Met Gala 2024 live updates: Zendaya stuns in second outfit; Cardi B and Lana Del Rey among stars at fashion’s biggest night

Zendaya in outfit number two on the Met Gala green carpet.

LIVE – Updated at 03:52

Stars turn up for annual fundraiser at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York amid protests against Israel-Gaza war nearby.

03:52Chloe Mac Donnell

And with that the 2024 Met Gala comes to a close. We do hope you’ve enjoyed joining us.

The main takeaway for us? Perhaps celebrities and their stylists needed a clearer theme. On Monday morning in an interview with Today, Anna Wintour seemed to pre-empt this was how it was going to play out when she apologised for any “confusion” over the theme. “This exhibition broke my cardinal rule,” she said. “When we came up with the title ‘Sleeping Beauties,’ it’s wonderful and poetic and romantic, but actually, it could be many, many things….“So, I fear that we’ve unleashed a lot of confusion out there, and for which I deeply apologise.”

In the end, it was hard to decipher what exactly the majority of the looks were trying to express. Lana Del Rey in Alexander McQueen, Barry Keoghan in Burberry and Zendaya’s second John Galliano look for Givenchy were the exception. Balenciaga’s reinterpretation of archival gowns as seen on Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts were also clever.

There were plenty of dramatic red carpet gowns but, compared to previous years, they felt like they could have used a little more drama. Unlike, say, the Oscars, the Met is when you can really push the red carpet boundaries. Think of Jared Leto as Choupette the cat in 2023. Zendaya’s light up Cinderella moment in 2019. And Rihanna’s omelette dress in 2017. Cardi B blocking the steps in a dress with the wingspan of a jumbo jet is fun but it’s not Lady Gaga doing four costume changes ascending those steps is it.

The sign of a memorable Met Gala is the memes and tonight, sadly, the internet was lacking them.

Let’s see if the after-party looks bring some more pep. For now, it’s good night from us.

Number of people arrested at pro-Palestinian protest near Met Gala

03:13Fran Lawther

The Met Gala is not happening in a political vacuum – and this year’s event comes as New York campuses, and others across the US, are roiled by protests against the war in Gaza.

As stars filed down the red carpet on the Upper East Side of Manhattan on Monday night, scores of demonstrators gathered near the event.

NYPD had erected metal barriers to keep protesters away from the annual fashion event. Police also reportedly made a number of arrests.

It was unclear how many people were arrested but pictures from the scene showed some protesters pinned to the ground and others being walked away from the protest.

One man was seen being pinned to a wall near the museum, which is hosting the gala.

03:06Chloe Mac Donnell

Fresh from the Miami GP Sprint, Lewis Hamilton has made a fashion pitstop. His look is from Burberry and according to the brand the embroidery detailing on the coat is inspired by John Ystumllyn, one of Britain’s first Black gardeners. It is said to “reflects the language of flowers in Black history” featuring periwinkles for endurance, yucca for eternity and protecting restless spirits, daffodils – known as “pass-along” flowers for their hardiness and cedar branches for everlasting life.

03:06Chloe Mac Donnell

It wouldn’t be the Met Gala without a celebrity pregnancy announcement. Congratulations to the model/actor Adwoa Aboah who decided to hard launch her bump in a navel revealing look from H&M.

03:02Chloe Mac Donnell

Sydney Sweeney has entered the dark side. The actor has switched up her long blonde hair for a blunt brunette bob and bangs. She arrived with a black lace embellished veil covering her face but has ditched it for the awaiting crowds of photographers.

Zendaya round two

02:57Chloe Mac Donnell

OK why do one killer look when you can do two killer looks. Zendaya has just done an outfit change – judging by the size of the dress, we’re guessing this didn’t happen in the loo. Her stylist Law Roach has dug into the fashion archive’s for her second look of the night sourcing a 1996 Givenchy by John Galliano gown. Can we take a moment for that incredible headpiece from Philip Treacy for Alexander McQueen 2007 too. Local flower markets take note, from now on when we say bouquet this is what we want.

02:55Chloe Mac Donnell

Camilla Cabello’s clutch is in fact a giant cube of ice containing a singular rose. It’s slowly melting with the idea that by the time the night is over she’ll be left just holding the stem. But should it come with a frost bite warning?

