The dress code for the 2018 Met Gala, which celebrated the opening of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s new exhibition “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination,”was described as “Sunday best.” And while it’s true that overall the outfits that crossed the arrivals red carpet were perhaps a little but less revealing skinwise than in past years, they actually appeared to reveal a good deal about the celebrities wearing them in that what-does-your-Halloween-costume-say-about-you kind of way. It’s a feeling that was heightened by the fact that religion is perhaps one of the least-discussed topics on the red carpet today (or any day).
There were plenty of people who tackled the theme of the exhibition head on with assorted religious iconography. “Pope” Rihanna, one of this year’s event co-hosts, arrived in an exquisitely beaded Maison Margiela dress topped off with a matching mitre, and the Gucci gang of creative director Alessandro Michele, Jared “Jesus” Leto and Lana Del Rey, looking like refugees from a Renaissance tapestry, the latter sporting a breastplate (or necklace, we’re not sure which) that included a golden heart pierced with a half-dozen daggers.
The evening was heavy on the regal/religious headpieces with some opting for full-on crowns (Mindy Kaling, Lynda Carter and Madonna were in that camp), others in ornate toppers that seemed to stretch toward the heavens (Sarah Jessica Parker in Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda and Cardi B in bejeweled Moschino, among the most memorable), while some went with more subtle halo-style headgear (Lily Collins was our favorite in this department).
Some went the good-angel-bad-angel route by opting for all-white looks (Kendall Jenner in Off-White, Hailee Steinfeld in Prabal Gurung) or all-black (Solange in Iris van Herpen and Bella Hadid in Chrome Hearts) with angel-wing motifs both over the top (Katy Perry in custom Versace) and lower-key (Kate Moss in Saint Laurent with a few jets of black feathers sprouting from her collarbone). There also was Evan Rachel Wood making a striking entrance in an Altuzarra ensemble that included a golden metallic feather-covered cape that evoked a pair of angels folded neatly behind her.