9 Best-Dressed Musicians From The Met Gala 2022

The ‘Super Bowl of celebrity red carpets,’ ‘Academy Awards for fashion,’ or ‘Fashion’s biggest night’ – the first Monday of May has many names, and one of them is the ‘Met Gala.’ Hailed as one of the most-anticipated events of each year, over time, the Met Gala has grown a notorious repute for its experimental, over-the-top red-carpet looks, focused on the respective year’s concept. 

In an encore to last year’s theme of ‘In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,”  this year’s theme strove to continue that legacy and was announced as ‘In America: An Anthology of Fashion,’ with the dress code being ‘gilded glamor’ and white tie. Expect this list to feature a lot of silks, corsets, cinched waists and elegant up-dos (Bridgerton, I’m looking at you).

For a backstory to the theme, the ‘Gilded Age’ was an era between the 1870s and 1890s in the United States when rapid migration, industrialization and economic growth took place, and ‘gilded glamor’ (the fashion from that time period) was heavily characterized by the usage of wealth and glamor to conceal the socio-political unrest and turbulences that ran amok in that era.

Without further ado, let’s dissect nine of our favorite looks from this year’s edition.

9) Sabrina Carpenter in Paco Rabanne

Sabrina Carpenter, a Met Gala debutante, showed up in a romantic, dreamy gown that resembled liquid gold. The Paco Rabanne creation is a past-meets-present take on the gilded-glamor dress code, featuring a very contemporary silver sequined brassiere with a cascading gold and silver skirt, bejeweled with crystals from the House of Maison Lesage.

This look was accessorized with luxe yellow diamonds, a pronounced silver choker, exquisite rings on her fingers, and last but definitely not the least – statement Jimmy Choo heels. Carpenter’s natural blond locks only helped complement and elevate the look further.

8) Rosalia in Givenchy

Looking like an absolute vision in white, Rosalia sashayed down the red carpet donning an ornately embellished gown by Givenchy. The outfit consisted of sheer, balloon-style draped sleeves suspended from a stone-encrusted halter neck extension (which she cleverly paired with matching bejeweled earrings) and a figure-hugging silhouette that enhanced all her natural curves.

This was augmented by the choice of a mermaid-cut detail, ending in an exquisite, cream-toned feathery train. The ensemble was replete with stellar lace detailing and rimmed with silver rhinestones that gave off a supremely luxurious vibe, sublimely contrasted by the incorporation of black urban shades.

7) Cara Delevingne in Dior

For the ones who may be unaware, yes – this English model-turned-actress is also a talented musician.
And incase you think Cara Delevingne’s 2021 Met Gala look titled ‘Peg the Patriarchy’ was a bold move, think again. This time around, the supermodel strutted down the red carpet in a suave, haute-couture, monochromatic Dior red suit incorporating a Gilded Age, military-inspired double-breasted blazer at the top, and pleated cigarette pants for the bottoms.

However, the real show-stopping moment came when Delevingne boldly stripped off her top to reveal a torso dipped in golden body paint, underneath. Now donning only a pair of stick-ons and an aureate body chain, it seemed that the 29-year-old had decided to opt for a more literal representation of the night’s dress code – but we’re not complaining!

She managed to pull off every aspect of the risqué outfit, exuding unabashed confidence while posing for the paparazzi. From neck to feet, every inch of her figure was luxuriously dipped in gold, from a layered golden choker neckpiece and statement rings to shimmering, gem-encrusted eye makeup and a blond wig to match with that exact shade of gold. It’s simple – no one does it like Cara!

6) Megan Thee Stallion in Moschino

Giving us “hot girl summer” with a majestic twist, Megan Thee Stallion walked the red carpet in a glimmering, silky, gold-embroidered Moschino gown. Staying true to her usual style, the 27-year-old rapper kept it bold and risqué, with mesh cutouts framing her shapely waist and a thigh-high slit skirt which left the golden stilettos adorning her legs on full display. Stallion finished off the look with occasion-appropriate golden jewelry, nail extensions and a dramatic, metallic smoky eye.

The most riveting part of the outfit was the ‘golden wings’ smoothly draped across her shoulders, which was actually a shawl designed in the form of heavy, gold-plated feathers. The addition of this shrug added extra oomph to the overall goddess-like aesthetic which the “WAP” hitmaker was going for. 

5) Cardi B in Versace

Making a grand entrance with a perfectly complementing Barocco print-wrapped convertible, Cardi B was the center of attention in her high-effort, figure-hugging Atelier Versace gown which was actually composed of an elaborate, inter-woven network of metallic gold chains.

Fragments of her ensemble featured the couture house’s signature Medusa head motifs, upscaled by heavy accessorization via the addition of Versace’s trademark gold-layered choker (also featuring the iconic Medusa emblems) and matching chained gloves, which she paired with an aureate manicure and a classic, timeless bouffant.

