{"id":40100,"date":"2018-05-07T23:52:26","date_gmt":"2018-05-08T03:52:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/?p=40100"},"modified":"2018-05-08T21:44:22","modified_gmt":"2018-05-09T01:44:22","slug":"my-best-dressed-at-the-2018-met-gala-is","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/2018\/05\/my-best-dressed-at-the-2018-met-gala-is\/","title":{"rendered":"My Best Dressed at the 2018 Met Gala Is &#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/people.com\/style\/frances-mcdormand-met-gala-blue-headpiece\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a>Damn it! Catholicism is going to force me to write up a storm this week.<\/p>\n<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/embed\/o0vwzuFwCGAFO\" width=\"480\" height=\"480\" frameBorder=\"0\" class=\"giphy-embed\" allowFullScreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/gifs\/cat-hacker-webs-o0vwzuFwCGAFO\">via GIPHY<\/a><\/p>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>I confess that I half-hoped the attendees of tonight&#8217;s Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum would be flummoxed by the theme of &#8220;Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.&#8221; Then I could get away with writing a relatively brief post, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/2013\/05\/my-met-gala-winners-are\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">like I did in 2013<\/a>, when practically no one got &#8220;Punk: Chaos to Couture.&#8221; In 2014, for \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/2014\/05\/my-best-dressed-at-the-met-gala-dita-sjp-and-lupita\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Charles James: Beyond Fashion<\/a>,\u201d there were two gowns, a dress, and a pair of pants to write about. <\/p>\n<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/embed\/Rl9Yqavfj2Ula\" width=\"480\" height=\"360\" frameBorder=\"0\" class=\"giphy-embed\" allowFullScreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/giphy.com\/gifs\/easy-Rl9Yqavfj2Ula\">via GIPHY<\/a><\/p>\n<p><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Instead, it appears that the masses were struck by divine inspiration. While searching for the winner of my <del>totally made-up<\/del> prestigious <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/category\/celebrities\/best-dressed-wear-what-you-want-award\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Best Dressed\/Wear What You Want combo award<\/a>, I jotted down notes on as many of 16 people who nailed it. <a href=\"http:\/\/wendybrandes.com\/blog\/2015\/02\/my-best-dressed-at-the-grammys-sia-and-her-child-minion\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">As I\u2019ve explained before<\/a>, the Best Dressed\/Wear What You Want award doesn\u2019t require that a look be \u201cbeautiful,\u201d or \u201cflattering,\u201d or in any way acceptable to the vast majority of people. <\/p>\n<p><center><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/cutestdress.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/cutestdress.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"498\" height=\"665\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-40101\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/cutestdress.jpg 498w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/cutestdress-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/cutestdress-300x401.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 498px) 100vw, 498px\" \/><\/a><\/center><\/p>\n<p>I don\u2019t deduct points if you <em>do<\/em> look pretty, but \u201cinteresting\u201d is more important to me than \u201cattractive.&#8221; &#8220;Shocking&#8221; can be good. Finally, there&#8217;s almost nothing I like better than a good costume party &#8230; and the 2018 Met Gala turned out to be a good costume party. Here are some special, made-up-on-the-spot awards, followed by my big winner. I&#8217;ll do the Best of the Rest tomorrow. <\/p>\n<p>Rihanna won the Hostess With the Mostest category tonight in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.harpersbazaar.com\/celebrity\/red-carpet-dresses\/a20268933\/rihanna-met-gala-2018\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Margiela<\/a>. Did she slay as much as she did in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/2015\/05\/my-best-dressed-at-the-2015-met-gala-is\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">2015<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/2017\/05\/my-best-dressed-at-the-2017-met-gala-is\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">2017<\/a>? I don&#8217;t know; it can be hell trying to top yourself at some point. Still, I will sing the praises of Rihanna dressed as a female pope &#8212; especially because the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/the-legend-of-the-female-pope\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">legend of Pope Joan<\/a> inspired my Papessa necklace.