“I’m not chic: I could never be chic” – Sid Vicious
So last night was the Met Gala – celebrating the opening of the “Punk: Chaos to Couture” exhibition and I’m feeling strongly about it. It’s my understanding that there was to be a merging of punk + luxury. Apparently, celebrities took this as a cue to wear more eyeliner than usual and maybe dye their hair a different shade for the night if feeling *particularly* ballsy.
So, during this GALA “in the name of punk” (LOLZ ROFL LMAO) guests included: Kim Kardashian (who looked god awful in head-to-toe-and-finger-floral) and Kanye, Beyonce, Kate Bosworth, Taylor Swift (with a pink streak in her hair! SOPUNKROCK), Katie Holmes, Jessica Biel, Cameron Diaz, Nicki Minaj, Miley Cyrus, that “Gangnam Style” guy, Jessica Alba (wearing designer Tory Burch aka the bane of my existence), J-Lo and others. I couldn’t think of less edgy guests if I tried! Just kidding I could. Coldplay guy. He was there. THIS IS THE HEIGHT OF POP CULTURE IN 2013 HOW EMBARRASSING.
“Looking at the pictures from the MET Gala made me feel really weird. Like I was watching tailgaters at a Dave Matthews concert reminisce about how the early punk era and aesthetic has influenced their lifestyle and point of view. Actually it just sorta looked like a dELIA*s catalogue with models doing punk signs.” – my dear friend Jason Haaf
I personally feel very attached to punk themes- and I feel like last night was a display of cringeworthy theatrics when there is so much depth behind the concept. It created a similar feeling in me as when I’ve viewed old footage of a white person imitating other ethnicities- like Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany’s. I certainly don’t claim to be a punk- but youthful rebellion, anti-authoritarian ideologies, and DIY ethics resonate with me in an inmost way.
It angers me that all of these rich celebrities have access to the hands of our world’s most innovative fashion designers- they could have created such spectacular statements- and yet they looked like they were off to prom in the suburbs. It’s a bigger problem than what dress they had on- it’s the android expression being pumped out by agencies that worries me. I’m so bored of everyone playing it safe and being “lovely”. Where are the artists that push through confines and take chances? The fashion scene is characterless these days- especially in the US. At least Blondie performed!

And the one person actually associated with punk was cut off and censored, naturally. Viv was supporting Bradley Manning- a United States Army soldier who was arrested in May 2010 in Iraq on suspicion of having passed classified material to WikiLeaks: Here was an actual human with a real message; not just a talking head; and people didn’t want to hear it- they’d rather look at KIMYE.
Here are some memorable quotes via Twitter throughout the evening:
“The much-anticipated Kim Kardashian wears head-to-finger floral Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci.” – Style.com
“I’m feeling so good and so punk.” - Miley Cyrus in Marc Jacobs/Style.com

“Suzy Sue was the inspiration for January Jones’ beauty look.” – The Cut (LITERALLY WROTE SUZY SUE)

There were a few good looks, but I don’t feel like many really nailed the combination of punk WITH luxury- and even the ones that did were playing it safe. There were some really awesome looks, but these are the only ones I think did a good job of capturing the theme.
Coco Rocha in Emanuel Ungaro by Fausto Puglisi
Christina Ricci in Vivienne Westwood couture
Sarah Jessica Parker in a headpiece by Phillip Treacy and dress by Giles Deacon
Florence Welch in Givenchy couture
Sienna Miller in Burberry and Elizabeth Banks in an Atelier Versace dress
I don’t know who this chick Lilly Collins is, but I think she had the best overall look- in Moschino
Anyway, I had a bit of a manic-meltdown and heatedly exclaimed, “I NEED TO SEE MORE!” and then I researched haute couture over the past decade and made a giant collage and now it’s 1 in the morning.
So yeah, any of the following options would have been acceptable in my bratty opinion. I’m sorry, but there’s merit to what I’m saying, and no one that was or is a part of the punk movement would be content with how this charade was executed! It’s just annoying because the star-studded spectacle is exactly what this movement has tried to avoid. There used to be iconic performers that wanted to change things and it was powerful. Now they’re so manufactured and vacant. It’s kinda sad that Lady Gaga is the only one that does anything outside of the ordinary, and even she’s a total puppet.
Here’s an alternate universe if a punk gala was done RIGHT. (Also, there would be performances by some cool bands and not Kanye West floundering about).
*collage by me
Couture by: McQueen, John Galliano, Dior, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Vivienne Westwood, Givenchy, Christian Lacroix and like one thing from Chanel because I don’t care for Chanel couture very much.
“It’s about trying to change the world, not just jumping around and spitting.” – Vivienne Westwood
“You know what style is? Truth and energy. Iggy Pop’s the most stylish person in the world and he’s naked all of the time. Style is the raw power of the truth” – Jimmy Web
“We wanted to strip everything down further, away from the showbiz theatricality of the glitter bands, and away from bluesiness and boogie. We wanted to be stark and hard and torn up, the way the world was” - Richard Hell