Asian celebrities slay the red carpet at Met Gala 2021
By Grace Kim
This year’s Met Gala featured a number of first-time appearances by Asian and Asian American celebrities, from world-renowned female K-pop stars to record-breaking athletes. The event was much more of an intimate gathering — it had only about a third of the normal guest list size due to the ongoing pandemic — but the stars showed up and turned heads nonetheless.
With the theme “American Independence,” here are some of our favorite looks and what fans had to say about them.
Rosé, in Yves Saint Laurent
Blackpink’s Rosé became the first female K-pop star to appear at the annual fundraiser event, along with rapper CL. An ambassador for Saint Laurent, she wore a classic black dress and attended alongside the designer house’s creative director Anthony Vaccarello.
CL, in Alexander Wang
CL’s denim outfit is one of the most talked-about looks at this year’s event as it perfectly embodies the American theme with accents inspired by Korean culture. The all-denim coat is tied at the center with two long straps — a design feature called the “otgoreum” of the traditional Korean hanbok.
Simu Liu, in Fendi
Liu reflected on the night with a hilarious Tweet saying, “No more stock photos for this guy” in reference to his previous stock photo modeling gig. GQ said it best when they tweeted, “Breaking box office records and hearts everywhere.”
Naomi Osaka, in Louis Vuitton
Osaka’s dress was also inspired by her Japanese and Haitian background and was put together with the help of her sister. “Americana means a mix of cultures,” the tennis star was quoted as saying, according to Marie Claire. Fans on Twitter are also admiring her makeup look, which one user described as a “modern twist on Japanese Geisha makeup.”
Emma Raducanu, in Chanel
It’s only been a few days since Raducanu made history as the only qualifier to win a grand slam title. And yet here she is, making a grand first-time appearance at the Gala.
Saweetie, in Christian Cowan
From the front, Saweetie’s red gown lights up the room as it features “ten million hand placed crystals which are draped to adorn her body” as the designer explained. On the back, emblazoned on the long train are two flags that represent her heritage, the Black American Heritage flag and the flag of the Philippines.
Suni Lee
Lee’s Olympic-gold gown represents exactly what it appears like! The three-time Olympian said to Access that she wanted to highlight the hard work put into her performance in last month’s Olympic Games.
Eugene Lee Yang
Lee Yang’s fit was put together in a moment of desperation, though you wouldn’t be able to tell. He admitted in an interview with Vogue that his original plans for a dress fell through only hours before his appearance on the red carpet. “Someone was my size, I threw on the suit, and here I am. And I’m still American — Gay, Asian and American, Hallelujah.”
Eva Chen, in Christopher John Rogers
Instagram’s director of fashion herself appeared at the Met Gala in a bright and bold ensemble. Fans online praised the children’s book author for her fun look.
Olivia Rodrigo, in Yves Saint Laurent
The singer, who won “Best New Artist” at the VMA awards on Sunday, is seen in a captivating all-black outfit for her Met Gala debut. She “invented the color black,” one fan writes.
Gemma Chan, in Prabal Gurung
Another one of the most-talked about looks, Chan’s gown paid tribute to Anna May Wong, the first Chinese American Hollywood star. Fans on Twitter were left in awe of the actor and in love with the reference.
Featured Image via Getty
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