The Met Gala

I love The Met Gala. In my mind it is the night where guests pull out all the stops. Or so I thought! This year’s exhibition and theme for the first Monday in May is Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology. Initially when the theme was announced I was not happy (because Anna Wintour cares what I think!). All that came to mind was wearable tech and that is something I am not on board with. Clearly there is more to it than that and the more I read, the more I understood this concept and I couldn’t wait! Andrew Bolton, Curator in Charge at The Costume Institute so eloquently explains Manus x Macina and we even get a peek into the exhibition. 

At first glance of the red carpet it appeared not everyone got the brief. There was lots of metallics, a lot of robot references, chunky boots and aesthetically I wasn’t pleased at all! I’m not one for best and worst dressed lists so I decided to take a few days to digest everything and get as much information as possible about the ensembles that floated about the red carpet. I didn’t get as much information as I hoped and if I had it my way, there would be a detailed bio attached to each outfit explaining the thought process behind the guests’ choice. Take Emma Watson for example. Her outfit was a collaboration between herself, Calvin Klein and Eco Age and one I was happy to read about. I was of course drawn to the monochrome ensemble and I thought her hair and makeup were stunning. Although there were a few elements in the outfit I wasn’t so keen on, I loved reading this from the lady herself, 

‘The body of the gown is crafted from three different fabrics, all woven from yarns made from recycled plastic bottles (!). Plastic is one of the biggest pollutants on the planet. Being able to repurpose this waste and incorporate it into my gown for the ‪#‎MetGala‬ proves the power that creativity, technology and fashion can have by working together.’

You can read more from Emma Watson here  and also here to see which other stars worked with this team.

Sarah Jessica Parker is another I’m always eager to see only because I never know what to expect and The Met Gala this year was no exception! I throughly enjoyed reading about the process that went into the creation of her Monse outfit, more so than the outfit itself! You can read all about it here and be sure to click on the slide show so you can see the some of the elements in more detail. 

These are just two examples of varying interpretations of Manus x Machina and it was nice to see (even if I wasn’t impressed with some of the style choices) that people explored the idea of fashion and technology through clothing, hair, makeup and accessories. If you are in New York and are lucky enough to visit the exhibition, I’m jealous!

Until next year’s Met Gala.

xo