Top 10 Favorite Looks at the Met Gala 2018

On May 7, 2018, the annual Met Gala was held in New York City. If you’ve never heard of the Met Gala, it is a yearly fundraising gala for the Metropolitan Museum of the Art’s Costume Institute and is the opening of the yearly fashion exhibition. The gala is held on the first Monday in May. Attendees of the gala are expected to dress formally but to also fit the theme of the exhibition. Sometimes, the theme of the exhibition makes dressing to fit the formality of the gala hard, but it can be interesting to see how designers interpret the theme.

This year’s exhibition is Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and The Catholic Imagination, but the theme for the attendees’ outfits is “Sunday Best”. Since fashion using Catholic imagery would be on display alongside items on loan from the Vatican, many believed that this exhibition would be one of the most controversial exhibitions the Costume Institute ever held. This also posed a problem for the fashion designers who wanted to incorporate Catholic imagery (Such as clerical robes, iconography normally used in the Catholic mass, ect.) in their designs for the attendees at the gala. Some of the designers didn’t mid using Catholic imagery in their designs, while others created designs that are subtitle in their use of the Catholic imagery and are not very controversial at all.

Since this is the first year I’m able to talk about the Met Gala on my blog, I decided to write a post about my favorite looks at the gala. It was hard for me to choose my favorite looks because I wanted my choices to not include a lot of Catholic imagery or, if they do, it doesn’t stand out too much. I also tried to pick some classy looks as well.

Ok! Let’s get started!

Mary J Blige

When I was browsing photos from the Met Gala, I found a photo of Mary J Blige from the waist up. After finding a full photo of her outfit, I liked it a lot. It’s not by far my favorite on this list (Mostly because of the very high slit in the side) but it is a very elegant look and the gold embroidered (Or beaded? I was unable to see them clearly) swirls add a very nice interest to the dress.

Amanda Siyfried

Amanda Siyfried’s dress is a very nice example of what I saw as a trend on the gala carpet this year: Since adding Catholic imagery to the outfits are a very controversial choice, many designers drew inspiration from other “Catholic” sources that are seen as more acceptable, such as paintings done for the Catholic church.

This dress looks like it was inspired by an angel’s dress, which was probably one of my favorite other Catholic outfit inspirations. Amanda’s dress is one of my favorites because of the way the dress fits her. Since an angelic/Grecian style dress uses many yards of fabric to create the bellowing look, it can be hard to create a dress that will not swallow the wearer in the fabric. This dress’s skirt fabric is pleated, which naturally makes it narrow on top and creates a flattering A line skirt shape. Add to it the asymmetrical neckline and sleeves, a lovely little tiara, and a very nice yellow gold color and you have one of my favorite dresses of the night.

Bella Naija

Bella Najia’s dress, like other outfits I saw on the red carpet, this dress is white but very classy and fitting with the “Sunday Best” theme. Also, this is the kind of dress I would love to wear if I ever had the chance to go to a red carpet event or formal event. I love halter necklines and full skirts, and this dress has both. It’s both modern and feminine and very classy at the same time.

Kate Bosworth

Kate Bosworth’s dress is one of two outfits I picked for this list that remind me of wedding dresses. (The second outfit is later in this post) The dress is made out of tulle and is so light, airy, and feminine. I also love the bow in the back and the veil. This outfit it would be perfect for a wedding in a Catholic church. The only complaint I have is that the dress matches the color of the carpet so well it disappears into the carpet. Even though I’m disappointed the dress’ color blended into the carpet, I still like it enough to add it to my favorite’s list.

Winnie Harlow

Winnie Harlow’s outfit is the second dress that reminds me of a wedding dress. The dress itself is a simple, undecorated corset and skirt made out of white satin (Probably silk satin?) but is very beautiful and lets the headpiece be the star of the outfit. I’m not a huge fan of the headpiece but on Winnie? I love it. I love this look and everything about it fits Winnie beautifully.

Lynda Carter

First, I’m over the moon to see that Lynda Carter attended the Met Gala. Second, I love her dress. Her teal dress is so flattering and, even though it covers her in a very modest way, it’s not unflattering or makes her look frumpy, a common problem I see in mother of the bride dresses and dresses for women over 50. A very flattering look and when completed with gold jewelry and crown (And a Star of David hair clip in the back of her up do) it makes her look like a queen.

Lili Reinhart

When I saw photos of Lili Reinheart’s dress, I loved it. The dress, made out of what appears to be silver lame with beading on the bodice, is very ethereal and, in one photo I found, is so lightweight that when the wind catches the train it floats in the air. Like Amanda Siyfried’s dress, I think this dress is inspired by something an angel would wear, but unlike Amanda’s dress, Lili’s dress has a short skirt. It’s such a beautiful dress that I hope other designers will copy parts of it for prom and homecoming dresses in the future.

Mindy Kaling

Mindy Kaling looked looked so beautiful and regal. It reminds me of something Audrey Hepburn wore and fits with the them very well. The dress is white and plain without beading and embroidery, but the navy blue opera gloves added a touch of color that complemented Mindy’s crown. I love the whole entire look.

Gigi Hadid

Gigi Hadid’s dress really impressed me. I normally do not like her outfits at the Met Gala, but I love this one. It looks like it was inspired by stained glass in churches, another nod to Catholicism without being controversial, and it was well done. The beading details are a touch I really love, adding a little sparkle to the dress without overwhelming Gigi in shine. The fit of the dress is flattering to her body type. Overall, I really love this dress!

Blake Lively

And last, but not least, Blake Lively’s dress. Blake’s dress is one of the first dresses I saw from the Met Gala 2018 and is probably my favorite of the night. The dress, made of velvet and other fabrics I cannot identify right now, is covered in gold embroidery. The bodice is decorated in jewels (Probably rhinestones?) and looks like it was inspired by the jeweled chalices used during Catholic masses. The colors and everything about the dress is beautiful. I also love the halo in Blake’s hair, another nod to Catholic imagery and is probably inspired by the angels in paintings done for the Catholic church.

Well, that’s all I have to talk about now! Do you agree with my choices? Feel free to comment below!

Thank you for reading!