02:30Chloe Mac Donnell

Erykah Badu’s look is fresh off the spring/summer’ 24 Comme des Garçons runway. Clashing florals, tulle and ruffles, there’s a lot going on and we’re very much here for it.

02:24Chloe Mac Donnell

OK Barry Keoghan read the brief and possibly the book and nailed it. His look is from Burberry – remember Keoghan was named as a brand ambassador earlier this year so no big surprise there – and it gives a nod to Count Axel. Note the top hat, the pussybow detailing and pocket watch. It’s bonkers in the best way possible.

Naomi Watts brings Big Swan Energy

02:22Chloe Mac Donnell

It’s Big Swan Energy on tonight’s carpet. Anyone who is watching Feud: Capote vs The Swans will be thrilled to see Naomi Watts who plays Babe Paley in the cult series give a nod to Truman Capote’s 1966 Black & White Ball. Watts is wearing a look from Balenciaga based on a 1950’s dress from the house.

02:22Chloe Mac Donnell

Entertainment Tonight captured the moment Cardi B emerged onto the carpet. We’re still waiting on an official wingspan of the dress but it’s unlikely to be topped tonight.

02:10Ellie Violet Bramley

To compare the Everything Everywhere All at Once actor’s look to a marathon runner draped in foil would be to do her, and it, a disservice. This strapless Balenciaga look is the perfect sartorial temperature.

A Met Gala hard launch?

01:56Chloe Mac Donnell

Is this the hard launch the Internet has been waiting for? With relationship rumours swirling Barry Keoghan and Sabrina Carpenter pose together.

01:56Ellie Violet Bramley

Of course Chloë Sevigny, the most fashion of them all, wore a look by a designer whose name is a byword for ‘I know the most recent Vogue like the back of my hand,’ the Turkish-British designer Dilara Findikoglu. Deconstructud, embellished, corseted, with bows and with beads; it’s a lot, in a good way.

Lizzo, minus the flute

01:46Ellie Violet Bramley

Gone is the flute, with which she serenaded the crowd at a Met Gala past, playing Debussy’s Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune. But regardless there is plenty that will occupy the crowd with this sculptural look, which is apparently the work of Paris-based label Weinsanto.

01:45Chloe Mac Donnell

It turns out Jeff Bezos did bag a ticket to tonight’s gala. The billionaire was waiting for his fiancee Lauren Sánchez at the top of the steps. It’s the second time Bezos has attended the event. He made his debut in 2012 when Amazon sponsored it.

Cardi B blocks the carpet

01:39Chloe Mac Donnell

Cardi B has basically shut down the Met carpet. The American rapper has over 10 assistants currently helping her fan out her gigantic gown and its width means that no one else can get by. All that’s left to do now is climb the many Met steps. *Grits teeth

Nicole Kidman brings Balenciaga dress “back to life”

01:37Chloe Mac Donnell

Anyone familiar with that “And he’s there” viral TikTok will know that this photo is just made for that sound. Nicole Kidman’s gown is from Balenciaga haute couture. Its creative director Demna has reinterpreted a 1951 version from the house. Kidman says she considers it “a sleeping beauty that has been brought back to life” and that she “has kissed it awake”.

Lana Del Rey, with giant headdress, in Alexander McQueen

01:36Chloe Mac Donnell

Speaking of Lana Del Rey’s giant headpiece, here she is. Her full look is by the new Alexander McQueen creative director Seán McGirr. He’s walking the carpet with her and explaining that he based it on a look from late Lee McQueen’s 2006 “The Widows of Culloden” collection. Judging by social media this is gearing up to be one of the most talked about looks of the night. 10/10, no notes.

01:35Ellie Violet Bramley

The quiet elegance of this custom Oscar de la Renta frock will perhaps be overshadowed by talk of Pamela Anderson’s makeup. While for several high-profile appearances recently she went makeup free, there was clearly no dogma to her choices. As she told Glamour magazine recently: “Makeup is expression. Words are the worst form of communication. It takes body language, how you hold yourself, your clothes and makeup – it’s a way to communicate. I’m definitely not opposed to makeup, but I really don’t know what I’m going to wear next.” She also referenced working on a film recently where she was so covered in glitter that she “ate glitter for breakfast. So I haven’t forgotten about makeup.”

