Met Gala 2024 Red Carpet: 'The Garden of Time' Looks

Welcome to the first Monday in May! Which of course is the second anniversary of the night we learned the Supreme Court was about to overturn Roe v. Wade. (The official anniversary is May 3.) It’s also the Met Gala. And what better way to disassociate from the bleak state of reproductive rights and diminishing access to abortion in the U.S. than by commenting on rich celebs wearing million-dollar gowns?

The 2024 Costume Institute exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art is titled “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.” (The exhibit itself sounds pretty cool.) Specifically, the Met Gala dress code is “The Garden of Time,” inspired by a short story from 1962 by J.G. Ballard which is about an aristocratic couple listening to Mozart in their garden of giant magical flowers while an angry mob of furious serfs descend on their big, beautiful villa. Every time the husband, Count Axel, cuts a flower, time turns back and the mob gets further away. But the couple does not enjoy a happy ending.

There’s, erm, a lot to be said about this being the theme for an extravagant ball (which is co-chaired this year by Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Funny, and Chris Hemsworth) full of the richest and most beautiful people in the world. Like, maybe how the Gala just barely avoided being overshadowed by a strike from the Condé Nast Union because the company was barely paying their employees a living wage? Or maybe how there’s a genocide in Gaza, funded in part by the U.S. giving Israel money and weapons? Or maybe how the student protests against said genocide are being shut down by cops across the country and at least two universities canceled their graduations because their students were…protesting a genocide. Anyway…

At the very least, it’s a broad yet pOeTiC theme that I hope means we’ll see some gorgeous villains or funky ensembles that evoke class warfare. Unfortunately, the word “garden” probably means we’ll just see a lot of flowers. But you never know! So without further ado, let’s see how the celebs interpreted a dystopian story about the ultra-wealthy barricading themselves away from life as a not ultra-wealthy. Should be fun.

Dua Lipa in Marc Jacobs

I do believe Dua is “the moment” in this dress…I’m just not sure what moment exactly she’s dressing for.

Sarah Jessica Parker in Richard Quinn

I don’t know if SJP is going to the Kentucky Derby, a royal wedding, or to watch me compete against 20 or so other contestants in a fight to the death.

Demi Moore in Harris Reed

It’s like everyone always says: “You can’t have flowers without a ring of arrows!”

Karol G in Marc Jacobs

Trying to figure out what side the garden nymphs will fight on in the hypothetical revolution between the magic garden and the working class.

Usher in Alexander McQueen

I am nervous that this photo might give me nightmares about a man in a black leather hat trying to seduce me with a plastic red rose that is also either dripping, melting, or bleeding.

Camila Morrone in Chanel Haute Couture

I love this top and would love to wear something like it someday, but I also do believe she could have worn almost anything else to “Fashion’s Biggest Night.”

Irina Shayk in Swarovski

Irina said she’s wearing 70,000 crystals which is about 69,998 more crystals than anyone ever needs to be wearing.

Mindy Kaling in Gaurav Gupta Couture

For something that looks so much like cursive handwriting, it’s saying so little.

Brie Larson in Prada

Hm.

Kris Jenner in Oscar de la Renta

Sure.

Lauren Sánchez in Oscar de le Renta

No!

Amanda Seyfried in Prada

Amanda said she’s a “sexy, nice Ursula” in this look, so we’ll stick with that.

Riley Keough in Chanel

This is a group project in dress form where one person does all the work (the person here is the floral, embroidered top) yet everyone gets to enjoy all the credit. Typical.

Colman Domingo in Willy Chavarria

My king<3

Awkwafina in H&M

I’ll bet you $10 this dress will be worn by the star of that Polly Pocket movie.

Maria Sharapova in Prabal Gurung

I’m a freak for green, so I love this dress. But I also think it’s nice that Maria stepped in and gave Zendaya a night off from dressing up like a tennis ball.

Serena Williams in Prabal Gurung Atelier

This doubles as a mylar blanket. Smart!

FKA Twigs in Stella McCartney

I actually think her and Dua are dressing for the same moment. Would love to know what the moment is someday!

Zendaya (in look #2!) in vintage Givenchy Haute Couture

It’s cool that Zendaya had two Met Gala looks but let’s not pretend that Lady Gaga didn’t have four Met Gala looks when she co-chaired in 2019.

