Each year, the Met Gala has a specific theme; but not many have been able to capture the creativity and imagination of fantasy. For looks, this theme is very hard to come up with, also creating looks that will make people keep thinking about them for years. The same also goes for runway shows that are fantasy themed.
The Met Gala, also known as “fashion's biggest night” is one of the most significant events in pop culture. Celebrities create the most iconic looks that are some of the most unique we have ever seen. Past fantasy themes include, “Camp: Notes On Fashion” and “Heavenly bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” being the most popular at 1.7 million visitors. Fantasy gives designers the ability to showcase what they come up with to show the real escapism of the art of fantasy.
At the 2019 Met Gala with the theme "Camp: Notes on Fashion,” Zendaya showed up in an iconic blue ballgown designed by Tommy Hilfiger that represented Cinderella. This look was a great mix between elegance and embracing the idea of fantasy and embracing a character. The 2004 Christian Dior Haute Couture Fall Winter show showcased looks based on royalty which was a bold decision-- but press was buzzing about it-- and this show has inspired many designers to add royal elements into designs. During the Heavenly bodies Met Gala, we can see Blake Lively in a beautiful red dress designed by Atelier Versache with a very royal looking pattern paired with a gold halo-styled headpiece. This look was one of the most popular looks for that year and took over 600 hours to make.
Alexander McQueen was a famous designer who famously implemented fantasy into his design using spanish and victorian elements. During the Autumn/Winter 1996 ready to wear show people were shocked when a model came walking down the runway with a unicorn-horn headpiece. Being very much fantasy inspired, it showed that by designers implementing fantasy into looks, they can create timeless iconic pieces. Don't make fashion your own but you decide what you are, what you want to express by the way you dress and the way to live”, said Gianni Versache.
Fantasy is one of the greatest forms of self expression because one can fit into a certain vibe or character and make outfits unique by adding a spin on a certain type of fantasy. Many people also like to use fantasy to express themselves because it is a way to escape from reality and become someone who you are not in a creative way. This is proved by designers taking ideas from past centuries and turning them into beautiful and creative looks and putting these looks on the models to show that it is good to express yourself.
As we look forward to upcoming Met Gala and runway show themes, will we see more fantasy looks, or see them start to decrease? We will have to wait and see.