Kim Kardashian in what she called her ‘armoured lace’ dress

01:34Chloe Mac Donnell

Kim Kardashian has also turned to John Galliano at Maison Margiela for tonight’s Met look. The dress itself it made from metal which Kardashian describes as “armoured lace”. We’re not sure if the lopsided grey cardi was meant to be part of the look or whether there was some sort of last minute wardrobe malfunction. She’s also had to dive out of the way of Lana Del Rey’s giant headpiece a couple of times. Not the most relaxing start to her night for sure.

Rita Ora and Taika Waititi indulge in some green carpet PDA

01:34Chloe Mac Donnell

The first PDA of the night comes from Rita Ora and Taika Waititi. Ora’s dress is from Marni and according to Ora was made using beads collected from Europe and Northern Africa during the 1st century BC.

01:29Ellie Violet Bramley

Meg Ryan had a famously terrible time of it with another Michael, Michael Parkinson, in an interview that, despite happening nearly two decades ago, is still making toes curl the world over. But this rare red carpet outing with the designer Michael Kors feels altogether less uncomfortable – the matching sunnies and all-black outfits help with the sense of harmony, ditto the matching grins.

01:19Ellie Violet Bramley

Another attendee with a lot to live up to – just as with Lil Nas X, Doja Cat last year also transformed into Karl Lagerfeld’s cat, Choupette. This year, again by comparison alone, her look feels more understated. But that is not to say it is an unwelcome change of pace. Of course the internet is going to reference a wet T-shirt competition, but – have I been liveblogging the Met too long? – this wet look dress feels unexpectedly chic. The intentionally runny makeup is a knowing wink to a very done undone look.

Da’Vine Joy Randolph wears Zac Posen

01:16

Many of Zac Posen’s fans were devastated following the shuttering of his namesake brand in 2019. They were even further upset when the American designer announced earlier this year that his next creative director position wasn’t to be at a storied luxury fashion house but instead at the high street giant Gap Inc. Were the days of Posen’s dramatic red carpet gowns finally over? Well, it seems not. Posen has just made a triumphant return dressing the actor Da’Vine Joy Randolph in a custom denim look. A signature of the American brand this is a major moment for both.

01:14Ellie Violet Bramley

Lil Nas X is wearing a look embellished with 50,000 Swarovski crystals. The work of Raul Lopez of Luar, is it a paradox to say that it feels a little underwhelming? In normal circumstances, most definitely. But last year he did transform, with the help of legendary makeup artist Pat McGrath, into a hedonistic take on Karl Lagerfeld’s cat, Choupette.

07 May 2024 00:58Chloe Mac Donnell

It turns out Tyla’s four assistants have now resorted to lifting her up the steps. Variety Magazine posted the below video of the singer on X, formerly known as Twitter. Note, she’s had to ditch the hourglass sand timer. Bet her helpers are counting down the minutes until they can clock off.

Andrew Scott, Donatella Versace and Jude Law, oh my!

07 May 2024 00:56Ellie Violet Bramley

The gang you didn’t know you needed has landed in the form of Andrew Scott, Donatella Versace and Jude Law. Scott and Law no doubt have plenty to talk about, both playing Tom Ripley, the titular character in Ripley and The Talented Mr Ripley respectively. But their takes on red carpet fashion couldn’t be further apart – Scott is very much of the new school of experimental menswear – arms out, bling on – while Law has kept things simple in an old school tux. Versace, meanwhile, is the creme de menthe making this cocktail zing.

Jeremy Strong does Succession-style hyper-luxury in Loro Piana

07 May 2024 00:48Ellie Violet Bramley

In another win for meta dressing, Jeremy Strong, the actor who plays heir-apparent to the Logan throne in HBO’s Succession, has chosen to wear a suit by the Italian hyper-luxury brand Loro Piana. The same brand is behind the £500 cashmere baseball caps his character Kendall Roy chooses to keep the sun off his expensively moisturised in the series. The floral details of this look to one side, the excess of the brand feels apt for the theme. Plus, might Strong be nodding to Count Axel, the main character in Ballard’s short story, with his facial hair? Perhaps, although a George V beard would have been truer to the text.

