The Met Gala is back! Last night celebs threw masks aside (well, until they got inside the venue), brandished vaccination cards like red-soled stilettos and showed the world that glamour is highly contagious.

The theme this year was MAerican Independence. As always, what that means was up to interprestation. Of cpurse, certain looks just made sense.

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In a more subtle vein, you had folks who took the cue of inspiration from famous American figures. Blunt, above, referenced film star Hedy Lamar. Chloe and Halley Bailey, below, said they were tryingto channel a little Grace Kelly and Tina Turner. While I see Tina’s influence more than Grace’s for sure, I think Chloe’s look was more Met gala, while Halley’s would’ve been better for the MTV awards the night before.

One of my fave references, however, had to be explained to me, and now I am here for it.

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YouTuber Nikkie de Jager, above, paid homage to queer icon Marsha P Johnson, who was famously quoted as saying “pay it no mind” when asked about her sexual identity. What a lovely tribute — and a huge example of the floral trend so prevalent last night! Others who looked like they might have bees on their heels:

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But you don’t need flowers to stand out. Super-saturated shades are very in this fall, and these stars showed us how to do it:

But never count and the classics. Before they were stars in color, Americans revelled in the glamorous world of black and white:

One of the trends for sure was nudity — both in fabric and hues. Some women pulled off the sheer looks well. Others, maybe not so much.

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Neutral, subtle colors showed you don’t need to scream sexy all the time:

But metallics shine bright, and say so much:

Speaking of saying something, What’s more American than a statement? We all know stars like to use their celebrity to shout their platforms from the rooftops (and, as I’ve said before, I’d do the same if I was in their Louboutins). So why not use your clothes for that purpose?

To take another view of it, to many America has always been about the cowboys of the wild west. So there were plenty of looks inspired by the gunslingers of old. Fringe worked for some (like the first two looks below), but for others? Not so much.

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Denim is about the coolest, most American fabric ever. I kinda dig Ben Patt’s 70s style Canadian tuxedo. But Leon Bridges looks like he grabbed his at a Texas truck stop.

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Lupita Nyong’o slayed her denim look:

Then there were the cowboys…

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And the horse they rode in on:

I loved this!

But let’s be honest: we weren’t here first. And rising superstar Indigenous model Quannah Chasinghorse showed many people that she deserved a place on those carpeted steps way before the land under them was sold for a handful of beads.

Message and import aside, there were, quite simply, a lot of pretty looks. Many were worn by the men. Some went old school classic:

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Some took the suiting world up a notch:

Some did a tux with a twist:

And still others embraced the exploding men’s fashion world by storm with creativity and showmanship:

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Lil NasX pulled a Gaga, and unveiled successively slimmer looks as he strolled down the carpet:

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Which couples stood out to me, for better or for worse? Take a look.

Of course, some folks may have come singly, but if their dominatrix looks had anything to say about it, they weren’t going home that way.

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Props were utilized to make a statement as well, from message purses to masks, to, well, dolls.

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And for some fashion divas, the whole outfit was a prop.

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But to me, nothing says a glamorous gala like a train. Don’t let your fashion hit ya in the caboose!

As always on these fashion posts, I gotta end with my biggest fave of the night. Billie Eilish embraced Marilyn Monroe and the American way: being herself. This incredible young woman has worn her looks the way she wanted, and didn’t want to show off her sexy side the way the world expects curvy beauties to do until it was on her own terms. And what were her terms? She told Oscar de la Renta that she would wear their dress, if they stopped selling fur. ANd they agreed. That is American Independence personified.

You go girl.