Billie Eilish will serve as one of the co-chairs of the 2021 Met Gala alongside actor Timothée Chalamet, inauguration poet Amanda Gorman and tennis phenom Naomi Osaka. The youthquake slate of hosts will preside over the physical return of the annual fashion bonanza after its 2020 edition was shelved due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With “American Independence” as its theme, the news of 19-year-old Eilish’s duties arrived just days after the singer known for her baggy style blew minds with a high-glam cover shoot for British Vogue. Eilish admitted in that accompanying interview that she’s never done “anything in this realm at all,” seemingly in reference to the “old-timey pin-up look” she rocked in the photos from the shoot.
“This year’s Met ball will be a smaller, more intimate celebration for the opening of the Costume Institute’s next exhibition, ‘In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,'” read the announcement from Vogue about the dress code for this year’s event. After skipping the famed red carpet portion of last year’s gala — the accompanying exhibition still opened at the Met last year — this year’s celebration will be in two acts.
The first, “In America,” will be a small show in September, followed by a second part in May 2022 that will continue the look into “the glories of our domestic fashion industry.”
“Each of the Met’s four co-hosts embodies the defining factor of American style: individualism,” read the magazine’s announcement. “They may approach the concept differently, but their shared passion for expressing themselves through clothing connects with the exhibition’s theme. Chalamet, Eilish, Osaka, and Gorman have all developed a distinct visual language for their public personas, one that is informed by the legacy of iconic fashion made in the U.S.A.”
Of the “Your Power” singer, Vogue also noted: “Eilish’s willingness to embrace an aesthetic as innovative as her music has pushed emerging brands into the limelight and challenged old rules about how a pop star should dress. ”
As for what the “American Independence” dress code will look like, according to Vogue, “after an isolating and challenging year, we are celebrating a newfound sense of freedom: to gather, to travel, and to get utterly dressed to the nines — or better yet, into the double digits. Though we’ve had our share of awards-show gowns through the pandemic, celebrities posing poolside at their homes don’t quite have the same effect as a proper red carpet.”
At press time, it is unknown how exhibition curator Andrew Bolton will interpret the theme, but it was revealed that his choices will include designs from such American fashion legends as Ralph Lauren and Oscar de la Renta, as well as such new turks as Andre Walker, LaQuan Smith and Kerby Jean-Raymond.
“The most exciting part is that the dress code is meant for fashion rebels and rule breakers,” said Vogue. “We’re expecting a red carpet filled with anything-goes gowns and a dash of something star-spangled.” Fashion icons Tom Ford, Instagram boss Adam Mosseri and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour are the evening’s honorary chairs.