Three outfit changes, one night: Lil Nas X wears Versace

Since 1948, the Met Gala has established itself as THE most important 

date in the fashion calendar. A fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute as well as an event to mark the opening of its annual fashion exhibit, the party draws high powered guests and celebrities. You can see all the red carpet looks here.  

Each year brings a new theme and 2021's was “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion”, celebrating the diversity and evolution of fashion in the United States. Debbie Harry took took this quite literally. 

Patriotic Duty: Debbie Harry wears Zac Posen.

Meanwhile, guests like Kendall Jenner, Megan Thee Stallion and Billie Eilish sought the inspiration of old Hollywood glamour.

(Right) Billie Eilish wears Oscar de la Renta. (Left) Kendall Jenner channels My Fair Lady in Givenchy.

Speaking of Billie Eilish, the musician joined a bevvy of other celebrities who used their platform to make social/political statements on the red carpet. Her Oscar de la Renta collaboration came with the caveat that the label would no longer use fur to make their products. 

Elsewhere Schitt's Creek superstar Dan Levy's tribute to the LGBTQ+ community and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's ‘Tax the Rich’ gown sparked conversation on fashion as a medium for change. Given the upheaval that's dominated American society in recent years, it would have been amiss had certain guests not made some sort of statement. 

(Right) Dan Levy in Loewe. (Left) Lewis Hamilton in Kenneth Nicholson. Hamilton hosted an entire table of emerging black creatives at the Met Gala this year.

However, if the statement was the power of branding, Kim Kardashian had it in spades. Completely covered in black material, there was no doubt who was walking the red carpet. Love it or hate it, the Kardashian brand doesn't even need a face to make an impact.  

Kim Kardashian causes a stir in an all-black Balenciaga ensemble.

But despite its inclusive and diverse agenda, South Asian representation (designers, attendees or otherwise) at the Met has always been woefully lacking. Previous themes have celebrated facets of Asian culture (2015's China: Through the Looking Glass), but it is still seen as an outlier in the industry.

This begs the question: which designer would you wear on the red carpet here or at the Met Gala?