- May 4, 2016
- 5 min read

The Best and Worst of Met Gala 2016

The Met Gala has become one of the most highly publicized media events of the year, showcasing fashion while raising funds for the Met's Costume Institute. The theme for 2016 was Manus X Machina: Fashion in the Age of Technology, hosted by Anna Wintour, Apple's chief design officer Jonathan Ive, Taylor Swift, and Idris Elba.

Among the celebrities attending this year, we saw some of the best and worst dress pass by on the red carpet. Compared to the other years, 2016 was a letdown overall in terms of fashion. While there were some standout designs that captured the theme perfectly and stole the show, it seems like many celebrities missed the theme.

We asked Dallas's fashion experts on what they thought, Fashion-Police style. I hear some sirens going off!

Our contributors include Jeanette Chivvis, Britt Harless, Juan Lerma, Dawn Marie Mellon, Chuck Steelman, and Ken Weber.

Britt: I liked Zac Posen’s gown for Claire. Although, I am partial to our FGI Night of Stars award winner, I still think this was interesting, nicely done and very on point for this particular gala and theme. All fashion forecasts are saying technology will be heavily incorporated into fashion within the next 5 years. It will be amazing to see some new, creative ideas and to see all the duds that come out of it too! I have no doubts there will be both.

Juan: Claire Danes in Zac Posen is the clear and obvious winner of the 2016 Met Gala red carpet. The gown had all of the drama that is required of a look attending this prestigious event. It also captured the fashion in the age of technology theme perfectly with fiber optics in the fabric that made the gown sparkle and glow!

Dawn: Everyone deserves this Cinderella moment.

Ken: Yes, Claire Danes looked absolutely gorgeous in the Zac Posen gown, but who wouldn't? Zac knows how to create a ball gown that works. However, we've seen this gown again and again except this time he threw in some Christmas lights to create a "wow" factor. A gorgeous gown, a fun concept, but it ended up like a cheap gimmick that would have been better served on Project Runway.

Jeanette: Everyone can go home now because it is beautiful and oh so modern at the same time! Bravo, Zac!

Juan: Jourdan Dunn, and MOST of all the Balmain looks on the red carpet looked stunning. The Balmain Army were all looking fierce and sexily robotic.

Jeanette: Best Dressed

Ken: Olivier Rousteing of Balmain was certainly the winner this year with his robotic army of stunning and elegant gowns yet keeping completely with the theme of the Costume Exhibits Manus x Machina.

Jeanette: Kari can wear cut outs like nobody else. Because honestly there is NO BODY as perfect as hers! Gorgeous! Love the stark white so chic and modern!

Britt: Karlie Kloss’s gown was one of my personal favs. Sexy + elegant. For some a not-so-easy combo to pull off with cut outs. She did it perfectly. Cut outs to me have always been a little futuristic looking to me. Maybe I watched Fifth Element too much…

Juan: Karlie Kloss in Brandon Maxwell was incredibly sexy, but again, where is the technology theme?

Dawn: Chic and sophisticated...until it was cut in half...forever fabulous sunk to Forever 21.

Ken: Ricardo Tisci of Givenchy channeled his inner 50 Shades and poured Beyonce into a latex body gloves covered in bird droppings. You can actually see the sweat running down her legs. A big disappointment after her success from last year.

Dawn: Too bad she's not allergic to latex because instead of being "The Best Thing She Never Had," her dress was "The Worst Thing She Actually Had." But, you still "Rule The World"

Juan: Although Beyoncé looked perfectly fine in her Givenchy Haute Couture look, I was certainly expecting a lot more from this red carpet diva.

Jeanette: It is a little too much silence of the lambs for me - makes me cringe.

Britt: Madonna, Madonna, Madonna…I forgive her and still love her. I get it she is trying to be edgy, sexy and relevant. There are so many other ways for her to still be all those things without going this route..she is still the Queen and better than this! She needs to remind herself! This reminds me of a B rated Sci-Fi meets Howard Stern. Wrong on many levels.

Dawn: Wrong. Period

Jeanette: I love Madonna but this is just not ok on so many levels. It looks like a costume for Halloween and with all the fillers and Botox it actually looks like she is wearing a mask. So sad.

Ken: You know what. Every single person is allowed to wear what they want, but if they decide to go outside, then they better look flawless because I'm gonna say something. This was one giant hot mess. Inappropriate on every level. It's the damn Met Gala for shit sake not the trashy S&M bar for geriatrics. She should have kept this in the 1993 Justify My Love Closet and stayed home.

Juan: Another sexy robot was Zayn Malik in his Versace look. Perhaps for everyday life, the armored sleeves are unrealistic and silly, but at the Met Gala, you want to take risks. Gigi Hadid's coordinating Tommy Hilfiger look, although on theme, just seemed to fade to the background for me. Zayn stole the spotlight.

Dawn: When 'The Force Awakens' to find their battle garb has been stolen, it may incite another intergalactic war on these two.

Jeanette: Hate the color but love her -the c3po arms on the tux is just trying to hard.

Ken: Versace knocked it out the park for Zayn. The arm armor was a fantastic touch to throw a contemporary tux into the future without looking silly. Tommy Hilfiger did just okay. Gigi looked fabulous but the dress was a little too fashion design student 101. I'm sure he was excited. It's a far cry from the oxford and knee high socks he normally designs.

Chuck: Great choice, we haven't seen this a lot of the past few seasons.

Dawn: Classic. Love.

Jeanette: Red Carpet perfection!

Chuck: He looks great and I love seeing the cummerbund.

Jeanette: Mixed messages- beehive with opera gloves with gothic dress and vamp lips - too much - loose 3 things and it could've been cool.

Juan: Emma Watson in Calvin Klein collection, wow! The drama of this gown's sweeping train is incredible. However, I don't see where the evening's theme, fashion in the age of technology, works in to the look.

Dawn: Young, beautiful and recyclable - what more could you ask for?

Jeanette: Two for one- I can wear it to the Met Ball and prom after that! NOT!