The 2022 Met Gala was themed around “Gilded Glamour,” and as the evening unfolded we saw it doing so in the spirit of every Met Gala: some people getting the theme and following the invite, some tinkering with it cleverly, and some people doing what the hell they like. Kim Kardashian wearing Marilyn Monroe’s “Mr President” dress was a matchless nod to American fashion and pop culture history. Vanessa Hudgens in stunning black channeled the Gilded Age more literally (with a twist). Host Blake Lively was in Atelier Versace with a panel that, when removed, transformed her into her idea of the Statue of Liberty. Cardi B and Emily Ratajkowski just, well, went for it.
Frankly, in these testing times, who gives a fig whether any of them got the memo? The rich and famous dressed up crazily, the public had Pringles, wine, and endless snark at their disposal. Everybody won.