Irish design flourished at this year's Met Gala with the likes of Loewe, Philip Treacy and Simone Rocha all favourites amongst the event's A-list attendees.
Admittedly, all of this feels quite dystopian against the backdrop of the current suffering happening in Gaza. The juxtaposition of celebrity life with human tragedy is jarring, to say the least, but things never exist in a vacuum and yesterday, as usually happens on the first Monday in May, the who’s who of the celebrity, fashion and art world descended upon the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York for one of the year’s most highly-anticipated events – the Met Gala.
This year’s theme was Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion with a Garden Of Time dress code and impressively, it was Irish design that dominated on the red mossy green carpet. From Loewe’s bus-full of impeccably dressed stars to SJP in Richard Quinn and Philip Treacy, here are some of our favourite Irish looks from the fashion Oscars.
Loewe by Jonathan Anderson
Originally from Magherafelt in Northern Ireland, Jonathan Anderson is the current creative director at Loewe. An undeniable talent with an eye for design, he was a firm favourite at this year’s event with more than a few famous faces arriving in one of his creations – including Anna Wintour, Jamie Dornan and honorary Irishwoman, Ayo Edebiri.
Ariana Grande returned to the Met Gala for the first time in six years, in a bespoke moulded bustier in leather and mother-of-pearl – paired with a multi-layered pleated silk chiffon skirt, hand-painted to mimic the surface of an iridescent shell.
Past Lives actor Greta Lee, a new global Loewe ambassador, also wowed in a column dress based off of pieces from the SS 2023 women’s collection. “I was so struck by this thing that Loewe and Jonathan does like no one else,” she told Vogue of the process of choosing her dress. “It’s this incredible sculptural shape, that somehow has this contrast between really strong and also very soft and vulnerable and feminine.”
Richard Quinn and Philip Treacy
From Lyric FM to buttery spuds, it’s no secret that Sarah Jessica Parker is a fan of all things Ireland. Often spotted pottering around Donegal when she’s holidaying there, her love for the emerald isle also extends to local design and this year, SJP opted for an extravagant bird-shaped Richard Quinn number with a towering headpiece by Irish milliner Philip Treacy.
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For her second outfit of the night, style queen Zendaya (who never puts a foot wrong) also accessorised her haute-couture gown with an incredible flower headpiece by Treacy… 10/10, no notes.
Simone Rocha
Both Eve Hewson and Jonathan Groff wore Simone Rocha to the 2024 Met Gala. Hewson brought the coquette aesthetic to the next level, walking the carpet in a nude, tulle-encased corseted dress with hand-embellished crystal daisy detailing inspired by the Simone Rocha AW 2024 collection.
Groff, on the other hand, chose a Venetian wool classic blazer with blood crystal turbo embellishment and Venetian wool straight-leg trousers. Very dapper – though not my top menswear look of the night which went to Eddie Redmayne in Steve O Smith.
Alexander McQueen by Seán McGirr
Announced as Sarah Burton’s successor in McQueen, Irish-born, London-based Seán McGirr has been thriving in his new role as creative director of the renowned fashion house, dressing both Lana Del Rey and Usher for the 2024 Met Gala.
Unlike some attendees (*cough cough, Kylie Jenner*), singer Lana really had some fun with the theme, wearing a darkly romantic sheath gown with accompanying veil and hammered bronze-bullion hawthorn branches, inspired by the sculptures of Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti. “I guess it was the idea of mother nature, but the slightly more sinister aspects,” explained McGirr of the concept behind the design. The spiked branches also reference the Grimm brothers’ Sleeping Beauty story and its princess, Briar Rose.
Meanwhile, Usher kept it simple in an all-black ensemble featuring jet stone embroidery and red-dipped rose appliqué detail.
Other Irish attendees on the night included Glamour editor-in-chief Samantha Barry (who wore The Atelier), Andrew Scott (who wore Versace) and of course, Barry Keoghan (who wore a three-piece velvet Burberry suit).
Collage made by IMAGE. Imagery sourced on Instagram via @donatella_versace, @simonerocha, @sculptedbyaimee, @burberry
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