From beautiful Indian sarees to Hunger Games-esque looks, celebrities did not fail to encapsulate the attention of viewers at the 2024 annual Met Gala held on May 6th. This year’s gala honored the “sleeping beauties” of fashion in its exhibition, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” as a celebration of rare and archival pieces and their transitory nature. In respect to the exhibition, the event planners expanded on the theme of time with a dress code entitled “The Garden of Time”. Inspired by a short story by English novelist and short story writer, J.G. Ballard in 1962, the dress code was meant to reflect a theme of fleeting beauty. Ballard tells the story of a man and his wife, who live in a beautiful villa surrounded by crystal flowers. However, when an army advances upon them, the man plucks each of crystal flowers to turn back the time before the army approaches. The story reflects time’s effect on beauty and highlights how beauty decays as time goes on.

With a bit of an ambiguous meaning behind the “Garden of Time” dress code, the red carpet was filled with a variety of interpretations and looks. While some of the guest’s wardrobe choices were definitely questionable, other attendees displayed looks that dazzled on the red carpet.

All eyes were on Zendaya that evening, and rightfully so. Although it isn’t surprising as the Challengers star has been hailed as a fashion icon for years. Zendaya stepped out onto the carpet in a custom emerald green and electric blue gown from Maison Margiela by John Galliono. The gown was beautifully decorated in nature-like embellishments, a theatrical nod to the theme. Paired with the iconic Margiela makeup look, Zendaya did not fail to impress with this look.

However, not only did the fashion icon stun viewers once but twice as she introduced a second look to the evening, and it definitely lived up to the standard she set with the first. Wearing a black taffeta 1996 Givenchy by John Galliono gown, Zendaya made a surprise move with her second look of the night. The black gown, paired with a vintage Alexander McQueen hat accented with roses and shaped like a bouquet, looked stunning on the actress.

Another star who shined that evening was supermodel Gigi Hadid. Hadid honored the garden theme in a white off-the-shoulder Thom Browne gown with yellow rose embroidered detail on its tiered skirt. Hadid’s masterfully balanced a minimalistic look with just the right amount of embellishments. With a Marilyn Monroe reminiscent hairstyle, paired with a red lip, the supermodel stood out among other guests.

Though many guests displayed fabulous looks at the gala, British actress Alia Bhatt’s look may just be an evening favorite. Bhatt drew inspiration from traditional Indian attire for her embroidered, mint-green saree by Indian Couturier. Bhatt not only honored her Indian descent, but also embodied the “Garden of Time” theme and the inspiration for the night, JG Ballard’s short story. Bhatt’s saree was made of delicate hand embroidery, glass beading, and silk floss made to mirror the fantastical life illustrated in Ballard’s story. With a light pink and green color palette, the look was reminiscent of nature’s beauty. Bhatt drew all eyes to her at the event and looked absolutely fabulous.

Some other attendees took a more bold approach to their looks. Singer, Lizzo, took bold to another level, wearing a custom mesh Weinsanta gown with a vase-like cone on the top of her head. Though I have loved Lizzo’s looks in the past, this one was not it. I applaud her for attempting to match the garden theme with a botanical aesthetic, but the look was admittedly awkward and did not live up to the wardrobes of some of the other attendees.

Dua Lipa is another guest who missed the mark with her outfit choice this year. With a lace, all black Marc Jacobs ensemble with a corset layered on top of a see-through lace maxi skirt, the look was messy and did not adhere to the dress code.

While some guests’ avante-garde looks stood out like a sore thumb, others took bold to a different level, but in the right direction. Game of Thrones star Gwendoline Christie rocked the red carpet in a velvet, dark orange Maison Margiela gown and tulle cape, designed by John Galliano. Though she hasn’t confirmed that her look was inspired by Effie Trinket from the Hunger Games Movies, Christie definitely resembled The Hunger Games character, and she sure lived up to Effie’s striking looks.

Whether honoring the botanical dress code or taking a different path entirely, attendees came to play with their wardrobe choices at the 2024 Met Gala. Overall, the display of looks that pervaded the red carpet definitely turned my head towards the livestream.