<\/p>\n<p><center><a id='8jZlFNPRS2pSeB2rvItRwA' class='gie-single' href='http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/955754056' target='_blank' style='color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;'>Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'8jZlFNPRS2pSeB2rvItRwA',sig:'swP7szU-UzqbiEmURt3MuxGH0j1zHkU0zZ53BQBdEQM=',w:'393px',h:'594px',items:'955754056',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/center><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/2016\/09\/my-best-dressed-at-the-2016-emmy-awards-is\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Judith Light Award for Fierce Posing<\/a> goes to Frances McDormand, who served FASHION! and FACE! in Valentino Couture.<\/p>\n<p><center><a id='Aqgl4nFdTjZhm2uzMZe7sg' class='gie-single' href='http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/955755054' target='_blank' style='color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;'>Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'Aqgl4nFdTjZhm2uzMZe7sg',sig:'hBMhEPnQC0kkvXjd_smdK2y-UYSFjrwXT7BCct9iGaU=',w:'395px',h:'594px',items:'955755054',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/center><\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m obsessed with <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vogue.co.uk\/article\/greta-gerwig-met-gala\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Greta Gerwig looking severe, yet sumptuous, in The Row<\/a>. She gets my brand-new Minimal Maximal award, so named by my designing friend Stacy Lomman.<\/p>\n<p><center><a id='MprFktACSoh5DuhMhpQbjw' class='gie-single' href='http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/955759530' target='_blank' style='color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;'>Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'MprFktACSoh5DuhMhpQbjw',sig:'bTpdyYnMJ4H46RMx5mNEGJXH8o9qaHLPh9Z7SDVVVck=',w:'420px',h:'594px',items:'955759530',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/center><\/p>\n<p>In a class by herself is Madonna &#8212; the mother of <a href=\"https:\/\/allaboutmadonna.com\/madonna-interviews\/madonna-interview-interview-magazine-may-1989\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Catholic-inspired <\/a>pop imagery. Therefore, she ascends to the Hall of Fame in her Jean-Paul Gaultier. <\/p>\n<p><center><a id='t0IDt9W4T9dMr1nyyc0zuw' class='gie-single' href='http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/955773506' target='_blank' style='color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;'>Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'t0IDt9W4T9dMr1nyyc0zuw',sig:'jR_iGd5Ys1cRcU8V2HFokTgYDuIR0UTn-FM3lkx-oDE=',w:'396px',h:'594px',items:'955773506',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Madonna has been playing with this theme since the mid-1980s, when critics crucified her for wearing rosaries as sex-ay accessories.<\/p>\n<p><center><a id='oi3yg7NOQARWdBJDZX_CPA' class='gie-single' href='http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/542633988' target='_blank' style='color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;'>Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'oi3yg7NOQARWdBJDZX_CPA',sig:'aN3fSKyKnkAb3Dxgslz0sZLphO5M6nXkZTXqHDC3kwE=',w:'416px',h:'594px',items:'542633988',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/center><\/p>\n<p>In 1989, outrage over her &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.americamagazine.org\/issue\/100\/madonnas-challenge-her-church\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Like a Prayer<\/a>&#8221; video resulted in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1989\/04\/05\/business\/pepsi-cancels-madonna-ad.html\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Pepsi canceling her endorsement deal<\/a>. (That was a big win for her because she got to keep her <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/madonna-mocks-pepsi-by-posting-pics-carrying-soda-rival-coke-photo\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">$5 million advance and go back to drinking Coke<\/a>.) The images in the video that bothered people included Madonna dancing in a tight slip in front of burning crosses; being kissed by a black saint miraculously come to life in a church; and receiving stigmata. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/music\/lists\/making-of-madonnas-20-best-music-videos-20150225\/like-a-prayer-1989-20150224\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The storyline<\/a>, however, was about Madonna saving an innocent black man from going to prison for a crime committed by white men. I feel like I want to scream that from the top of a mountain: HELLO! THE VIDEO&#8217;S PLOT WAS ABOUT A WRONGFULLY ARRESTED BLACK MAN. Fundamentalists  hung up on the sexuality in the video totally missed the point about justice. Kidding! They got the point. They just didn&#8217;t agree with it. The more things change, the more they stay the same, right?