07 May 2024 00:46Chloe Mac Donnell

Hello and welcome to the 2024 Met Gala, the biggest and oftentimes the most bonkers night in fashion. It has earned the moniker “the Oscars of the East Coast”, but such is the wider cultural impact of the extravaganza that, in the fashion world at least, its influence now supersedes the actual Oscars.

Helmed by Anna Wintour, editor in chief of Vogue and global chief content officer of Condé Nast, the party lasts about five hours – from the red carpet posing to the dinner that no one actually eats.

It is the ultimate merger of today’s power-players, spanning a roster of famous names from fashion, film, sport, music, social media and, more recently, tech. If you have seen the 2016 documentary The First Monday In May, then you’ll already know that every single guest is personally approved by Wintour. To get the amalgam right she works with a number of co-chairs, this year they are Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Chris Hemsworth and Bad Bunny.

Loewe’s creative director Jonathan Anderson is an honorary chair as is Shou Zi Chew, the CEO of TikTok, which is sponsoring the event – insiders says this has become a little awkward as the USA has since threatened to ban the app deeming it a national security threat under its current ownership. Wintour, as ever, seems to be styling it out, choosing to ignore online criticism from US senators.

This isn’t the first time Wintour has set out to woo the titans of tech. In 2012 Amazon Fashion sponsored the event with Jeff Bezos posing next to Wintour in a Tom Ford tuxedo. Bezos is rumoured to be making another appearance this year, alongside his fiancee Lauren Sánchez who, according to reports, Wintour is “personally helping” hone her image. Watch this space.

While the night always results in a string of viral memes the main goal is in fact, fundraising, for the fashion wing of the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art – it coincides with the opening of the Costume Institute’s annual show. Every one of the 400 or so guest seats are paid for, usually by a brand. This year a single ticket costs $75,000 (up $25,000) from last year while tables begin at $350,000. And remember, as Wintour approves each guest, even if you are part of the 1% you can’t just buy your way in. Last year’s event raised almost $22m, setting a new record for the philanthropic event.

07 May 2024 00:41Ellie Violet Bramley

Tennis-core might have having a moment, but Serena Williams never stopped serving up high-fashion aces. This time in the form of a Balenciaga couture dress from 2022. According to Vogue, “the atelier dedicated 150 hours to pattern-making and crafted the couture piece from 25 meters of gold foil-laminated taffeta sourced from Italy.” The opera gloves add drama, as if more were needed.

Mirror Mirror… Lauren Sánchez makes her Met debut

07 May 2024 00:35Chloe Mac Donnell

Mirror mirror on the wall… Lauren Sánchez makes her Met Gala debut in Oscar de la Renta. In the lead up to tonight Anna Wintour is rumoured to have been “personally helping” Sánchez with her look. Given Wintour is herself a huge fan of the American fashion house this look does nothing but add further fuel to that fire. The mirrored gown is a very literal interpretation of the Sleeping Beauties fairytale theme but remember that theme isn’t really the theme of the gala. But at this stage of the evening and judging by some of the looks coming up it seems any theme goes.

07 May 2024 00:20Ellie Violet Bramley

Leave it to the new-ish head of British Vogue, Chioma Nnadi, to bring a Burberry look to the Met carpet. All soft sherbet lemon and frills, it feels very soothing on the eye. Again, Ballardian nightmare this is not. But it is extremely lovely.

Jeff Goldblum is here and the gloves are off

07 May 2024 00:14Chloe Mac Donnell

Jeff Goldblum has arrived and the fashion gloves are now off. He looks smart in a black overcoat, straight leg trousers and high shine shoes. But being Goldblum of course there’s going to be a fashion twist. This time it comes in the form of a natty white scarf, an eclectic collection of brooches and green tinted glasses. He’s even made the white magician-esque gloves somehow work. Is there anything this man can’t pull off?

07 May 2024 00:12Ellie Violet Bramley

The “naked” dress has been a staple on the Met steps ever since Cher wore one designed by Bob Mackie in 1974. While Cher’s version went down in some quarters like a lead balloon – a copy of Time magazine with her wearing it on the cover was banned in some cities at the time – we can, I think, be sure that Emily Ratajkowski’s will receive a less draconian reception.

