The 2024 Met Gala was filled with floral fashion. The internet had thoughts.

The 2024 Met Gala kicked off Monday night, with a slew of celebrities heading to New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art to show off their costumes — and not all of them were real. Meanwhile, many netizens took to social media to judge this fashion.

The theme of this year's Met Gala was “The Garden of Time,” complementing the museum's spring exhibition. The Sleeping Beauties: the awakening of fashion. Although the name naturally conjures up images of fairytale princesses, the exhibition will actually focus on fashion throughout history.

“Approximately 250 garments and accessories spanning four centuries will be on display, visually united by nature-related iconography, which will serve as a metaphor for the fragility and ephemerality of fashion and a means of examining the cyclical themes of renaissance and renewal”, we can read. the Met's description.

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The Gala's theme was specifically inspired by English writer JG Ballard's 1962 short story of the same name. “The Garden of Time” follows a noble couple who use crystal flowers that travel back in time to keep out a crowd of lesser people. fortunate to reach their luxurious villa. Of course, this strategy only works as long as their garden grows.

Ballard also wrote a story called “Why I Want to Fuck Ronald Reagan,” which would also have made a very interesting theme for the Met Gala.

In an unintended parallel, the theme “The Garden of Time” has gained relevance in light of nearby protests in support of Palestine. Hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators march in New York while the Met Gala was in progress, starting about 2 km away at Hunter College and travel north toward the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Even though the protesters ultimately did not disrupt the Gala, the disgruntled proletariat marching toward an extravagant event hosted by the wealthy seems remarkably on-the-nose given the plot of Ballard's short story.

The Met Gala theme offered designers significant scope for creativity, whether they drew inspiration from history, alluded to time itself, or relied on tried-and-true florals. And as always, some were more creative than others.

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Met Gala co-host Zendaya prompted a double-take with two outfits (not quite Lady Gaga's four but still impressive), first wearing a leaf-covered ocean blue look by John Galliano for Maison Margiela intended to channel the natural world, then a black vintage Givenchy couture dress with a bouquet headpiece.

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“See that? This is how you dress for a theme. Many of you should take notes,” said TikTokker @nickycbell.

Entrepreneur Mona Patel was captivating in an Iris Van Herpen dress adorned with moving butterflies, while singer Tyla embodied the sands of time in a dazzling Balmain dress – complete with an hourglass clutch. “That’s what I mean when I say drama.” said TikTokker @marissaspagnoli of the dress.

Sydney Sweeney seemed to take inspiration from both flowers and fairy tales, arriving in a pale blue Miu Miu ballgown with floral embroidery, while Mindy Kaling's Gaurav Gupta dress was meant to represent the life of a plant, from bud to faded flower. Several participants took direct inspiration from the time-warping crystal flowers in Ballard's story, including Elle Fanning and Janelle Monáe.

Other designers seemed to push the boundaries of the theme, like high school art students inventing justifications for doing what they want. Model Anok Yai looked stunning in a crystal-encrusted blue Swarovski jumpsuit, but link it to the theme via water in a garden it was like a stretch. Doja Cat's “timeless” white T-shirt was also a pretty unique take on the theme, especially since it gave it a wet twist. The orchid inspiration for Sabrina Carpenter's incredible Oscar De La Renta dress was also difficult to discern.

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Despite some arguably tenuous connections to the theme, the women at least looked amazing. On the other hand, spectators expect many male Met Gala attendees to give them nothing, and indeed, several did not serve this year.

Dishonorable mention goes to Alexander Skarsgård for appearing in a Plain black Calvin Little costume, as well as Jerry Seinfeld for his equally uninspiring tuxedo. Hugh Jackman's unimpressive Tom Ford act only scores points because it sticks to the theme of time, as it reportedly wore the same tuxedo he donned at his first Met Gala 20 years ago. And Ed Sheeran's blue Stella McCartney outfit was congratulated by user X @georgia_211 like “Troy Bolton's tuxedo from the HSM 3 ball scene comes back to life.”

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Fortunately, other men had a lot more fun with their looks, including fashion designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee, actor Jeremy Pope, desaturated chocolate shop owner Barry Keoghan and as user X @keyon said“fresh from the battlefield Montague vs. Capulet” Bad Bunny in John Galliano for Maison Margiela.

Stray Kids also debuted at the Met Gala, becoming the first K-pop group to have all members attend the event. While their red, white and blue Tommy Hilfiger outfits could certainly have been kicked up a few notches, all eight together created a striking capsule fashion show for the brand. Other designers would do well to take note.

Want more Met Gala? Here's what happened last year.