Met Gala 2018: Catholic Imagination in Fashion

Sweeping the red carpet with their grand entrance, the divas spellbound the crowd in awe, ecstasy, envy and joy. Rihanna stunned the world with her papal mitre bishop look. Looking resplendent, she wore the perfect look true to the thematic expression and creation. Each year, a committed Rihanna works hard to impress the crowd with her fashion statement at Met Gala.

Psalm 96:9 ‘Adore the Lord in holy attire’ were creatively adhered to, by 500 plus bold-faced actresses, musicians, models, designers, businessmen and editors. Katy Perry followed the Isaiah 6:2 ‘a humble imitation of the angels’ behaviour, who when they sang the praises of God, and adored and glorified his perfections, covered their faces and their feet with their wings’, flaunting her enormous pair of feathered wings, spanning six feet. Her Versace golden chain mail mini-dress and thigh-high boots perfectly matched her super angel look.

Madonna Reigns:

Ever since the ‘Queen of Pop’ Madonna hit the music scene with ‘Like a Virgin’ in 1984, she had, she has and she will always forever epitomize the Catholic look, to set her own trends for others to follow. Her surprise performance enthralled the exhilarating gathering. Madonna paired her net veil over her face with a regal black Jean Paul Gaultier gown. Her trademark jeweled crucifixes and rosaries were, as always, in their right places.

Madonna appeared in a monastic cloak post-dinner and descended the stairs to make her entrance on the stage with the tolling sound of church bells. Mellifluously she sang ‘Like a Prayer’ and transitioned with Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’. After the scintillating performance, Madonna walked through the crowd and rising suddenly above guests she shutdown the gala to a thunderous applause and cheer. The magical moment will live forever in millions of hearts around the world.

Clooney and His Eminence Timothy Cardinal Dolan introduced the Sistine Chapel Choir. The surprise concert by the choir was one of the highlights of the evening.

Divine Combination:

The celebrity attendees became works of art themselves in their creative outlandish outfits, especially designed by renowned designers for the ‘evening of the year’. In the Met’s iconic spaces, director Bardia Zeinali brought dancer Mette Towley along. The divine combination of the duo inspired the guests to groove to their moves.

Showcasing precious Vatican artifacts and turning part of the Met Cloisters into a refurbished monastery, this year’s Costume Institute spring exhibition is one of its most ambitious efforts till date. Vogue paid homage to the museum’s incredible collections in extreme style at Met Gala 2018.

The red carpet was the centre of attraction for one and all – be it the celebrities flaunting their creatively designed costumes of the evening, or else the ready-to-capture paparazzi, or else fashion aficionados watching with keen eyes. The theme was being interpreted in one’s own tastes, dreams and unfulfilled desires.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute gala was hosted by Rihanna, Amal Clooney, Donatella Versace, Dame Anna Wintour, and Stephen and Christine Schwarzman. British Museum curator and current Head Curator of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York City Andrew Bolton did a fantabulous creative job. ‘Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination’ exhibition was opened to public from the 10^th of May 2018.

Spanning 25 galleries and 60,000 sq ft, the exhibition is the museum’s largest and most ambitious efforts so far. Andrew Bolton, the show’s Chief Curator stated, “Met Gala 2018 is intended to evoke, both the concept and the experience of, a religious pilgrimage.” Awaiting fashion’s finest pilgrims, gleaming treasures on loan from the Sistine Chapel sacristy, many of which have never been seen outside the Vatican, became the highlights of Met Gala 2018.

Daniel H. Weiss, Met’s President and CEO, enthused, “The Catholic imagination is rooted in and sustained by artistic practice, and fashion’s embrace of sacred images, objects, and customs continues the ever-evolving relationship between art and religion.”

Designs by Rick Owens, Ann Demeulemeester, Lanvin, Viktor & Rolf, Thom Browne, Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli of Valentino, Riccardo Tisci, Madame Grès, Thierry Mugler, Roberto Capucci, Dolce & Gabbana, A.F. Vandevorst, and Rodarte are included in this year’s exhibition.

Andrew Dolan explained the presence of church, “It is, because the church and the catholic imagination, the theme of this exhibit, are all about three things: truth, goodness, and beauty. That is why, we have great schools and universities, to teach the truth; that is why we love and serve the poor, to do good; and that is why we are into things such as art, poetry, music, literature, and yes, even fashion—to thank God for the gift of beauty.”

History behind Met Gala:

Formally called the Costume Institute Gala, the Met Gala or the Met Ball is an annual fundraising gala for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York City. The gala marks the grand opening of the Costume Institute's annual fashion exhibit. The event celebrates the theme of each year's Costume Institute exhibition. The exhibition sets the tone for the formal dress of the night and selected guests are expected to choose their fashion to match the theme of the exhibit.

Met Gala is regarded as one of the most exclusive social events in New York. It also happens to be one of the biggest fundraising nights in the city. The notable source of funding for the Institute through Met Gala is one of the largest sources. The grand evening is attended by personalities from the arts, fashion, high-society, film, and music. Met Gala is the fashion industry's premier annual red carpet event.

From 1995, Dame Anna Wintour, Vogue Editor-in-Chief and a Chair of the event oversees, both the benefit committee and the guest list, for the evening. The annual guest list includes only a select few of 650 to 700 renowned and powerful celebrities from the fashion, art, music, cinema, high-society, business, television and the modelling world.

Each year, a theme is announced for the guests’ list to adhere to their creations. Guests arrive to walk on the red carpet during the cocktail hour, tour the year's special themed exhibition, and be seated before the dinner party. The dinner party includes entertainment from the distinguished entertainers of the evening.

Special Attraction of Met Gala 2018:

The evening marked unusual and creatively designed costumes. Some of them were:

• Rihanna: PEARL encrusted, papal-inspired costume;

• Kylie Jenner wore a simple strapless gown, with a solar plexus cut-out and mirrored Matrix-esque sunglasses;

• Sarah Paulson, a Parda regular chose an ivory and silver embellished gown with a tulle bow in the back; she also stars in the Met Gala–set Ocean’s 8 movie with Rihanna, Mindy Kaling and Anne Hathaway;

• Kim Kardashian West chose a chain mail dress by Gianni Versace, adorned with cross embellishments;

• Cara Delevingne sported pink hair, yellow eye-shadow and a veiled headpiece with crystals dangling in front of her face;

• Zendaya’s modern-day Joan of Arc vibes in a silver chain mail Versace gown with armor-like detailing. She showed off her new blunt reddish-brown bob hair look;

• Salma Hayek Pinault’s Altuzarra dress depicted a landscape scene of a lakeside with birds, reeds, and a clear blue sky;

• Madonna in an all-black, full-skirted look included a cross top, a black rose, and heavy veiling kept in place with a crown;

• Stella Maxwell’s mother of all column dresses was encrusted with images of the Madonna;

• Priyanka Chopra channeled the mosaics of the Byzantine era, with her gilded headpiece and velvet gown;

• Gigi Hadid’s beaded dress evoked the look of a translucent butterfly wing, looking ethereal;

• Petite songbird Ariana Grande’s strapless Vera Wang had Michelangelo’s Last Judgment printed on her dress;

• Katy Perry’s gold Versace chain mail mini-dress, thigh-high boots and giant feathered angel wings, spanned six feet.