A Non-Definitive Ranking of the Met Gala

Emily Betwinek, Evi Tzortzatos, and Christopher Marlowe|May 4, 2023

The Met Gala. The very same day each year, yet somehow always forgotten. Or… no, it’s more of a “the Met Gala is coming up!” and then “oh, the Met Gala was last night!” It’s always the first Monday of May, and everyone always forgets.

That being said, this photo-op-promo dinner at the Met is very important to us, especially the overwhelming opportunity to deeply critique the wealthy. From memes, to Kim Kardashian never missing the chance to controversially drop the ball, this is one party of the affluent that you don’t want to miss.

Firstly, what exactly is the Met Gala? Also known as the Met Ball, the Met Gala is an annual fundraising gala held for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, located in the one-and-only-not-so-glamorous New York City. Regarded as “fashion’s biggest night,” invitations are highly sought after for what is known as the world’s “most prestigious” fashion event. The formal attire of the night is in correspondence with the theme of the year’s Costume Institute exhibition.

Based on status, invitations are hard to come by and a great show of reputation in the world of fashion and celebrities. Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue, has been the chief organizer of the Met Gala since 1999 and personally hand-picks the guest list. The event is not televised and there is a strict cell-phone ban to keep the event exclusive. No one knows for sure what goes on behind the doors of the Gala, other than those of prestige enough to be invited, that is.

Ironically, the worst part of the Met Gala is the perpetual disappointment of witnessing the absolute monstrosities of what these rich and tasteless individuals call fashion. Now don’t get us wrong, there are definitely few that shock us and wear something actually appealing. But, for the most part, the outfits either don’t fit the theme or they’re just flat out terrible.

This year’s theme was “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” to pay homage to Lagerfeld since he passed away… in 2019. We do admit that this year had some great outfits, but the theme itself was unnecessary.

And don’t even get us started on last year’s theme, “America: An Anthology of Fashion.” That night in itself was tragic considering everyone’s looks were extremely blasé (except for Blake Lively of course—she’s a queen, she always serves).

In general, the only looks worth talking about each year are those who wear something completely outlandish. For example, Jared Leto never fails to shock the audience. From his double-headed Gucci outfit in 2019 for the theme “Camp: Notes on Fashion,” to this year’s full body catsuit to literally honor Karl Lagerfeld’s cat, he’s no stranger to wild outfits. And while we deeply appreciate the risks he takes every year at the Met, it’s not good enough for what is supposedly America’s greatest night of fashion.

Now, let’s get into some judgment: The Met’s The Thing xx

THE BEST

Conan Gray !!!

Phoebe Bridgers

Lowkey Kendall Jenner

Emma Chamberlain

Charlotte Tilbury

Jenna Ortega

Aubrey Plaza

Emily Blunt

Zac Posen

THE WORST