Pamela Anderson in Oscar de le Renta

I love an extra funky hairstyle. A queen!

Janelle Monáe in Vera Wang

The designer added that saran-wrap flower to her shoulder to ensure the dress is garden-themed and not a siren-going-to-the-Ultra-music-festival-in-Miami-themed.

Jodie Turner-Smith in Burberry

Unfortunately, this is the first time in my red-carpet-watching life that I’ve been a little underwhelmed by Jodie Turner-Smith : (

Rachel Zegler in Michael Kors

Cinderella?!? You’re at the wrong ball!

Ayo Edebiri in Loewe

These flowers don’t even want to be a part of this weird, white, crochet dress…which is why they’re desperately trying to secretly slide off the bottom.

Lil Nas X in Luar

When you show up to the 2023 Met Gala as a cat, adorned head-to-toe in silver jewels and pearls, I think your only option for a follow-up is a low-key cream and silver sequin suit.

Shakira in Carolina Herrera

This is giving “I committed a lot of tax fraud in Spain and didn’t go to prison ; )”

Kendall Jenner in vintage Givenchy Haute Couture

This feels a little bit bleh until you learn it’s a Givenchy by Alexander McQueen that’s never been worn by a human until now and will probably never be worn by a human again.

Kelsea Ballerini in Michael Kors

This looks like the muppets ate an entire bed of roses and then threw it up. I say this respectfully.

Kerry Washington in Oscar de la Renta

If you’re taking a shot for every floral dress you see tonight…you should stop now before you die.

Chloë Sevigny in Dilara Fındıkoğlu

This is what I imagine the woman in “The Garden of Time” looks like—a chaotic Victorian hot mess who passed out drunk in the garden but woke up in time for afternoon tea and didn’t bother changing.

Kaia Gerber in Prada

She looks like a sad, molting swan who got kicked out of the disco.

Doja Cat in Vetements

Unfortunately, it’s now nearly impossible to pull off makeup like this without reminding people that “Karma’s a bitch!” and you “should have known better!”

Sabrina Carpenter in Oscar de la Renta

This is how I imagine my stomach looks every morning after I take my heartburn medication so that I can pour black coffee down my throat.

Jessica Biel in Tamara Ralph Couture

And here is my stomach after I chug pepto bismol because I drank too much black coffee and my heartburn medication gave up.

Kylie Jenner in Oscar de la Renta

LOL, Kylie definitely said give me the tightest fucking dress you can find so everyone knows I’m truly not pregnant with Timmy’s baby…and also make me look like Kim wearing Marilyn Monroe’s dress in 2022, except make it a dress that the internet won’t yell at me for ruining. If that was actually the vision, she nailed it!

Lizzo in Weinsanto

I have a lot of thoughts after this ensemble! None of them are great! But jellyfish and condom are some of the first words that come to mind.

Alexandra Daddario in Dior Haute Couture

It feels like there are a lot of Grecian Goddess vibes going on at this year’s Met, which I’m not really understanding…

Cynthia Erivo in Thom Browne

This is very fucking cool, if not a little reminiscent of what you look like when you have chickenpox and are covered in calamine lotion. Chickenpox chic.

Cara Delevingne in Stella McCartney

I fear I have no idea what she’s going for here.

Lana Del Rey in Alexander McQueen

Bare branches with one single rose?! Draped in mesh fabric perfect for hiding from angry mobs?! Dare I say she nailed this dress code?!??

Demi Lovato in Prabal Gurung Atelier

These metal flowers actually function as ninja stars.

Cardi B in Giambattista Valli

Cardi B rocks the dark void slowly overtaking us all! Brava!

Kim Kardashian in Maison Margiela Artisanal by John Galliano

Remember when she dated Pete Davidson and they walked the Met Gala red carpet together? That was crazy.

Phoebe Dynevor in Victoria Beckham

I love it when a gown that’s probably worth thousands looks like a celebrity just found some pretty fabric and draped it around themselves like a child playing dress up.

Nicole Kidman in Balenciaga

Nicole Kidman and Taylor Swift are friends so this is clearly an Easter egg meant to tell us that Reputation (Taylor’s Version) is dropping at midnight tonight.

