It was the Met Gala last night —and honestly, I love it.

The bonkers, over-the-top fashion. The drama. The beauty. The detail.

The craftsmanship behind these looks is breathtaking. And I adore the stars who treat the Met steps like a theatrical runway—it’s performance art in sequins and corsetry.

This year’s Met Gala theme was Superfine: Tailoring Black Style—a celebration of Black dandyism and the legacy of using sharp tailoring as a form of self-expression, resistance, and cultural identity. As always, some outfits nailed it… others, not so much.

To be honest, it wasn’t my favourite year for looks, whispers it - I think everyone just looked a bit meh.. and all the black clothing made me sad :( The theme leaned into classic tailoring, which meant a sea of black and white on the carpet—and while it made sense, I did find myself missing the colour and drama we usually get at the Met.

As I felt a bit sad about all the lack of colour, here are some more typical bonkers Met Gala looks.

But here’s why I’m banging on about the Met Gala…

Firstly, because there’s so much joy in it. So much creativity. So much fashion fantasy.

It’s a brilliant reminder that fashion can be whatever you want it to be. There are no real rules. Yes, these looks are designed by stylists and crafted by couture houses—but they’re also full of imagination, personality, and play. And that’s something we can all take inspiration from. (How easy is it get trapped in the idea what we have to follow rules, or dress in a way we see others dressing!)

It also got me thinking about the pressure we sometimes feel in our own wardrobes.

As I was scrolling through photos of celebs in couture, my feed was also full of influencers showing “five ways to style spring” reels or Get Ready with me. And I realised—both are performances.

We know the Met Gala is pure fantasy. In 2023 - the theme was Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty, and a lot of stars choose to pay homage (in various different ways - from cat accessories to cat outfits) to Karl Lagerfields cat Choupette - Bonkers! I mean we know we aren’t going to go on the school run with facial pros-ethics.

But its much easier to forget that Instagram isn’t real life either.

We see “everyday” outfits that are impossibly curated. And while we laugh at the Met Gala for its extravagance, we quietly feel bad that we’re not doing the school run in a £200 Boden dress, wedges, and a cardigan artfully draped over our shoulders. (Why do I have such a thing about that look?!)

So here’s your gentle reminder (in case you need it—because I do too, often): just like the Met Gala, Instagram is a performance.

Real-life style looks different. It can look a bit boring a little bit receptive and a little bit simple at times, and that’s fine.

Because it’s built around how we actually live our lives.