I’m not a huge celebrity follower and I can’t seem to find enough time to keep up with the Kardashians but I do take some time out each year to check out all the stunning looks from the Met Gala. This year the theme was “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” which of course gives way to heaps of vintage icon references. I thought today I’d share some of my favourite looks from Monday’s Met Gala and their original inspiration.

I’m gonna start with my favourite look from the whole night which was Billie Eilish inspired by Marilyn Monroe. Dressed in Oscar De La Renta, Eilish was a vision in peach with clear references taken from holiday Barbie and Marilyn Monroe’s dress from the 1951 Oscars (which was her only Academy Award ceremony she ever attended). With several layers of tulle to create a full skirt, an over the shoulder tulle shawl and platinum blonde hair; this tribute is stunning, elegant and timeless.

From one icon to another, Yara Shahidi was inspired by none other than Josephine Baker. Shahidi dressed in a strapless Christian Dior gown was a direct inspiration of Bakers gown worn for a performance in 1951. The Dior column dress is covered in beading and paired with a cape (to mimic Bakers fur cape), and gloves. This outfit is truly beautiful and a wonderful tribute to such an iconic figure of American history.

It seems that Yara Shahidi wasn’t the only one inspired by Josephine Baker, Anok Yai also drew inspiration from the iconic activist and style maven. Drawing inspiration from an outfit worn by Baker in 1928, Yai also wore an Oscar De La Renta long slim gown with silver/diamond decorations with a low cut neckline and a feather boa in place of a fur coat. It’s worth noting that this iconic look from Baker was truly iconic and also a little scandalous as it had clear view of Baker’s breasts and was later the inspiration for some of Beyonce’s and Rhianna’s outfits.

I became ridiculously happy when I saw that Gemma Chan paid homage to Anna May Wong. Chan wore a dragon patterned Prabal Gurung minidress which closely resembles a gown worn by Wong in the 1934 film ‘Limehouse Blues’. Although Chan’s dress was significantly shorter and came with a green bow that trained onto the floor, this homage is one of my favourites of the night as it pays homage to an icon that really should get more credit.

We all know black is a classic red carpet moment so it was incredible to see Kaia Gerber pay homage to Biana Jagger’s 1981 Met Gala gown. Another win for Oscar De La Renta, Gerber’s black gown is stunningly simple but features an intricately detailed floral design woven together amongst cutouts to create a beautiful trim. This homage is really stunning and I love how Gerber even styled her hair and makeup to mimic Jagger.

I can’t very much make this list without mentioning the awesome tribute Kendal Jenner paid to Audrey Hepburn. Jenner wore a Givenchy dress which was a great modernisation of the iconic gown Hepburn worn in her 1964 film ‘My Fair Lady’. Jenner’s dress was a very close replica to Hepburns featuring the same shoulder, necklace, bust line and dress design with the main difference being that the modern version is on nude fabric where Hepburns is a opaque fabric.

Riding the wave of critical acclaim, it makes perfect sense that Jennifer Hudson paid tribute to Aretha Franklin especially after portraying the icon in a biopic. Looking stunning in red, Hudson wore a AZ Factory dress channeling Franklin’s “Queen of Soul’s” outfit. Featuring a floor length gown with a mermaid train and a long overcoat, this look is truly stunning and timeless.

The last look I want to draw attention to is Emily Blunt who paid tribute to one of the most stunning fashion moments, Hedy Lamarr and her stunning dress in ‘Ziegfeld Girl’. As a lover of all things stars, crystal and celestial I loved Blunt’s floor length gown with a cape to mimic Lamarr’s sleeves and of course, the celestial headpiece. The crystals and diamonds covering the dress were perfect to replace the stars on the original look.

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