2024 Met Gala: Looking back at a night of K-pop stars and breathtaking gowns
This year’s Met Gala saw celebrities pushing the boundaries with their outfit choices.

Not everyone followed the “Garden of Time” dress code, but there were certainly a lot of floral and botanical-theme designs on parade.

Zendaya, who is co-chair of the charity gala, wore two outfits.

She first donned a Maison Margiela dress designed by John Galliano (pictured on the cover). The one-shouldered gown – that looks like it harks back to his Dior era – features a long train covered in blue and green stripes, as well as embellishments resembling fruits on one side of the waist.

Zendaya wore two different outfits for the occasion. Photo: AP

The actress later changed into a black gown – also by Galliano, but reminiscent of the time he worked with Givenchy.

This one included a corseted lace-up bodice, puffy sleeves and a peplum hemline, as well as an oversized skirt. She complemented the look with an eye-catching bouquet-themed fascinator.

Supermodel Gigi Hadid also went with the botanical theme. She wore a design by Thom Browne comprising a corset dress with exaggerated hips, decorated with 3D yellow roses.

It is said that the entire look took a team of more than 70 people over 13,500 hours to make entirely by hand.

Read more: 2024 Met Gala: Michelle Yeoh walks red carpet in shiny 'tin foil' dress

Actress Mindy Kaling embraced an over-the-top style with her sculptural dress. The design by Gaurav Gupta resembled a flower from the back, and required multiple handlers to help her carry it as she walked up the stairs.

Actress Cynthia Erivo turned heads as she posed in a deconstructed tuxedo. The Thom Browne design was covered with appliques of flower petals and insects.

She arrived together with singer-actress Ariana Grande (the two of them will be appearing in the upcoming Wicked film adaptation).

Grande however went the more demure route, wearing a mother-of-pearl gown by Jonathan Anderson for Loewe.

Demi Moore looked stunning in a structural creation by Harris Reed. The gown has a pink-and-white floral design with a spiked, heart-shaped element.

Others who stood out included K-pop stars like Blackpink’s Jennie and all eight members of boyband Stray Kids.

This is the first time that a K-pop group appeared at the Met Gala. The men wore designs by Tommy Hilfiger, which stayed true to its preppy and all-American style, but carrying subtle floral embroideries.

Jennie walked the red carpet in an asymmetrically-draped Alaia dress mirroring a flowing stream. According to a press release from the brand, the dress took 13 metres of fabric to construct.

Jennie's dress is said to symbolise a running stream in a garden. Photo: AP

Malaysia’s Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh stepped out for the evening in a Balenciaga dress. It was made to resemble tin foil.

Specially designed by Balenciaga’s creative director, Demna, the avant-garde outfit paired beautifully with her new hairdo, a short and edgy bob.

The colour black seemed to be a top choice for the evening.

Singers like Dua Lipa and Cardi B (in Marc Jacobs and Windowsen, respectively), as well as actress Penelope Cruz (in Chanel), dressed in all-black – although they still dazzled all the same.

Read more: Everything you need to know about the 2024 Met Gala, fashion's biggest night out

Usher also wore black and paraded a sparkly black suit with a matching cape and hat. He held an accessory that looked like a dripping rose.

The Met Gala is dubbed “fashion’s biggest night out”. It is the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute benefit, a black-tie extravaganza held the first Monday in May to raise money for the museum’s fashion wing, the only curatorial department at the Met that has to pay for itself.

The corresponding museum exhibit this year carries the theme of “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion”. It will display fashion designs (in the form of 3D and AI recreations) that were “put to sleep” for being too delicate and cannot be put on mannequins.

As for the dress code, it ties in with the ephemerality of nature – and fashion.

It is named after a 1962 short story by JG Ballard about an aristocratic couple living in a walled estate with a magical garden while an encroaching mob threatens to end their peaceful existence.
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This year’s Met Gala saw celebrities pushing the boundaries with their outfit choices. The evening also saw, for the first time, a whole K-pop group appearing on the red carpet.