The story behind every H&M gown (and suit) on the Met Gala red carpet
Every year at the Met Gala, a few celebrities manage to surprise us not with their over-the-top couture but with looks created by fast-fashion brands you know, love, and probably shop. One of those red carpet constants is H&M. In past years, the Swedish retailer has outfitted Ashley Graham, Jennifer Hudson, and Sarah Jessica Parker for the event, known as "the Oscars of fashion." And in 2018, for the opening of the Costume Institute's themed "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination" exhibit, H&M dressed six attendees: actresses Lili Reinhart, Olivia Munnand Kiersey Clemons; models Jasmine Sanders and [Alek Wek]; and fashion It-boy Luka Sabbat. Glamourspoke with Ann-Sofie Johansson, the brand's Creative Advisor, about the making of each look.
"We didn’t know what to really expect from [the theme]," she tells us. "But when the design team started to dig into it—and they did a lot of research—it was so inspirational. It was quite easy to come up with a lot of different ideas for dresses. [The ones] we came up with are really inspired from different types of things within the 'Heavenly Bodies' category, so to speak—we have the chainmail, for example, very much taken from the armor of medieval knights."
"Even before knowing the theme, we started to talk about about what [we] see when it comes to party dresses, what [we] feel," Johansson explains. Once the Costume Institute announces the exhibit, the design team's work simply becomes more focused—that's when they start with the research. H&M looked at medieval art, sacred Catholic symbology and objects, and architecture to inform its design for the 2018 Met Gala. And you'll see that translated into the garments through rhinestones and beading (inspired by rosaries), round shapes (modeled after the vaults and windows in churches, as seen in ), draping fabrics and robes (like what members of the clergy will wear), among other design elements, like the recurring use of gold and red.
Another design element that appears across multiple Met Gala 2018 red carpet looks is the use of chainmail Johansson mentioned earlier: "The design team really thought it was fun to explore [the material] and how to turn that into a beautiful dress—because it's quite challenging to work that type of chainmail, but at the same time it's enchanting and alluring," she says, adding that "there's something special" about working with chainmail in this capacity, of transforming a hard material into a soft silhouette. "Even though we take inspiration from the historical, you always need to [turn it] into a contemporary thing. That's the balance there, between the historical theme and [modernity.]"
Learn the full story of every H&M look at the 2018 Met Gala, ahead.
Getty ImagesLili Reinhart
What's remarkable about Reinhart's look—a silver dress inspired by medieval armor—is "the clash between that softness in the sleeves and skirt—that kind of glossy, ethereal, cloud feeling, very light and airy—[and] the hardness of the bustier," says Johansson.
Of all the pieces H&M worked on for the 2018 Met Gala, Johansson thinks it was Reinhart's that was "[hardest] to crack, because we weren’t sure how to make the bustier from the beginning, how to actualize that." "It's "molded with this boning, [into] like a corset," she says, that "might look easy, but [is] actually very, very constructed to be able to hold a shape properly."
Getty ImagesOlivia Munn
Munn's slinky chainmail dress was technically challenging because of the material, but it's one that, in the end, makes for an incredible final product. On top of the obvious callback to armor, Johansson explains how this design also draws from styles and silhouettes of the 1960s, "with the big chains holding the dress together."
"It falls so well, and it’s really sleek. It’s quite daring, I would say," she adds.
Getty ImagesAlex Wek
Wek's gown is "mosaic-inspired... taken from the church room," explains Johansson. H&M drew from religious artwork and church décor that was worn and a little decayed, "which makes it even more beautiful than if it were super perfect." There are hand-beaded stones and pearls in jewel tones, against a deep red silk satin and gold lining—"it's a very opulent dress," she says. "It’s very eye-catching. It sparkles a lot."
"With her kind of posture, [Alek] has this kind of grace about her—she [pulls] this off super [well]," adds Johansson.
Getty ImagesJasmine Sanders
Sanders' dramatic, off-the-shoulder gown ties back to the 2018 Met Gala theme in two ways. Firstly, it borrows from Catholic iconography of the sacred heart, says Johansson, which is often depicted as emitting flames. Then, the draping of the garment is a reinterpretation of the robes that priests and other members of the clergy typically wear. ("There are the big folds from the silk," she explains.) Plus, there's the gold color of the garment. "[Jasmine] really liked this one—she felt super happy when she did a fitting," Johansson remembers.
Getty ImagesLuka Sabbat
H&M didn't just make dresses for the 2018 Met Gala: The fast-fashion brand also designed a menswear look for Luka Sabbat. "It's a little bit like Alek’s dress: It’s handmade and hand-embroidered, and it’s really opulent—there’s a lot of bling on that," Johansson says. Because we're talking about Luka Sabbat, eternally-cooler-than-thou fashion darling, H&M didn't whip up any old tux—rather, it created a robe-like jacket to be worn with a silk shirt and sharp trousers, both made from the brand's sustainable fabrics. "It’s not a proper suit—it’s cooler, which I think fit Luka really well," Johansson explains. "It’s one of my favorites—I would like to wear it as well."
Getty ImagesKiersey Clemons
Clemons' look—a beaded dress with a tank-like top—is a study in contrasts, as well as a reinterpretation of church architecture. "The inspiration comes from the windows because often [you see] those kind of round shapes," Johansson says. "The design team took that and turned it into almost like a crinoline—it’s not too heavy, even though it [has] multiple layers of that shape, and it’s see-through, [it has that] airy feeling there as well." The skirt "feels kind of playful" because of the "young-ish shape, which is really good to Kiersey," she adds, while the top is "very easy."
Getty ImagesAll the looks
