Celebrity stylist Alexandra Mandelkorn said the Met Gala is about going big.
“It’s really the one night that we really get to dive deep into fashion and go big,” Mandelkorn told CBS News New York. “I think there’s many other red carpets that are very elegant, sophisticated, chic, but with the Met Gala, you really get to let your creativity fly and you see things you wouldn’t see anywhere else.”
Makeup artist Vincent Oquendo said this is his 12th Met Gala and he started creating mood boards a month ago, pulling inspiration from the Victorian-era and the Harlem Renaissance.
“When I think of ‘Tailoring Black Style,’ I just think of those crisp suits and that really cool Big Daddy Kane hip hop energy,” he said. “For me, it’s the pinnacle of style.”
So what are the looks to watch for this year?
“We’re going to see lots of suits, I think in all shapes, sizes, colors,” Complex Editor-in-Chief Aria Hughes explained. “I think designers are going to play in different ways, and then hopefully lay in some storytelling. I hope to see some archival pieces from Black designers, like a Patrick Kelly or a Willi Smith. So I’m really hoping that people have fun with it.”
“I think there’s going to be a lot of hybrid suiting, a lot of details that we see on traditional tailoring – lapels, cuffs, buttons, pocket watches, all these types of things. And I think color, and prints, and that really flamboyant side of dandyism,” Mandelkorn said.
Hughes pointed to British designer Grace Wales Bonner, and Mandelkorn also praised Sergio Hudson.