Greta Lee is worried about missing dinner

07 May 2024 00:11

Another celebrity, another Loewe look. The Spanish house is really ruling those steps tonight. Greta Lee’s column gown features a solid shaped “shield” which the actor says isn’t “exactly functional”. She’s having to pose side on so the paparazzi can get a clear shot of her face. Speaking to Vogue she is now pondering about how she’s going to eat in it. Completely sheer aside from some chantilly lace and carefully placed 3D flowers this is one brave look for the best dressed Gala battle.

07 May 2024 00:09

Greta Lee, star of Past Lives, can do no red – or even green – carpet wrong. Yet another twist on the naked dress, this sheer lace gown is the work of Jonathan Anderson at Loewe. Lee told Vogue ahead of her Met debut that “it has this really hard architectural shape but made of this transparent lace.” Is hard/soft the new high/low in fashion? Perhaps if Lee has anything to do with it. Also in that vein is her hair, a wig apparently chopped by hairdresser Jenny Cho and inspired by Stella Tennant.

Gigi Hadid wears New York-based designer Thom Browne

06 May 2024 23:56Ellie Violet Bramley

Spilling trains are something of a pedestrian sight on the amped-up stage that is the Met Gala steps, but model Gigi Hadid has still managed to make this one special. With a little help from New York-based designer Thom Browne, who may perhaps be best known for being the designer behind Sydney’s chef jacket in The Bear. It apparently took 13,500 hours to create. I wonder how many Boursin cheese filled omelettes topped with crushed sour cream and onion crisps one could make in that time.

And just like that… Sarah Jessica Parker has arrived

06 May 2024 23:53Chloe Mac Donnell

And just like that … Sarah Jessica Parker arrives. For her 12th Met Gala, the actor has chosen a sculptural look from the British fashion designer Richard Quinn. With intricate lace and thousands of crystals it’s the most glamorous lampshade we’ve ever seen. Being SJP she’s gone heavy on the accessories. The statement hat is from Philip Treacy while even her boots have been vajazzled.

06 May 2024 23:45Ellie Violet Bramley

Yet another star of Challengers, Mike Faist, has shown up on the grass-green red carpet. Like co-star O’Connor, Faist has kept things safely at the baseline with a Loewe design. The radish feels like a quirky spin on a botanical theme, even if it is a little more Peter Rabbit than bleak Ballardian sci-fi.

Met Gala host Jennifer Lopez shimmers in Schiaparelli

06 May 2024 23:44Chloe Mac Donnell

Met Gala host and red carpet pro Jennifer Lopez has arrived. She’s wearing a custom gown by Schiaparelli which looks like its made up of shimmering crystals. Perhaps, a nod to the crystalized flowers in JG Ballard’s book?

Ayo Edebiri in not so groundbreaking florals

06 May 2024 23:41Chloe Mac Donnell

For her very first Met, Ayo Edebiri has opted for a custom dress from Loewe. Edebiri is known and loved for her cool and off-beat style so on paper a floral dress sounds a little off-brand. But take a closer look and you’ll notice that the flowers are individually cut-out to give a 3D effect.

Zendaya is in the building

06 May 2024 23:40Ellie Violet Bramley

Co-chair and absolute queen of meta-dressing – see the shoes with tennis ball heels she wore to promote sexy tennis flick, Challengers – Zendaya has arrived. Her stylist Law Roach has had the internet speculating, with a red herring post yesterday on Instagram that read “How did I forget that I have this dress in my archive!… we had the dress the entire time,” followed by a face palm enoji. But the floral Emanuel Ungaro couture gown he posted a picture of was clearly not meant to be. Of course Zendaya went for the drama of this gown by Maison Margiela’s John Galliano, complete with wonky silhouette and plumage.

One Day actor Ambika Mod arrives on green carpet

06 May 2024 23:39Ellie Violet Bramley

You can bet your bottom dollar that Emma, the character that actor Ambika Mod plays in One Day, would have done her homework ahead of the Met Gala, and read all of Ballard’s back catalogue in readiness. Mod has also clearly done her fashion homework here, too, with a subtle but effective strapless gown complete with the sprayed-on image of an hourglass figure – a nod to the passing of time that is a key theme of the source text? Smart and chic, we never doubted she would get top marks.

