In this week’s handle with care, some Met Gala commentary. Also, some brief thoughts on “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.”
Just eight months after the last Met Gala, we had another one on the first Monday in May. The theme was a continuation of last year’s “In America: An Anthology of Fashion,” but with a gilded glamour and white tie dress code.
I don’t know very much about fashion, but attendees famously do not “understand the assignment.” Late-1800s fashion has a lot of options, and you just have to do a little research to make sure you nail the theme. Celebrities have all the resources in the world, and somehow the fashion at the Met Gala gets even more lackluster every year. We need a more foolproof theme for next year.
The most newsworthy moment about this year’s event was Kim Kardashian wearing Marilyn Monroe’s “Happy Birthday Mr. President” dress by Jean Louis. The actual dress that she wore and has been carefully preserved since. Kardashian lost 16 pounds in three weeks to fit into the dress, which actually made me really sad and uncomfortable to read. Instead of pursuing a replica of her own, she wore the dress that didn’t zip up all the way and covered it with a fur shawl. Perhaps the second-worst part about this look was that it wasn’t even on theme.
I did have some looks I liked however! It did feel wrong to declare a “best dressed” attendee when there wasn’t much to work with, but I did anyway.
I loved Billie Eilish’s sustainably-made Gucci gown. It was made of deadstock pastel fabric, and it even had a bustle. No notes from me, she looked beautiful. Speaking of musicians, Rosalía also looked great in her heavily-embroidered Givenchy gown. Kiki Layne, of “If Beale Street Could Talk” fame and the soon-to-be-released “Don’t Worry Darling,” wore a pink gown by Prabal Gurung and opera gloves. I love a good pop of color, what can I say!
A quick moment for the men who showed up and showed out on theme. Bad Bunny wore a coverall dress by Burberry, and I’m very obsessed with Evan Mock’s Head of State look. I want the corset top for myself, actually. Not pictured, but I even liked Shawn Mendes’ Doctor Strange jacket. Okay, moment over!!!!!
Gemma Chan, who is also in “Don’t Worry Darling,” showed up in Louis Vuitton. It’s interesting and different, and she’s not like other girls. Lizzo brought a gold flute as an accessory for her Thom Browne look. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a gown like that before, and she looked beautiful in it!! The jacket is a little too literal for me, but it works. Lastly, model Paloma Elsesser is in a Coach ensemble, and I didn’t really care that it’s not really on theme, I just want the outfit. 😇
That’s what every mother does
I went to the movies on Friday to watch “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” and I have some thoughts!!! I will avoid spoilers, but maybe don’t read this until you watch.
My favorite part without context was Rachel McAdams saying: “Go back to hell!!” I giggled in my seat.
Wanda Maximoff, I will defend you to the ends of the Earth.
I’m so excited to see more of Xochitl Gomez as America Chavez in the MCU.
The people in the Illuminati scene… yeah I was very pleased. The actual scene, not so much.
Final thoughts: I’m not sure if I liked it as much as I thought I would, but there were other factors that went into that. Like how I got really hungry halfway through the movie, and was starting to get annoyed at how slow it felt. I also thought about how much I liked the last Marvel movie I saw in a theater (“Spider-Man: No Way Home”) and how short it felt when I watched it then.
Thank you Olivia Wilde
Below is the “Don’t Worry Darling” trailer, it’s age-restricted because of Harry Styles watermelon sugar-ing Florence Pugh. They didn’t even play it before “Doctor Strange” at my theater… I lost.
I used to not feel like I had to “check out” when something major happens in the news, but right after the Met Gala coverage, Politico published a leaked majority opinion draft from the Supreme Court about overturning Roe v. Wade. The final decision isn’t going to be announced until the end of June/beginning of July, but it this is where it could be headed: no more federal constitutional protections for people seeking abortions, leaving it up to states to decide how abortion is regulated.
Justice Alito wrote the opinion, and called the initial ruling of Roe v. Wade “egregiously wrong from the start.” Nearly half of all the states have laws that restrict abortion, and 13 states have laws that would automatically trigger once Roe is overturned. Simply put, there is no freedom for people with uteruses in this country.
Since today is Mother’s Day, it feels particularly important to acknowledge that this day is difficult for a lot of people for many reasons. If you want to be a mother, you should be able to decide that for yourself, not forced into it by conservatives.
The Cut put together a list of abortion funds in vulnerable states if you want to donate. Sister Song is a wonderful organization that fights for access to reproductive justice for BIPOC women and LGBTQ people. Keep your receipts and see if your employer can match your donation. Thank you for reading this short newsletter today, please take care of yourselves. 💗