This year, designers attending the annual Met Gala, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York, were under strict rules to up the fashion game. With last year’s theme of Punk: Chaos to Couture, all manner of crazy looks were spawned, however this year, Anna Wintour’s theme of Charles James: Beyond Fashion meant that designers had to pay closer attention to form and silhouette in their ensembles if they were to pay a fitting enough tribute to a man who was renowned for his propensity for sartorial sculpture. Charles James was seen by the likes of Cristobal Balenciaga and Christian Dior as nothing short of an engineer, so structured were his garments thanks to, in the words of the 1944 edition of Vogue, his ‘mathematical tailoring’. He was so successful and so revered by his contemporaries because of his use of wiring and unrivalled numerical accuracy with which he plotted the silhouettes of his gowns. He was a master of his craft, and so for any designer to even consider replicating his design aesthetic for this year’s Met Gala must have been incredibly daunting.
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There were five main tribes that stood out to me at this year’s ball, and here are my best dressed from each:
STRAPLESS
Charles James was a big advocate for the strapless gown in the 1930s, and there was an array of celebrities who donned this look. My favourites were Victoria Beckham, who went wearing her own design, whilst Rachel McAdams looked divine in pale pink Ralph Lauren. Both dresses were column shaped with pastel palates which meant that they were more minimal, and as a result, memorable compared with the surplus of more extravagant numbers.
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SCULPTURED BALL GOWNS
Charles James was most famous for his architectural garments, so many embraced the iconic quatrefoil silhouette that he pioneered. Challenging for designers I’m sure, but when done well, the effect is absolutely exquisite. Karolina Kurkova was undeniably the pick of the bunch in Marchesa. Others who also wowed me were Sarah Silverman in Zac Posen, and Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen in Ferre and Chanel respectively for the slightly more understated draping.
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FIGURE OF 8
Reeking of old school glamour, the clingy figure of eight dresses on the red carpet were off the chart. Blake Lively has been featured on many best dressed lists thanks to her Gucci Premiere number (and rightly so), but I also loved Gisele Bündchen in Balenciaga and Vera Wang in her own design, not outdone by the celebrity brand ambassadors around her.
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CUT OUT
Cut-out was a popular motif on the red carpet, harking back to the aesthetic of youthful joviality that surrounded Charles James’ flappers in the 1920s. Some of the night’s bravest choices came from within this tribe, for example Kristen Stewart’s Chanel ensemble, complete with flame red hair. Others included up-and-coming actress Imogen Poots in Proenza Schouler, who arrived with her dress’ designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez. Emma Stone went for a floor length, hot pink cut out gown by Thakoon.
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BEYOND FASHION BOLDNESS
This group comprised of those who embraced the pioneering quality of Charles James’ work and so decided to transplant his innovation into our own time. Kristen Wiig attended in a Balenciaga dress-cum-trouser suit. Whilst she received a lot of criticism for her ensemble, I thought she looked cutting edge and pushed the fashion boundaries more than rest, which made Balenciaga the perfect choice for her. I also want to give Anna Wintour style snaps for her services to sheer in Chanel Haute Couture, again an outfit that looked polished, unique and went beyond my expectations.
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