Dua Lipa, Zendaya and Cardi B All Chose This Anti-Cute Aesthetic for Their Met Gala Looks

There’s still a lot to unpack about the Met Gala 2024 but looking at the stunning celebrity looks from last night’s event with fresh eyes this morning, it would seem that there was a secret theme that none of us on the outside knew about, as so many of the event’s attendees took to the garden-themed carpet dressed as gothic brides.

The theme of the 2024 Met Gala was The Garden of Time, which is inspired by a story of the same name by J.G. Ballard. In short, The Garden of Time tells the tale of a count and his wife whose sprawling mansion is under siege by an angry mob who want to claim it for their own. The mansion, however, is surrounded by beautiful gardens that possess the will to bend time. Each time the count cuts back some of his garden, he, his wife and their home delay the mob. Eventually. however, the count cuts back the entirety of his garden, destroying its beauty and, ultimately, running out of time, after which the mob uprise and take over the mansion regardless. Some celebrities and designers clearly resonated with the dystopian prose and used that as the inspiration for their gothic looks.