Lily James in Erdem

This is a boring dress but I think the flowers are supposed to be dead, so I get it.

Elle Fanning in Balmain

I guess if I had to guess which celebrity is most likely to have hummingbirds (doves???) grow out of their shoulders, I would guess Elle Fanning.

Rita Ora in Marni

This is different and a bit of a risk, I’ll give her that! And she said some of the beads date back to the “first and second century BC” which, OK, cool if true. But other than that, I have to agree with the internet that this looks like a beaded curtain from a college dorm.

Allison Williams in Michael Kors

I don’t really have anything to say about this dress so instead I’ll use this space to let you know that Williams is confirmed for M3GAN 2!

Ariane Grande in Loewe

The dress says Grecian Goddess but the eye flourishes that kind of look like gills say, “I live in a pineapple under the sea.”

Charli XCX in Marni

She looks draped in the shredded pages of my diary that once contained all my hopes and dreams.

Emily Ratajkowski in vintage Versace

We love a naked dress, but this one makes her boobs look like they’re behind bars. Unless that’s the point, and it’s supposed to make you consider the cages we’re all economically trapped in thanks to capitalism. Hm!

Karlie Kloss in Swarovski

The craftsmanship here is exquisite. And the second I sign off tonight I will be running to TikTok to see how the Gaylors interpret this to be about Taylor.

Zendaya in Maison Margiela Artisanal by John Galliano

I need some more detail about the inspiration here, but it feels like a dress from a dark, gothic retelling of Adam and Eve that takes place in a haunted Scottish castle. I’m into it. Mostly, I’m relieved Law Roach didn’t try to put her in another tennis-ball-inspired or tennis-ball-adjacent ensemble.

Greta Lee in Loewe

It’s like if a tornado ripped through a house but only sucked up cotton balls and Grandma’s lace tablecloth from 1917. Makes you think!

Gigi Hadid in Thom Browne

I’ll accept this as StepfordWivescore.

Ashley Graham in Ludovic de Saint Sernin

I actually think this would be phenomenal if it wasn’t for those random flowers that look like they got superglued on at the last second because someone heard the word “Garden” and panicked.

Bad Bunny in Maison Margiela Artisanal by John Galliano

Adding “Sci-fi Edgar Allen Poe wearing Scottish golf cap” to my list of unexpected and surprising fantasies.

Nicki Minaj in Marni

This is very fun and chaotic and aptly looks like it belongs in a museum.

Jennifer Lopez in Schiaparelli Haute Couture

I can’t wait to hear her talk about how she used to dream of wearing something like this one day when she was a crazy, little 16-year-old in the Bronx running around with her secret, labelless “orange drink.”

Greta Gerwig in Chloé

I can picture Kris Jenner wearing this to the next funeral she attends!

Emma Chamberlain in Jean Paul Gaultier

Emma looks like a hot and sexy Groot.

Rebecca Ferguson in Thom Browne

I think we should give Rebecca Ferguson everything. All the money, all the governments, and all of the movie roles forever.

Sydney Sweeney in Miu Miu

A pretty flower-adorned dress?! With a black bob and leather gloves to make it edgy?! Groundbreaking.

Lea Michele in Rodarte

Here’s one celebrity who we know definitely didn’t read Ballard’s short story. Ba dum tss!

Gwendoline Christie in Maison Margiela

What I really love about this look is that I’m confident I can absolutely recreate it for myself should we descend into a Hunger Games-like future and I need to convince The Capitol that I am rich so they don’t murder me.

Bee Shaffer in vintage Alexander McQueen

Anna Wintour’s daughter is pretty private and rarely takes a risk at the Met Gala, and sometimes, consistency is comforting.

Elsa Pataky and Chris Hemsworth in Tom Ford

Wow, Chris! Give us nothing!

Anna Wintour in Loewe

I’m horrified by these tissue-paper-looking tulips but she does look like a wealth-hoarding Disney villain, which feels timely and accurate due to everything I already mentioned.

Met Gala 2024 Red Carpet: Celebs Go for Most Literal Interpretation of Dystopian Dress Code

Some celebs tried their best to interpret this year's dress code, "The Garden of Time," inspired by a sci-fi story about an aristocratic couple barricading themselves away from a working-class mob. Other celebs wore flowers.