This year’s Met Gala had the Internet’s totally level-headed fashion community debating what is and isn’t “punk"—this year's totally arbitrary theme. This is stupid because A: That’s exactly the basic ass conversation they hoped you’d have when they picked the theme, and B: Attending balls is inherently not punk rock to begin with. But man, do people sure have opinions about this shit. "Raf Simons is the only guest who understands punk!" "Kristen Stewart thinks she’s soooooo punk!" People are talking, which, newsflash, is why you theme your giant fashion circle jerk costume preservation charity ball after some nebulous concept that to some is a spiritually defining ethos and, to others, just another adjective for describing a fuckton of studs on a leather jackets.
“These critics and these trust fund kids try to tell me what punk is,” Good Charlotte once sang, “but when they see me on the street they got nothing to say.” Don’t worry Benji and Joel, I’m not going to waste your time dissecting who's punk and who isn’t. Seeing how your favorite star, designer or stylist interpreted the theme, though, is a window into their relative corniness, which, should be said, would have prevailed regardless of theme. Some people took it way too literally and some ignored it completely—quite frankly, more punk than conforming to some arbitrary guideline—but mostly people just looked stupid and that’s why we’re all here. So, let's review the best, laughable and definitely-want-to-hit-the-after-party-with-you-iest looks of the night.
Photographs courtesy of Buzzfeed and Vogue
Angelo Spagnolo is a writer living in Portland, Oregon. Read his blog here and follow him on Twitter here.