The past few weekends have marked two of some of fashion’s biggest events: Coachella and The Met Gala. I’m not sure about you but I was SO excited to see what strings celebrities pulled this year to show off the endless opportunities they had to wear something crazy. Originally, this week’s post was going to be dedicated to my review/ranking of the Met Gala outfits, but like many others, I was let down by the seemingly (dare I say it) boring choices made. This got me thinking: is fashion getting boring?
A few posts ago, I wrote about the life cycles of fashion trends. In doing so, I mentioned how social media and the uprising of fast-fashion brands have taken over our world and altered trend history and cycles. As a result, it’s easy to see how celebrities want to stray away from these fast-fashion trends as celebrities often wear luxury brands who don’t conform to these trends. The saying “less is more” also plays into this idea of fashion becoming boring, meaning that maybe people don’t think they need to wear something flashy to be deemed “fashionable.” To play more into social media, I think we do also live in a time where if one fashion error were to occur, the internet would be making a meme out of it for the next year.
But growing up I remember seeing nothing but clashing colors, sequins, disgustingly large accessories, and more. Even just a few years ago the trends of big puffy sleeves, chunky shoes, and large jewelry still filled our stores. I think with the popularity of wearing vintage clothing and items from archives, we lose a bit of our originality. Of course, there is some individualism that goes into wearing something old and making it your own, but I can’t remember a recent trend that hadn’t come from something before.
To highlight this, I wanted to contrast Coachella and The Met Gala from previous years.
Romee Strijd, Lais Ribeiro and Jasmine Tookes, Coachella 2018
Taylor Hill, Coachella 2018
Lais Ribeiro Coachella 2018
Coachella 2017 Dilone, Jeremy Scott and Rita Ora
Cara Delevingne, Met Gala 2018
Cardi B 2018 Met Gala
Rihanna, Met Gala 2018
Now these are just a few examples out of many I could pull from. And obviously, these are some generalizations I’m making with celebrities (AKA not every celebrity dressed “flashy” and not every celebrity dressed “boring”). I'm also not saying that these are "outrageous" in any way, but they definitely are not boring and are extremely memorable. However, I feel like in events like these, especially the Met Gala, you’re almost supposed to dress outrageously to turn fashion into a story.
In contrast to these photos from 4 - 5 years ago, these were some outfits from this year’s Coachella and Met Gala.
Hailey Bieber, Coachella 2023
Kendall Jenner, Coachella 2023
Camila Morrone, Coachella 2023
Kylie Jenner, MET Gala 2023
Pete Davidson, Met Gala 2023
KeKe Palmer, Met 2023
Now, maybe my understanding of the theme (Honoring Karl Lagerfield) was misunderstood, and maybe I’m missing a page in the fashion world that deemed it alright for people to wear the everyday jeans-and-a-tank-top look to Coachella. But am I wrong for thinking that fashion just isn't the same? Where is the color? The glitz and the glamor, the obnoxious accessories, or loud, clashing patterns? Why did half of the couples and dresses I saw at the MET remind me of Prom? For me, getting to dress up in something fun, colorful, or even whimsical allows me to express a youthful and vibrant part of my identity. If I were to go to Coachella or the MET Gala (one day I hope), I would imagine this outward manifestation of my identity showing throughout my clothes would only be heightened. This year’s Coachella and Met Gala did not live up to my expectations, but there’s always hope for next year!
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