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In the year 2021, what was once considered subversions of a dress code are now ubiquitous red-carpet accessories—baseball caps, comfy casual sandals, cushy sneakers. Consider last night’s Met gala cohost Timothée Chalamet, who accompanied his Haider Ackermann getup with a pair of Chuck Taylors. All these alt-black-tie accessories now feel right at home on the red carpet alongside standbys like ankle-strap stiletto sandals, ultrafine jewels, and classic box clutches.
But this year’s Met gala, celebrating the exhibition “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,” saw plenty of unexpected accessories that pushed the envelope even further. See Kim Kardashian looking semi-anonymous in a Balenciaga haute couture ensemble. However, some of the coolest statements came on a less obvious and smaller scale—most notably on attendees like Maisie Williams and Dev Hynes, who both opted for up-and-coming accessory designers.
Hynes carried a red lunch-bag-looking tote from Medea, the handbag brand from Italian twin sisters Giulia and Camilla Venturini.
Williams took to the Met stairs in a pair of chunky slingbacks from footwear label Nodaleto, which debuted at Paris Fashion Week in the fall 2019 season.
Meanwhile both Frank Ocean and Justin Bieber took the opportunity to showcase accessories from their own newly launched labels—a necklace from Homer and bag from Drew, respectively. Both choices adhered to the dress code. These accessories offered a refreshing alternative to the typical evening accoutrements, proving indie brands have earned their place on the red carpet. Here’s to a new generation of stylish red-carpet accessory makers.