06 May 2024 23:38Chloe Mac Donnell

Handbags are out, hourglass timers are in. We wonder how long it will take Tyla to make it up the steps.

06 May 2024 23:37Chloe Mac Donnell

The singer Tyla is making her Met Gala debut in a custom Balmain gown which looks like falling sand, further emphasised by the sand filled hourglass she’s holding. The dress is completely moulded to her body and she’s currently being helped up the steps by four assistants. This has viral written all over it.

06 May 2024 23:36Ellie Violet Bramley

It will surprise not a single fashion observer that Josh O’Connor, star of Challengers, is wearing custom Loewe by Jonathan Anderson, given O’Connor is an ambassador of the brand. The elongated tailcoats of his look have a pleasingly eccentric air to them, while the floral footwear nods to the botanical theme without getting bogged down.

Boho is back

06 May 2024 23:35

If you hadn’t yet heard the coin belts jangling on the breeze, this photo proves without doubt that we the boho-chic renaissance is in full swing. Here we see the pioneer of the noughties iteration, Sienna Miller, alongside Gerwig, Barbie and Sex Education actor Emma Mackey, actor Zoe Saldana, posing with the designer to thank or blame, depending on who you talk to, for bringing it back to the fray, Chloé’s Chemena Kamali. For fans of frills it’s all very exciting, but it feels a little too Left Bank for a Ballardian Met Gala.

Greta Gerwig in Chloé

06 May 2024 23:32Ellie Violet Bramley

Is it possible that even director Greta Gerwig, one of the main architects of the hot Barbie pink vortex the world fell into last year, has also tired of pink? It would seem possible judging from her all-black ensemble, the work of Chloé creative director Chemena Kamali. Understated but dramatic nonetheless.

Anna Wintour arrives early and in a velvet Loewe coat

06 May 2024 23:31Chloe Mac Donnell

It will come as a surprise to no one that Anna Wintour is early. Cue the florals for spring memes. Apologies to all botanists but I’m going to say they are some type of tulip? Last year, she made headlines for hard launching her rumoured relationship with Bill Nighy when they walked the carpet arm-in-arm. This year she’s flying solo. Her velvet coat is from Loewe – remember its creative director Jonathan Anderson is an honourary chair so it’s not a huge surprise. If you zoom in you’ll notice that the embroidery is incredible. The bob is also bobbing. This is a strong start.

Ashley Graham goes for all-black

06 May 2024 23:31Ellie Violet Bramley

Model and co-host of Vogue’s livestream, Ashley Graham has gone for all black, which has been a big look on red carpets of late. But this is no ordinary black tie, this is the corseted work of young designer Ludovic de Saint Sernin. Darkly floral with a directional fringe. Maybe Graham is a Ballard fan.

Bad Bunny arrives in Maison Margiela

06 May 2024 23:29Chloe Mac Donnell

Bad Bunny has arrived in Maison Margiela. The visible thread stitches seem to be a nod to the reversal of time which is a fun and quite deep interpretation of the theme. The dark floral bouquet also captures the mood. Who wants fresh flowers when you can have feathered Maison Margiela flowers?

Gwendoline Christie ascends the steps in Maison Margiela

06 May 2024 23:06Chloe Mac Donnell

The Met Gala is all about drama and the British actor Gwendoline Christie is certainly bringing it by slowly ascending the steps and giving a different pose at each level. The GOT star is wearing a red velvet gown and sheer tulle cape by John Galliano for Maison Margiela. She closed his spring ’24 couture show in January so it’s a natural fit. Although we do kind of wish she’d opted for that corseted rubber look. This feels a little less adventurous and tonight of all nights is when you can really push the red carpet boundaries. The bouffant is fabulous, wonder how many cans of hairspray it took?

06 May 2024 23:01Ellie Violet Bramley

Chris Hemsworth, star of upcoming Furiosa, is one of this year’s co-chair – a power move given this is his debut Met Gala. He hasn’t, strictly speaking, played it safe with this Tom Ford suit – even for celebrities, all cream is never guaranteed not to be spilled on. But he certainly hasn’t gone all guns blazing in the sartorial stakes, which is not surprising. Ahead of tonight Vanity Fair asked him if he considered himself a fashionable person, to which he replied: “No. Do I think they made a mistake? Yes.” He has, on a previous occasion, been known to wear flip flops on the red carpet.

