Style nerds always look forward to the Met gala, lovingly called “fashion’s prom.” We dream it will be a parade of couture rarely seen off the runway, where we can watch our favourite stars swan around in fabric sculptures of unimaginable fiscal and cultural value. Of course, expectations aren’t always met, and in the wake of the event we often lament that people played it safe, misread or ignored themes, and generally behaved like they were going to normal prom.
When the theme for 2017 was announced, it was met by rabid enthusiasm from fashion fans. Surely things would be different this year, right? Centred around the exhibition Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between, with the dress code “avant-garde black tie” we assumed we would be treated to a bevy of stars in bone-achingly exciting creations. Unlike recent years, there was no half-assing this: no nodding to the theme with a metallic eye or semi-permanent hair colour. But scanning social media the morning after, we’re left with a major question: where was all the Comme?
Despite being an evening honouring Kawakubo’s legacy and iconic label, actual sightings of the house’s work could be counted on fingers and toes. Rihanna, Tracee Ellis Ross, Sofia Sanchez de Betak, Rick Owens, Michèle Lamy, Anna Cleveland, Stella Tennant, Baz Luhrmann, Catherine Martin, Deborra Lee-Furness, Pharrell, Helen Lasichanh and even Caroline Kennedy nailed the theme, appearing in creations that spanned the past few collections. Additionally, a special shout out must be reserved for Alessandro Michele who paired a Gucci jacket with a Comme trouser skirt.
But it was a considerably shorter history lesson in the house’s heritage than we’ve seen in the Met’s best years. Thinking back, standout Galas would be 2004’s Dangerous Liaisons: Fashion and Furniture in the 18th Century, 2006’s AngloMania: Tradition and Transgression in British Fashion and 2013’s Punk: Chaos to Couture. Those themes were so well interpreted by attendees that the evenings looked like full-on dress up parties.
Credit should be awarded to those who chose to rather interpret the spirit of Kawakubo, and what Comme represents more broadly. Model Grace Hartzel wore Dior, with hair and makeup inspired by the house’s autumn/winter 2004 look. She might not be wearing Comme, but the dark spirit is present. Similarly, Fei Fei Sun in Alberta Ferretti, Dakota Johnson in Gucci, Ruth Negga in Valentino, Rila Fukushima in Louis Vuitton and Sean Combs in Rick Owens managed to glean elements of the ideologies that run through Comme collections and interpret them within their own style. Fashion is, after all, about expressions that feel authentic to the individual. Lily Collins may have stuck close to her usual romantic princess look, but she made an offering to the Comme gods by chopping off her signature chestnut waves in favour of an angular Kawakubo-inspired black bob.
Looking beyond themes, certain gala traditions are eternal. The night has also come to be a celebration of designers and their muses, and with that in mind, many attendees decided to forgo the focal star to pay tribute to their own friends and inspirations. Bella Hadid was Alexander Wang’s date, while Monica Bellucci was on the arm of Valentino — understandably, they both wore their partner’s looks. Others, such as Solange in Thom Browne, Lily-Rose Depp in Chanel, Stacy Martin in Miu Miu, Léa Seydoux in Louis Vuitton, and Frances Bean Cobain and Courtney Love in Marc Jacobs, shouted out their personal fashion relationships.
Beyond that, the sea of traditional red carpet looks is best chalked up to this: the magic of Comme is really for a special kind of person, someone with the insight, intellect and guts to wear it. Perhaps it’s better to have a spattering of true divinity at the gala than a bunch of uncertain starlets missing the mark. And if that’s not comfort enough, then all we can say is this: thank god for Rihanna.
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Text Wendy Syfret