When Anna Wintour clarified the theme of this year’s Met Gala as Garden of time, she commented that fashion fans would likely see plenty of florals on display.
And while there were certainly plenty of buds and springtime foliage on display, another trend emerged that Wintour perhaps hadn’t anticipated – plenty of flesh.
Celebrities including Rita Ora, Emily Ratajkowski and Doja Cat dared to bare in their unique and revealing gowns as they arrived on the red carpet at the Museum of Metropolitan Art in New York.
While they turned heads in their showstopping looks, some have argued they didn’t necessarily meet the Garden of Time brief – which begs the question: is the Queen of Fashion losing her prowess?
For the first time ever, Wintour apologised for some confusion ahead of the event caused by the theme, which was Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion. After realising the theme sounded broad, a clarification was issued that the dress code was Garden of Time.
Anna Wintour, global editorial director of Vogue, apologised for confusion overthe interpretation of the dress code for this year’s Met Gala after it dawned on her that the theme was too broad
Speaking to US presenter Jenna Bush Hager ahead of the event, Wintour admitted that this year’s theme, which marks the Costume Institute’s new exhibition, ‘Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,’ had left some people scratching their heads.
‘This exhibition broke my cardinal rule, Jenna, which is when we came up with the title Sleeping Beauties, it’s wonderful and poetic and romantic, but it actually could be many, many things,’ Wintour explained.
Celebrities dared to bare at the Met Gala this year, as showing off their stunning figures seemed to be the unofficial trend
Emily Ratajkowski, who first found fame by stripping off in the Blurred Lines music video, also went braless on the red carpet, pictured left. Pictured right, Iris Law opted for her usual quirky look – with a daring twist. The daughter of Sadie Frost and Jude Law seem to be inspired by a Halloween bride in a semi sheer corset and tights with a headscarf and micro skirt
She said that with the help of Andrew Bolton, the curator of the Met’s Costume Institute, they came up with ‘Garden of Time’ as the official dress code.
‘I fear that we’ve unleashed a lot of confusion out there for which I deeply apologize, but I imagine we’ll see a lot of flowers,’ Wintour shared.
It wasn’t the first flip-flop from the Vogue editor regarding this year’s theme; as she originally intended to make the event a tribute to the life and work of fashion designer John Galliano.
The 63-year-old British designer, who is head of Maison Margiela, wowed the fashion world in January with his collection widely regarded as a work of genius, with his long-term ally and Met Gala chair Anna Wintour keen to celebrate him at the gala.
The last of her three looks was an oversized wet T-Shirt which showcased her enviable body
Doja Cat swapped her wet T-shirt look (pictured left) for a nude crop top and matching leggings (pictured right) when stepping out at the party, The After By Richie Akiva, in New York
But after a documentary High and Low explored Gallino’s chequered history – including racist comments – and his decades long fight for forgiveness the museum decided to put the retrospective on an indefinite hold.
In the same interview, Wintour also broke her silence on the long-standing rumor that she had banned onions, chives, and garlic from the gala’s dinner menu.
‘Well, those are three things I’m not particularly fond of, and so yes, that’s true,’ Wintour told Hager.
Rita looked confident showing off her sensational curves as she posed with her hands resting on her back
Dua’s outfit featured a black sheer dress with a glowing train and an intricate floral pattern. The star added further glamour to her look with a black feather boa
Dua Lipa sent pulses racing as she layered a sheer lacy vest over the bodice of her dress, which featured ruffled detailing along the neckline, creating a one-of-a-kind look
The global director of Vogue even spoke a bit about her strict no cell phone rule, which requires all guests to leave their mobile devices at home and enjoy each other’s company.
‘It’s often wonderful to hear after dinner, people say, “Oh, we had the most wonderful conversations,” and so that’s the idea, that life can exist without a picture on your cell phone,’ she said.
It’s likely that the guests don’t need phones to enjoy the evening, as their dazzling and whimsical outfits provide plenty of entertainment and conversation – and there were certainly some head-turning showstoppers on display on Monday night.
Emily Ratajkowski wore a see-through nude lace number that flashed her bare breasts and backside; she is wearing Versace
Kelsea Ballerini looked pretty in a pink, red and nude lace gown that flashed her midriff and legs; she is wearing Michael Kors
For the first time, a cohort of celebrities turned up at the event in barely-there dresses which didn’t clearly meet the brief of Garden of Time.
Where the directions of Anna Wintour were once taken verbatim and with earnest, the semi-naked trend that exploded on the red carpet this year suggests celebrities may be more interested in standing out than in vying for a cover shoot in fashion’s bible’.
Rapper Doja Cat wore a white wet Vetements dress. On her way to the gala she shocked fans by appearing like she was fresh out of the shower with a towel dress wrapped around her body and head.
Willow Smith, 23, wowed onlookers strutted out of The Mark hotel in a gold string dress which showed off her underwear
Flaunting her eye-popping cleavage, Doja emerged from her room at The Mark Hotel in a sheer ensemble before heading to a nearby party
FKA Twigs is known for pushing the fashion boundaries but she took things to a whole new level on Monday night in her wildly revealing beaded ensemble
Flaunting her incredible figure, Doja set pulses racing in a sexy sheer bodysuit
She then changed for the red carpet itself in another wet look white dress – going braless and without underwear to show off her figure to the max.
Still in Vetements, she pushed the naked look even further to attend The After By Richie Akiva, swapping her see through gown for an even more revealing co-ord set, featuring a sheer top and tights.
Meanwhile, Emily Ratajkowski also went braless on the red carpet, meaning her after party outfit – consisting of a sheer tasselled dress over a sparkly bikini – looked positively demure by comparison.
Shakira stepped out in a white cut out dress as she headed to a Met Gala afterparty
The custom Versace gown left very little to the imagination, with the American model completely exposing her bare bottom through the dress.
Meanwhile, Doja revealed to Entertainment Tonight the secret behind her wet T-shirt ensemble, admitting that her team used hair gel to create the look.
She also explained her outfit was inspired by the ‘most used flower… cotton’ and confessed she doesn’t like to ‘blend in’ – so, opted for a ‘timeless’ T-shirt.
Elsewhere, FKA Twigs went almost completely naked in a see-through beaded dress with a white rope coat by Georgia Pendlebury.
The British singer bejewelled her look with gemstones across her head and hair and boosted her height in giant Giuseppe Zanotti platforms.
Wintour’s no-cell phones policy means that nothing is recorded or shared with the public about the ins and outs of the event.
However, in a biography about Wintour published by author Amy Odell in 2022, a few things were revealed about the big night.
Odell wrote that Wintour coordinates how the food is served on the plate based on the color palette.
She also wrote that she loves to serve chicken pot pie at Vogue events, because it’s a ‘one-course meal that has everything (protein, vegetables, etc.).’
For dessert, she loved crème brûlée.
She also thinks widely about the event, including details like backless chairs for some guests who had intricate gowns that wouldn’t be able to fit into a regular seat.
The biography also revealed that Wintour encourages her guests to wear looks that are over-the-top.
Lisa Love, a longtime friend of Wintour’s, explained, ‘It’s that English part of her. She loves a dress-up party.’