What Met Gala Attendees Can Learn from 'Drag Race'
Article written by Kendra Beltran
If there is one thing we’re going to do from the comfort of our couch it’s judge the fashion mishaps of famous faces at the Met Gala. You know, that fancy party where people pay like five figures to wear expensive ensembles and then fork over even more for a dinner? Yeah, that. With that, it’s not like celebrities can just show up in anything. Nope. Just like on the runway of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race,’ there is a theme and well, maybe they can just show up in anything because oftentimes we’re left scrolling through Twitter wondering what the fuck 99% of the outfits have to do with the theme. Especially in regards to 2021’s “American independence” theme. So for future Met Gala attendees who happened to stumble across this, perhaps you could benefit from watching queens perfectly execute a theme on ‘Drag Race.’
First things first, when you hear a theme - go through it and dig deep to try and make your outfit stand out from the expected - in a good way. ‘Drag Race’ contestants like Gigi Goode and Symone are excellent examples of this. Gigi took “Frozen” and was the only one to think of ice cream while Symone heard “Trains” and delivered one of the top 10 looks on the show - ever - by utilizing the back of a do-rag as her train. Of course, not every runway comes with this level of independent thinking. Take season 8 and the time our queens heard “Madonna” and way too many decided to rock the Queen of Pop’s kimono look. So when approaching a theme, definitely take the first thing that comes to mind, and then toss it aside because if you thought of it first it’s most likely so did almost everyone else.
When queens strut down the runway, they also have to keep in mind the stage lighting and how well it’s going to appear on TV as some fabrics and all-around looks may not translate as well on the small screen as they do in person. The Met Gala is no different, but instead of a runway, it’s a red carpet with dozens upon dozens of photographers snapping every angle of your chosen ensemble. Like a queen, celebs should double-check to make sure their outfit just isn’t cute on them, but has the right movement, placement, and is made of a fabric that isn’t going to come across as blah when photographed.
Lastly, the one thing we’ve all learned over the years watching ‘Drag Race’ in regards to theme is that if you have to explain your outfit...you more than likely missed the mark. In recent years, a few of Utica’s outfits from season 13 come to mind. Like yeah, most of her looks were couture but when the judges don’t necessarily get what the fuck she was going for - it doesn’t matter how great it looked. That’s how a lot of Met Gala outfits come across. In 2021 ‘Riverdale's' Lili Reinhart’s look was one of my personal favorites because I’m a sucker for anything floral but I didn’t quite get it until she explained her dress had every state flower to represent the “American independence.”
More could have taken a page from Ciara’s look which was not only an homage to her NFL player husband, but also a favorite American pastime, football, but also was fashionably camp as it was a sequined gown fashioned after a jersey with a cute football-shaped bag. Now that is how you do a theme.
The runways we’ve seen in recent years on ‘Drag Race’ would benefit future Met Gala attendees because they teach you to take the expected and toss it out, how to plan for presentation, and the importance of delivering a look that is so on point - an explanation isn’t necessary. So those who have an extra $35,000 to toss at a ticket, binge some ‘Drag Race’ and bring it next time.