<\/p>\n<p><center><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/79fzeNUqQbQ\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; encrypted-media\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/center><\/p>\n<p>That&#8217;s a decent segue to the political statement made by my official 2018 Met Gala Best Dressed\/Wear What You Want combo award winner: actress\/producer\/screenwriter <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vanityfair.com\/hollywood\/2018\/03\/lena-waithe-cover-story\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Lena Waithe<\/a>.  Waithe, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vanityfair.com\/style\/2018\/05\/lena-waithe-met-gala-cape,\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">who became the first black woman to win an Emmy award for comedy writing last year<\/a>, recently described her style to Vanity Fair:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>&#8220;Being black and gay, having dreadlocks, having a certain kind of swag, and dressing the way I do,&#8221; she explains, she is sometimes told by certain well-meaning admirers or fashion wannabes, &#8221; &#8216;That\u2019s dope, you\u2019re cool.&#8217; I don\u2019t feel validated by that. . . . I don\u2019t want to be White. I don\u2019t want to be straight. I don\u2019t want to blend in. . . I try to wear queer designers who happen to be brown and makin&#8217; shit.&#8221;<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>She lived up to her words tonight, wearing a rainbow LGBTQ flag as a cape over a black suit.<\/p>\n<p><center><a id='Tj0fWWNFRtBYcoN12ULX9A' class='gie-single' href='http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/955793808' target='_blank' style='color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;'>Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'Tj0fWWNFRtBYcoN12ULX9A',sig:'opt1wGdJKsq8OcUHrlcwf7nwLir4WlzKs22SdpZfSWU=',w:'396px',h:'594px',items:'955793808',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/center><\/p>\n<p>I don&#8217;t even want to write anything else about it. I&#8217;ll let Lena&#8217;s flag speak for itself.<\/p>\n<p><center><a id='A3q1wmc5QXJC77Hli2C_1A' class='gie-single' href='http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/955767566' target='_blank' style='color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;'>Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'A3q1wmc5QXJC77Hli2C_1A',sig:'Of2GKrwqpQxVxisvxF-34KTp-FTITMywIo9hDO0xXBI=',w:'395px',h:'594px',items:'955767566',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/center><\/p>\n<p>Come back tomorrow for my follow-up Met Gala post, featuring beauty, accessories, jewelry, and more.<\/p>\n<p>UPDATED TO ADD: Oh My Saints-Come-Alive-in-a-Music-Video-Church! Madonna was the Met Gala&#8217;s performer and did &#8220;Like a Prayer,&#8221; &#8220;Hallelujah,&#8221; and a new song, and I&#8217;m just overwhelmed.<\/p>\n<p><center><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-video\" data-lang=\"en\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Madonna performing \u201cLike A Prayer\u201d inside the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/metmuseum?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@metmuseum<\/a>!!! \ud83d\ude0d <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/MetGala?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#MetGala<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/MetaGala2018?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#MetaGala2018<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/bUdC1dCalh\">pic.twitter.com\/bUdC1dCalh<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Madonna Nation (@MadonnaNation) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MadonnaNation\/status\/993692872867221504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 8, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/center><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Damn it! Catholicism is going to force me to write up a storm this week. via GIPHY I confess that I half-hoped the attendees of tonight&#8217;s Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum would be flummoxed by the theme of &#8220;Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.&#8221; Then I could get away with writing a&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/2018\/05\/my-best-dressed-at-the-2018-met-gala-is\/\">Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":40101,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[645,10,61,1,54,650],"tags":[612,1551],"class_list":["post-40100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-best-dressed-wear-what-you-want-award","category-celebrities","category-dresses","category-uncategorized","category-madonna","category-met-gala-2","tag-met-gala","tag-met-gala-2018","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40100","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40100"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40100\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40124,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40100\/revisions\/40124"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wendybrandes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}