Round 1 - 2022 (In America: An Anthology of Fashion / Gilded Glamour) - Match 12 of 101
Riz Ahmed (4SDESIGNS), left
"“This is about celebrating and canonizing and glorifying those people behind the scenes, those people that gilded the Gilded Age,” he explained over the phone shortly before hitting the red carpet. The Gilded Age, of course, saw enormous amounts of wealth generated in New York City, much of it from the labor of immigrant workers. Which, Ahmed points out, sounds a lot like what’s happening today, too: “Part of what I really value about this place are the waves of immigrants and workers that have kind of kept this city running, whether it was before in the Gilded Age or now in its new Gilded Age, or during the pandemic,” he said. “And so this is in many ways a bit of a love letter to those blue collar workers, those immigrant workers” who keep the city running. ... “I wanted to do something respectful of the theme but unexpected… As a stylist I want to tell stories that go beyond the surface and speak about those that are not usually given a voice,” Ragolia said. ... The top, Urrutia explained via email, is a workshirt adapted from his current collection. The bottoms, perhaps the first pair of double-knee pants to ever grace the Met Gala red carpet, are Urrutia’s take on the classic American silhouette, only “done with a more tailored shape and break.” ... The 4SDESIGNS idea was a perfect apotheosis of their shared project, says Ahmed. “Taking a kind of workwear look onto the red carpet for the Met makes a lot of sense given the through-line of all the work we’ve been doing together, taking things out of context and making them right. It’s very much about being an outsider and being out of place, and yet when you own that look and bring it into the room when you may not be expected to, it actually stretches the room.” Though Ahmed’s low-key look was one of the more talked about of the night, he isn’t interested only in dressing to generate discourse. The meaning behind his moments, Ahmed explains, is as much for himself as for others. “If it sparks any conversation about what we’re referencing and what we’re celebrating and who we’re celebrating, then I welcome that. But I guess more and more I wear clothes less to spark conversations among others and more to kind of feel whole in myself. For me, you know?” (x)
vs. Ariana DeBose (Moschino), right
"“What does gilded glamour mean to me?” Jeremy Scott asks, musing on the creative origins of his designs for this year’s Met Gala red carpet. “Well, gilded glamour to me means gold!” ... “I was already working on all these gold trims and these different embroideries,” he says. “So I was already in this mood—it seemed very fitting.” ... When it came to the dress itself, Scott notes that DeBose was keen to push the boat out—and when you’re looking to push the boat out with your fashion, there are few better partners than Scott. “She said, ‘I want to go really bold and do something wilder and something more daring,’” Scott remembers. “So she and I took that idea and came up with this gown that was embellished to the high heavens with sequins, gold bullion embroidery, and the cut-out on the chest, with a little tulle train as a nod to the bustles of the Gilded Age silhouette.”" “It sort of celebrates the fact that I won an Oscar, and it’s very me and it’s very Moschino. I feel clad in iconography.” (x)(x)
Whose outfit was better?
Riz Ahmed
Ariana DeBose
