Part Four of our Met Gala Countdown is a reflection and a dream of what could have been. Without further ado, let’s rewind to five years ago.
The 2020 Met Gala exhibition was “About Time: Fashion and Duration.” It was inspired by Virginia Woolf’s writings and the work of French philosopher Henri Bergson. It explored the nature of time in fashion—how trends repeat, evolve, and exist beyond linear timelines. The exhibit was also meant to reflect 150 years of fashion history, which coincided with the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 150th anniversary.
Here’s a guided tour:
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was canceled.
Had the event occurred, the co-chairs would have been Emma Stone, Meryl Streep, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Nicolas Ghesquière (creative director of Louis Vuitton’s women’s collections since 2013), and Anna Wintour.
The dress code that year was going to be “Timelessness”. A few questions, naturally, come to mind - “What does that even mean?” “What would that look like?”
Worry not, dear readers; I have you covered. The dress code encouraged attendees to interpret the concept of time through fashion. We might have seen a lot of historical references, revived archived runway looks, futurism (including Afro-futurism, Retro-futurism, and so forth), avant-garde, surrealism, and so much more.
As I don’t have red carpet looks to share with you, I will share a few runway looks that reflect my interpretation of the dress code. But first, the art student in me must explain my process:
When I think of the interpretation of fashion and time, my mind naturally goes to French history and the classical world. If the Met Gala is supposed to celebrate a new exhibition at an art museum, why not look like art? Why not playfully pay homage to historical periods that undoubtedly inspire the collective imagination to this day?
The French historical glam looks below are from Vivienne Westwood's Fall 1995 collection, "Vive La Cocotte". The classical looks are from John Galliano's Spring 1999 show.
Alas, what could have been. We can only dream of what could have been and how we might have done it… But I suppose that’s the silver lining.
Come back soon for Part Five of our Met Gala Countdown Series on Vintage & Coupe.
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