Since 1948, the Met Gala has been an annual event that gathers a wide range of people to celebrate fashion and raise money for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. Each gala has a theme in which guests dress according to. The theme of Met Gala 2021 was “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.” Presided over by Anna Wintour, Vogue’s Editor-in-Chief, the event is described as “fashion’s biggest night.”

This year’s Met Gala, which was supposed to take place in 2020, looked quite different from those in years past. However, despite a shorter guest-list and many COVID-19 protocols, fashion’s biggest night was executed with great success.

The star-studded guest list included names in music, fashion, sports and politics, including Lil Nas X, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, Rihanna and Kim Kardashian-West. Timothee Chalamet, Billie Eilish, Amanda Gorman and Naomi Osaka attended as co-chairs of the event, while the positions of honorary chairs were filled by fashion designer Tom Ford, Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri and Anna Wintour. The hosts of the event were actress and recording artist Keke Palmer as well as actor, writer and director Ilana Glazer. These positions were given to these people because they each embody an important part of the theme: American fashion.

As always, depending on who you ask, some outfits worn by guests of the gala were great successes while others were fashion failures. Freshman Skylar Connor-Bennet of Ocean Township was not a fan of Kim Kardashion-West’s all black Balenciaga gown, which covered her from head to toe.

“I really didn’t like that it was all one color. I don’t know how it relates to the theme,” Connor-Bennet said.

Freshman Isabela Delgado of Eatontown also explained how she felt some outfits fell short.

“To me, A$AP Rocky’s outfit was the worst of all. It looked like he was wearing a blanket,” Delgado said.

Not all outfits were received poorly, however. Celebrities such as Billie Eilish caught the eye of many, sporting a large peach colored ball gown. Eilish’s hair color, a light blonde, also drew attention from the contrast of the black and green that fans are used to. This look seemed to be inspired from the fashion of old Hollywood. Meanwhile, artists such as Grimes sported futuristic looks that stem from the possible future of American fashion. Though drawing from the theme in different ways, both artists captured the essence of American fashion.

This year’s gala is the first of a two-part event, the second part of which is taking place in May of next year. The theme for this event will be “An Anthology of Fashion,” which is said to explore unfinished American stories according to Vogue Magazine. Much like the first part, it will delve into how American fashion has evolved and will continue to evolve. Freshman Charlotte Ross of Fair Haven expressed her excitement for part two of the gala.

“I’m really looking forward to the second part of the gala,” Ross said. “I can’t wait to see how the outfits compare to the first part.”