a given look:
How big can you go, exactly? How bright? How shiny can this Marc Jacobs ensemble be and how many offers for a live-action Carmen Sandiego remake could result from this absolute glee?
Also, how many people do you think got to try on that hat tonight? I’m not saying everyone, but you know there are some pics where the pink Homburg made the rounds of the who’s who inside that ballroom…