4) Janelle Monae in Ralph Lauren

Janelle Monae channeled the concept of past-meets-future in a sparkling sleeveless and backless, disco-inspired noire gown by Ralph Lauren, which additionally featured a sweeping circular train and a futuristic crystal-embellished headpiece. The 36-year-old said that contrary to the rest of the looks from the night, theirs wished to draw inspiration from the future, rather than the past.

Black and silver were the sole two colors that dominated Monae’s look – be it for the headgear, the chunky cuff bracelets, the crystalline manicure, the rings on her fingers or her gown itself. The outfit was nailed to a T with the classic red lip, and certainly made for one of the most memorable looks from the night. 

3) Alicia Keys in Ralph Lauren

Alicia Keys ushered in an ‘Empire state of mind’ to the star-studded event, paying homage to her hometown, New York. Her ensemble was inspired by the dazzling Big-Apple skyline. From the outset, the sparkling Ralph Lauren gown seemed like your average off-the-shoulder, body-skimming dress paired with a basic, black high-neck cape – but safe to say, nothing about the entire outfit was even close to basic. The seal-the-deal factor of the outfit really lay on the backside of her sweeping, one-shoulder cape – it incorporated thousands of hand-embroidered miniature crystals that, when placed together, replicated New York City’s starry night-view silhouette.

To go with this, the singer paired delicate Tiffany & Co. jewelry, including diamond teardrop earrings and gold and platinum bracelets. Another major highlight of the outfit was her sleek, braided hairdo that was embellished with silver and black compact disk-like structures. The attention to detail that shone through her outfit was absolutely remarkable. With baby hairs gelled down to perfection and adorned with tiny crystals, alongside sparkly silver detailing added to her winged eyeliner – every single element that made up the outfit embodied New York in its truest, most authentic sense, with all of its glimmering glory.

2) Lizzo in Thom Browne

Epitomizing royalty, confidence and body positivity all-in-one, Lizzo showed up at the red carpet dressed in a regal black and gold, satin ensemble, which was adorned by a gorgeous blossoming detailing. A flutist since her childhood, she completed this look with a bang, by posing with (and of course, playing) a golden flute for the event’s paparazzi.

The Thom Browne look was heavily reminiscent of the ‘gilded glamor’ era, comprising a black corset dress and skirt combination (which were held together by over-the-thigh suspenders), above which she layered a black trailing coat, hand-embroidered with exquisite floral motifs. She wore this with a stacked golden neckpiece, and lastly, matching black and gold corkscrew nails. 

1) Billie Eilish in Gucci

Continuing the legacy from her successful Met Gala 2021 stint where the singer topped countless ‘Best-dressed of the night’ lists with her elegant Marilyn Monroe-inspired look, saying that Eilish understood the assignment with this year’s look, too, would be an understatement. This time around, the singer-songwriter repeated history (no pun intended) by choosing to go with a period clothing-influenced custom Gucci gown. There are three primary reasons why she happens to be our numero-uno pick for this year’s best-dressed musicians round-up.

Firstly, no one quite nailed the ‘gilded glamor’ brief better than Eilish with her champagne-hued, silky corseted gown. From her racy low-cut bodice to the ivory tone ruched detailing satin skirt , everything about her ensemble was an ode to exactly what fashion in the Gilded Age stood for.

The second reason? Instead of taking the usual, generic route with the theme, she added her own personal touches to the outfit by substituting the long, elegant gloves that were a trademark of that era with pastel-green fingerless lace sleeves, gothic, clunky finger rings, a crystal-laced black choker and ultra contemporary and chic, nude platform heels.

Finally, the 20-year-old not only emerged triumphant in tackling the theme, but also stood apart from the rest – by staying aloof from fast fashion and opting for an outfit that would be stylish, yet sustainable. During Vogue’s livestream of the event, Eilish revealed that her ensemble was 100-percent eco-friendly and built by putting together unutilised and excess fabric. Could she get any cooler than this?

Favorite look from the night: Natasha Poonawalla in Sabyasachi

Our favorite look from the night did not remotely come from a musician, nor from a different country. Natasha Poonawalla – businesswoman, philanthropist and executive director of Serum Institute of India – was the only Indian to receive the honor of gracing the red carpet at this year’s Met Gala, and she definitely made one hell of an appearance!

Paying due respect to the theme of ‘In America: An Anthology of Fashion’ while simultaneously adding her own desi touch to it, Poonawalla showed up to the ceremony dressed in a golden, hand-crafted saree ensemble, a collaborative project between Indian designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee (on her golden tulle saree and fine jewelry) and Italian designer Schiaparelli (who contributed to the metallic bustier with the exaggerated extended wires that encircled her face).  The luxurious silken sari possessed a gorgeous sweetheart neckline and was abundantly embellished with crystals, sequins, and precious and semi-precious stones.

To complete the look, Poonawalla styled it with an intricate and on-brand stone-encrusted manicure, extravagant bangles, finger and ear rings, classic Christian Louboutin heels and an impactful smoky-eye makeup.

This look was a complete head-turner on the red carpet, and helped carry a stereotype-shattering portrayal of India’s rich cultural and historical heritage to the mainstream Western media.