April showers bring Met Galas? This highly anticipated and most fashionable night of the year, usually hosted on the first Monday in May, was postponed due to COVID-19, but just took place on Sept. 13 at the Metropolitan Museum in New York.

With each Met ball comes the most outrageous and unexpected outfits in fashion. This year’s theme, “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,” brought all things made in the U.S.A. to the annual fundraiser. Here’s a deeper look and my review on what this year’s Met Ball brought to the carpet.

Starting off strong, the “Happier Than Ever” music star and co-chair of this year’s Met Gala, Billie Eilish, wore a stunning peach Oscar de la Renta gown. With icons like Marilyn Monroe as her inspiration, this dress was definitely one of the Met’s show-stopping ensembles. Grace Horeczko ’22 commented on Eilish’s gown saying, “I thought it was so clever. So Marilyn yet so incredibly Grace Kelly with all vegan material. Through this dress, she launched a plan with the designer to have zero animal furs in his future collections which is inspiring. It’s so different for her, she’s growing and evolving, and it’s so fun to watch as we’ve seen her since her early teens.”

However, some looks did miss the mark. Singer and Songwriter, Kim Petras, horsed around in a Collina Strada dress that featured a 3D horse head. Petras’ dress featured not only the eye-catching horse head but used a fabric titled “Sistine Tomato” on a pannier skirt which featured everything from roses to tomatoes in one print.

Supermodel sensation, Kendall Jenner, dressed in an Audrey Hepburn’s “My Fair Lady” inspired Givenchy dress. This nude-colored dress was covered from sleeves to train in sparkling crystals and was paired with a stunning diamond choker. Her hair and makeup were lackluster compared to her dress; however, the rest of her outfit made up for what is lacking in that department.

Here’s a fun fact about this year’s Met Gala. Darth Vader actually showed up and walked the carpet. Just kidding, but Kim Kardashian sported a Balenciaga full bodysuit ensemble covered head to toe in all black that served very much Darth Vader, dementor, and Addams family all in one. Katie Thomas ’22 added saying, “She’s definitely going places. I can’t say what they are, but she is in fact going places. I only hope she is as successful in her new career as a celebrity ninja as she has been in the past. She really couldn’t stand to look at her husband that much, huh?”

Sixty-six-year-old supermodel, Iman, definitely took the gold when it comes to this year’s Met Gala outfits. Iman dressed in an all-gold pantsuit with a feathered gold headpiece and hoop skirt cage. Dorothy Castellana ’22 commented on Iman’s outfit saying it was “absolutely stunning. Easily one of my favorite looks from this year’s Met.” This show-stopper is a Dolce and Gabbana and Harris Reed collaboration and brought all things light and hope to the Met after the past year and a half of gloom and darkness.

This should be a commonly accepted rule, but if you are wearing a black suit to the Met Gala, you should not be invited in the first place. Justin Bieber, James Corden, and Channing Tatum all wore some variation of a black suit with a white button-up. This is the Met Gala. At least give audiences something to talk about instead of wearing the most basic men’s formal outfit to ever exist. I do not think anything will top Chadwick Boseman’s 2018 Met Gala suit for the “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” theme, but a little creativity is always appreciated. A pop of color, style of cut, or detailing can make all the difference in a men’s suit, but the plain suit seems lazy and unenthusiastic.

While not all of the usual celebrities sighted at the Met Gala were able to attend this year due to COVID restrictions, most of the Met Gala guests in attendance this year went all out to celebrate the return of the annual fundraiser, and many of this year’s outfits sparked some sort of conversation. Whether it be likes, dislikes, or simply an overall confusion over what a guest wore, it was amazing to see this beloved tradition return once again to the capital of fashion in the United States, New York City.