06 May 2024 23:00Chloe Mac Donnell

Florals for the Met? Groundbreaking. But alas it seems guaranteed.

But digging into the fashion archives could prove fruitful. Remember Moschino’s 2018 collection where Gigi Hadid and Kaia Gerber dressed as actual bouquets. Fun! Or what about that finale dress from Chanel’s 2005 haute couture show covered in handcrafted silk camellias. It would be incredible to see the Challengers star Josh O’Connor, who is also a Loewe menswear ambassador, in one of the brand’s grass growing pieces. An accidental nod to Wimbledon’s centre court, each of the sprouting pieces were the product of a collaboration between the Spanish fashion house and Spanish bio-designer Paula Ulargui Escalona. Game, set, match!

Time seems like another easy literal interpretation of the theme. Many celebrities already have lucrative contracts with high jewellery watch brands so an excuse to wear multiple timepieces will be hard to resist. This could also be the perfect time for someone to dig out Jeremy Scott’s grandfather clock dresses from his 2008 show. But if past themes are anything to go on, as journeyed through in this gallery by my colleague Nyima Jobe, we can expect a little bit more effort. Let’s see if anyone can top Billy Porter being carried up the Met steps by six shirtless men, Rihanna’s 55lb “omelette gown” or of course, the outrage caused by Kim Kardashian in Marilyn Monroe’s 1962 JFK dress.

Strap yourselves in, it’s showtime!

06 May 2024 22:57Chloe Mac Donnell

The first big reveal of the night is the carpet that covers the Met’s famous steps. This year it’s not red but a cream and green tie-dye effect. Florals would have been a bit too literal but why not some luscious real life green grass? This is a bit like someone left a green sock in a white wash.

06 May 2024 22:47Chloe Mac Donnell

The guest list is kept strictly confidential which only sends the rumour mill into overdrive, although Rihanna has broken that protocol revealing her look will be more “demure” than previous years. As a co-chair Jennifer Lopez is a guaranteed RSVP while Zendaya will also be taking a spin up the steps – her first since 2019. There is heavy speculation that Taylor Swift will be there but it’s unclear whether her boyfriend, the American footballer Travis Kelce, will join her. If he does expect another #breaktheinternet moment.

06 May 2024 22:43Ellie Violet Bramley

Hi, Ellie here, also from the Fashion desk, with a little more on the theme of this year. While the Costume Institute’s show is entitled “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,” unlike in previous years the dress code for the gala diverts away from the exhibition itself. Guests have been told to pay homage to The Garden of Time, a title that takes its name from a 1962 short story by JG Ballard.

The dystopian work of the 20th century sci-fi writer might not seem like an obvious place to root for a theme to a Met Gala, and in fact the deeper you dig the more strange it seems as a choice.

As commentators have been pointing out in the run up to this year’s event, Garden in Time was no tale of a bucolic utopia. Growing from the wonky, satirical mind that also brought us the likes of symphorophilia-inspired Crash and High-Rise, with its take on crumbling high-society, it tells the story of Count Axel and his Countess wife, who live in a villa surrounded by gardens. They must keep a Goya-esque angry mob at bay – an “approaching rabble” – by plucking the flowers. Spoiler alert: no amount of flowers can keep the “advancing army” away.

As fellow fashion writer Rosalind Jana has pointed out, there is a “delicious irony” here. “This is a short story in which the last bastion of rich, refined beauty – with its classical music, rare books, and its lovely clothing – is overrun by a working-class mob.” An interesting choice for an event that could easily be seen as the zenith of excess, to put it mildly.

But there will no doubt be more than a few outfits that skirt this aspect of the inspiration text entirely and land instead on on-the-nose florals. While some may at least nod to the darkness with riffs on weeds over roses and peonies.

Plus Ballard, who once described himself as a “a man of complete and serene ordinariness”, knew his way around a flower – he worked for a stint as a Covent Garden flower market porter. So perhaps he would have taken some delight in what are sure to be some spectacular floral-inspired garments tonight? We can but speculate.