Actor Timothee Chalamet, singer Billie Eilish and rapper Lil Nas X kicked off a sparkling, youth-inspired Met Gala red carpet on Monday celebrating the best of American fashion.
Dune star Chalamet, one of the four Gen Z co-chairs of the so-called Oscars of the East Coast, sported a white silk suit with black lapels and white high-top sneakers.
Grammy-winner Eilish, 19, shed her trademark baggy clothes for a plunging Oscar de la Renta peach gown that she said was inspired by Marilyn Monroe.
Lil Nas X, 22, the gay Black musician behind hit song Old Town Road, wowed with a gold suit of armour that he took off to reveal a crystal-inspired bodysuit.
Poet Amanda Gorman chose a blue Vera Wang gown and crystal laurel crown headpiece that she said was intended to make her look like a “reimagined statute of liberty”.
Also turning heads was the daughter of late basketball star Kobe Bryant, Natalia, who made her Met Gala debut in a colourful Connor Ives frock.
Chalamet, Gorman and Eilish, along with tennis player Naomi Osaka, are all under the age of 25, reflecting an event intended to highlight young designers and celebrities.
“What's so exciting about this year is that we're really focusing on the future of American fashion,” Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine, who organises the event, told Good Morning America ahead of the gala.
The invitation-only Met Gala is a fundraising benefit for New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and also marks the opening of the Costume Institute's annual fashion exhibition which this year is titled In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.
Osaka wore a Japanese-inspired blue-and-red gown with a dramatic headpiece, while Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams chose a dramatic black outfit with an elaborately sculpted headdress she said was inspired by the Matrix films.
Schitt's Creek actor Dan Levy opted for a bold, puff-sleeved creation featuring artwork on the front that showed two men kissing.
Met Gala regulars Rihanna, Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid also stunned as they made their grand entrances at the star-studded event.
Many of the celebrities were first-timers at the Met Gala, including YouTuber Emma Chamberlain, Black-ish TV star Yara Shahidi, and Brooklyn Beckham, son of British soccer player David Beckham.
Last year's Met Gala was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic, and Monday's gathering was about a third smaller than usual with about 300 guests, with proof of vaccination required, though they did not wear masks while posing for their entrances.
• Additional reporting by Khanyisile Ngcobo.
Reuters
