Met Gala Attendees Are Confused By This Year’s Punk Theme

The pressure is on when it comes to dressing for the Met Gala — perhaps no other red carpet is as closely scrutinized by fashion's harshest critics. It's one of the rare events where best-dressed lists are truly based on style, not just celebrity, and a great outfit is often well within the reach of already well-seasoned fashion types with enough spare cash to afford a $25,000 ticket and a great stylist. But when the theme is "Punk: Chaos to Couture," things get tricky.

Various boutique owners and high-end vintage purveyors told The New York Times that they're getting frantic requests from a variety of clients looking for something that looks on-theme but will still earn them an approving nod from Anna Wintour, who we're guessing will probably disregard the theme entirely — and she wouldn't be alone. One of the Times' sources, Gill Linton of Byronesque, says most guests will probably play it very safe, maybe throw a couple of safety pin accessories on for good measure. The problem, according to Los Angeles boutique owner Cameron Silver, is that “rich women don’t want to look punk, or grunge.” Frankly, we'll have our eyes peeled for any edgy, grunge-y, even slightly un-precious getups, but we won't get our hopes up.

That said, there certainly are some designers whose recent collections could serve up the appropriate fare to interested parties. The talent list is long and more varied than ever, with a variety of distinctly non-Anna-Wintour-approved parties set to descend on the much-watched event. But, as Eric Wilson notes, even if a few Liz-Hurley-esque punk outfits do make an appearance, does it mean anything? Can anyone at this level of protected, managed, glammed-up talent actually get punk right? (NY Times)