12 Met Gala 2022 Looks That Had Hidden Meanings

Celebrity Style Different translations of “gilded glamour.” by Dominique Norman May 4, 2022 Getty Images/ Theo Wargo / Staff

Getty Images/Cindy Ord/MG22 / Contributor; Getty Images/ Jeff Kravitz / Contributor At the 2022 Met Gala, many celebrities took the Gilded Glamour theme as an opportunity to shed light on the reality of the Gilded Age in unique ways. Here are the stories behind some of the most impactful looks of the night .

Taylor Hill/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images Sarah Jessica Parker’s dress by Christopher John Rogers was an homage to dressmaker Elizabeth Keckley , who is honored in the new exhibit. Keckley was formerly enslaved, and after purchasing her freedom, she served as the personal dressmaker for Mary Todd Lincoln.

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images Emma Corrin dressed as 19th-century dandy Evander Berry Wall , who’s referred to as “King of the Dudes.” He was considered to be a fashion-obsessed “dude,” a term that substituted for dandy. Corrin was happy to channel this fashion icon on the red carpet.

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images Cynthia Erivo’s headwrap is emblematic of the tignon law of 1786 , when Black women were forced to cover their hair per the Spanish governor’s demands. But women have since reclaimed the tignon and fashioned it in ornate styles that have remained stylish today.

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images Radha Blank remixed one of the rooms in the “In America” exhibit. To do this, she opted to channel “the unseen Black women who have sewn the fabric of this country,” as she wrote , as well as an homage to voodoo practitioner, Marie Laveau.

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images Gabrielle Union’s look was inspired by activist Diahann Carroll . Of her dress’s significance, she said, “When you think about the Gilded Age and Black and brown people in this country, this country is built off of our backs, our blood, sweat, and tears."

Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan/Getty Images Blake Lively put meticulous thought into each and every detail of her look, which was meant to represent the Statue of Liberty. Her crown featured seven spikes, signifying the seven continents, which she described as showcasing “inclusivity, welcomeness, and freedom.”

Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan/Getty Images Lively’s second look went from copper to green as with much of New York City architecture . The train also had the constellations from Grand Central Station, while the bodice had detailing from the Empire State Building. Atelier Versace nailed this.

Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan/Getty Images Riz Ahmed explained the power behind this seemingly simple look — by 4S Designs — as an homage to migrant workers and the exploitation of labor during the Gilded Age. Stylist Julie Ragolia told Vanity Fair “This look is for everyone who thinks they don’t have a voice. They do.”

Gotham/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images While describing the detail of her Altuzarra dress to hosts Hamish Bowles and Vanessa Hudgens, Hillary Clinton said it was embroidered with names of women she admired, including Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Lady Bird Johnson, and Clinton’s mother, Dorothy Rodham.

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images Questlove paid homage to the late André Leon Talley with this silhouette, but the real star was what you didn't see. He said the quilted jacket underneath, by Greg Lauren and Gee’s Bend Quilters, “ highlight[ed] Black women who have sacrificed for the country.”

Taylor Hill/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images Erykah Badu’s look was emblematic of a patchwork quilt, which was one of the mainstays of the first part of the exhibit. She said the quote from Jesse Jackson’s 1988 speech was inspo, as a quilt “serves as a metaphor for the United States and its varied cultural identities.”

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty Images Dove Cameron ’s look by Iris Van Herpen was actually the skeleton of a 19th-century dress. The corset, the bustle — it’s all there in the bones of the dress.

12 Met Gala 2022 Looks That Had Hidden Meanings

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