If Rihanna is not in attendance, did the Met Gala really happen?

The Met Gala is known as “fashion’s biggest night out.” On the first Monday of May, anyone who is anyone in the world of fashion comes to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the annual fundraising gala celebrating the Costume Institute’s breathtaking new exhibition on a changing theme. It all began in 1946 and it has become the Super Bowl of fashion. This is an evening where the world’s most successful individuals in Hollywood, music and fashion convene in the year’s most over the top looks. Since 1995, the event has been chaired by US Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour. However, the mastermind behind the idea, curation and execution is Andrew Bolton, the Costume Institute’s chief curator.

Rihanna or the Queen of the Met Gala has been attending since 2007. If a Met Gala happens and Rihanna is not in attendance, did the Met Gala really happen? There has not been a year where she has failed to astound us with her extravagant looks; she is truly one of those artists that we jump to social media to see what they wore. Although she has outdone herself each year, there are three looks that particularly stand out to me.

The first look that took my breath away would be Rihanna’s appearance at the 2015 Met Ball where the theme was China: Through the Looking Glass. Bolton wanted to explore the impact of Chinese aesthetics on the West as it has been the main influence of many design houses such as Dior and Chanel, since their founding. Rihanna made an entrance with a remarkable, handmade imperial yellow, fur trimmed cape, adorned with embroidered scrolls. This show stopping look was created by Guo Pei, a Chinese designer that has been creating couture for many years. As a matter of fact, this gown was not designed for Rihanna, she found this gown as she was researching on the Internet. The renowned yellow cape has a 16ft train and features over 50,000 hours worth of hand embroidery that took two years to make. Guo Pei states, “when I had this design in mind, I [was thinking of] a woman that can carry weight on her arms. It is a dress she has to lift, like she can lift the whole world. I always have a woman like that in mind.” I believe that Rihanna was the indicated woman for this dress and beautifully portrayed the image that Guo Pei had in mind. Unquestionably, this dress will be remembered and it will remind everyone of China’s tradition, past and its splendor.

The second look that stood out to me was Rihanna’s 2017 Met Gala debut where the theme was Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons. Bolton decided on this theme because he believes that Rei Kawakubo, Japanese fashion designer, is one of the most important and influential designers in the past forty years. He believed that the choice of Kawakubo and her innovative designs would be exciting to the fashion industry and museum enthusiasts as she is a withdrawn individual who often refuses interviews and photographs. This year, there was a lot of suspense and speculation for Rihanna’s look. But as always, she did not let us down. She sported a Comme des Garçons look from the Fall 2016 collection. What is better than a look from Rei Kawakubo herself? Rihanna showed off a pouf gown of beautifully patterned, colorful scraps and petals of fabric, which seem like the remains of past Comme de Garçons collections. This pouf gown was paired with red laced up heels that move up all the way up her legs to her thighs and intense pink makeup that complemented the colors of the gown.

Lastly, the final look that stood out to me would be Rihanna’s 2018 Met Gala look where the theme was Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination. This theme examines fashion’s ongoing engagement with the devotional practices and traditions of Catholicism, inspired by treasures from the Vatican archives. There was a bit of controversy as the Vatican and Catholic church have had problems where they have been quick to attack important movements that have changed our world for the better such as abortion, gay rights, among other important movements. However, Bolton asserts, “a lot of Catholic imagery has been so absorbed in Western culture that it is as much a cultural symbol as it is a religious symbol.” Rihanna, one of the co-chairs of the gala, came wearing an ornate, beaded, white Margiela corset dress with a matching jacket, clutch and mitre or the hat that the Pope wears. In my opinion, this was one of her most iconic looks, and for this reason is why she is crowned the Queen of the Met Gala.

Essentially, this is an evening where fashion is recognized. This is a night where all aspiring fashionistas all over the world are jumping to social media to see what their favorite celebrities wore. Although the exclusivity of the event makes it thrilling, I wish that regular civilians, like myself, could watch the magic inside come about. We see the celebrities making their way up the steps, the red carpet, but I always wonder, what happens inside? I would love an inside scoop into “fashion’s biggest night out” and to see my queen, Rihanna, serve her most iconic looks.