Gowns and Glamour Galore!
By: Hope Wilkos, Writer
The week of May 7, 2018 was filled with plenty of glamour and divine gowns as two of the most elegant and intoxicating events of the year both got underway.
In New York City, the opening of the Met Gallery’s newest exhibition, “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion & the Catholic Imagination†brought with it the 70th annual magnificent Met Gala which took place on Monday, May 7th. This is the annual fundraiser to benefit the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. Some have remarked that this year’s gala was over the top and one of the most extravagantly dressed theme-inspired events ever. Celebrities climbed the carpet-covered stairs in some of the most gorgeous gowns ever to grace the venue. This year, Amal Clooney, Rihanna, and Donatella Versace served as co-chairs next to Gala’s Leading Lady, Anna Wintour. Many fashion critics were wondering how this religion-inspired theme would be embraced by its attendees. However, guests such as Madonna, Nicki Minaj, Cardi B and some of the Kardashian clan approached it very tastefully. A very large amount of intricate embroidery on gowns and headpieces absolutely wowed the fans and onlookers. Welcoming her guests for the evening, Rihanna looked as if she stepped directly out of the Vatican in the Pope’s attire while Blake Lively needed a party bus just to carry the train on the back of her gown which had taken over 600 hours to make. Madonna attended in a more subdued, but, quite appropriate look for the evening and even performed for the guests before the gala came to an end. Angelic white, spiritual red, and godly gold were the most popular colors of the Met Gala. Even the men embodied the theme in standout manners. Sarah Jessica Parker, who is considered a permanent fixture at the event (aside from 2017 when she was unable to attend), truly brought the theme to life as the amazed crowd of photographers watched how gracefully she walked the stairs with her date for the evening, Andy Cohen. Not only was her gown loaded with beading and embroidery and baubles, but her headdress also had a tiny nativity scene right in the middle. This only contributed to making this, quite literally, the ‘crowning’ evening of fashion for 2018.
A view of the Palais des Festivals at the 71st international film festival, Cannes, southern France
2018, Cannes, France – 07 May 2018
Fan Bing Bing
‘Everybody Knows’ premiere and opening ceremony, 71st Cannes Film Festival, France – 08 May 2018
The Heavenly Bodies exhibition can be seen from May 10, 2018, through October 8, 2018, at the Met Fifth Avenue and at the Met Cloisters. This exhibit studies the correlation between fashion and the devotional practice and traditions of Catholicism. Never-before-seen pieces direct from The Vatican will be on display alongside designer ensemble from Coco Chanel to Balenciaga and in between, even from co-chair and designer, Donatella Versace. There are 150 outfits on display in all. The Costume Institute Curator-In-Charge, Andrew Bolton, and his team worked in partnership with the Met’s Medieval department to show how “Material Christianity†which classifies fashion loosely into that broad context of “religious artistic production†to result in “Catholic imagination†works of art. The exhibition promises to be an emotionally stimulating experience, very well-done and certainly not one to miss.
Many of these same celebrities in attendance on the evening of May 7th at the gala boarded a jet the very next day to attend the opening of the most influential film festival of the year, ‘The 2018 Cannes Film Festival.’ This festival sets the stage for all those film festivals that follow this year across the globe. The gowns were just as plentiful, the stars simply glowing with an inner and outer beauty that was admirable and envied by all. Cannes Film Festival taking place in France’s French Riviera will continue through May 19, 2018. A diverse and provocative number of original films are presented by talented writers and directors from around the world. The talk in movie circles this year is about Spike Lee’s debut of ‘BlacKkKlansman’ which is a true story about the first African-American police officer in Colorado to infiltrate the Ku Klux Clan. Another highly anticipated work of art is the American film, ‘Under the Silver Lake’, starring Andrew Garfield and shining the spotlight on Topher Grace, a relatively fresh face in Hollywood. The international film community is excited for the premiere of ‘Cold War’, from Polish-British writer, director, Pawel Pawlikowski, examining the heart of Poland’s church and state from the eyes of a nun. The diversity in filmmaking and storytelling is quite evident this year, with so much to look forward to in the way of moviemaking.
President of the Jury this year is the stunning actress, Cate Blanchett. Cate has contributed so much to the film industry from her outstanding talent to be a Goodwill Ambassador. Members of her jury include Kristen Stewart (actress and Chanel perfume spokesmodel), Robert Guediguian (director, scriptwriter, and producer), Khadja Nin (author, composer and actor) and many more accomplished individuals in the film industry.
This makes the 71st year for the Cannes Film Festival to hold their annual event.
We are only in May but there are so many more highly anticipated events to come where the stars will shine and the gowns will impress.
