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fashion

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All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. Coach Outlet just added new styles to their lineup of discounted purses and bags to help you refresh your summer accessories […]

The 2024 Met Gala should have been a strictly star-powered triumph for Stray Kids, when the current faces of Tommy Hilfiger set a historic first at fashion‘s biggest night out. Yet amid the glamour, Stray Kids fans — and, possibly, some of the members themselves — were left with the experience marred by their disrespectful treatment by red-carpet photographers, highlighting the systemic barriers still faced by non-Western artists in Hollywood.
The eight-member Billboard 200 chart-toppers attending the Met Gala marked the first time an entire group has hit the glitzy gala together. Making their Met Gala debut in custom-designed suits alongside Tommy Hilfiger himself, members Bang Chan, Changbin, Lee Know, Hyunjin, Felix, Han, Seungmin and I.N arrived at the Metropolitan Museum of Art collectively in navy jackets that would soon reveal the custom ‘fits in various shades of the clothing brand’s signature red, white and blues underneath.

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But a few feet away, amid the flurry of camera flashes that surrounded all sides of the Gala entrance, derogatory comments from on-site photographers groaning about the group’s “robot” demeanor, annoyed that the reveal took place with their backs to one group of photogs, and thinking the band would only understand Korean reveal the thinly veiled prejudices that still plague the industry.

(Note: The video below includes subtitles that don’t always match what can be heard.)

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As The Daily Mail noted, some paps said people would get “confused” because the group took photos with their coats on and off — a racist stereotype that people of Asian descent are challenging to differentiate visually. One photographer can be heard making his peers laugh after joking that viewers would think “two K-pop bands” attended the 2024 Met Gala. (From this reporter’s findings from the last 48 hours, no one has made that mistake.)

The incident shed light on the unfair challenges international celebrities like Stray Kids face navigating less familiar territory in pursuit of global success.

Despite instances where SKZ easily and comfortably adapted to the American media landscape via live interviews like BUILD Series or People TV, last year’s MTV VMAs, or various Fashion Weeks, the singers still face barriers and a dismissive attitude toward their presence. It reflects a lack of understanding while underscoring the need for greater cultural sensitivity and inclusivity in entertainment.

Most of the Kids’ media experience is with Korean and Japanese events, which have systems and red carpets structured differently than in the States. At a typical K-pop event, press conference or awards show, there is a platform for artists to pose for photographers who are all collectively shooting together during a dedicated photo time. Guided by an MC, host or team leader like Bang Chan, the artists almost always coordinate their pose to their left, center and right for everyone to get a range of angles and shots. After that dedicated time, photogs are left to their own devices to get the best pics.

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With this context, Stray Kids did attempt to show love to all sides of the photographers on the Met Gala carpet by staggering themselves so four members were more forward toward one side of the cameras and then turning around so the other four were more forward for the second group of photogs. Also of note: While the photographers knew Stray Kids were a K-pop act, members Bang Chan and Felix grew up in Australia and Seungmin spent some time living in Los Angeles; assuming that an English comment would slide past them (including “What’s Korean for ‘right’?,” which elicited laughs from the paps) is incredibly close-minded.

While it is important to understand that photographers need usable and workable photos to fulfill their livelihoods, the diversity that Stray Kids bring to a function like the Met Gala should be celebrated rather than marginalized. Perhaps the prospect of shooting an eight-member boy band could be a new professional challenge instead of something to bemoan.

Korean artists have been attending the Met Gala for over a decade, with guests like PSY and Siwon of Super Junior attending more than 10 years ago and, more recently, seeing the likes of BLACKPINK‘s Jennie coming for her second Met Gala this year. Considering fashion’s consistent and growing affinity for K-pop partnerships, even more K-pop groups are likely to attend in the future.

Whether the comments were heard or not, Stray Kids moved with grace and poise on the carpet, and their presence alone reminds us of the importance of inviting and embracing different cultures, people and perspectives.

From the reality show that created their group in 2017, Stray Kids have had an unwavering determination to defy expectations and rise above adversity. Despite obstacles, the band’s overarching talent, humility, and tireless spirit to continue forward are not only recognized by one of the world’s most prestigious events but increasingly felt across the different Billboard charts. As they continue to break boundaries and challenge norms, Stray Kids can show how they won’t just make waves in the music industry, but help reshape long-held perceptions and inspire greater change. 

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
This year’s 2024 Met Gala highlighted dazzling and high fashion moments where all celebrities embraced the dress code and theme “The Garden of Time.”

Get ready to step into the world of fashion, beauty and glamour with this roundup of Met Gala fashion trends inspired by singers like Nicki Minaj, BLACKPINK’s Jennie, Karol G, Due Lipa, and Shakira. With this short list, you’ll be able to recreate and shop your favorite outfits for less in no time.

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One of many attention-grabbing looks of the evening was rapper and singer Niki Minaj’s 3D Marni dress. She arrived in an outfit designed by Marni Francesco Risso. With this enchanting floral masterpiece, Niki Minaj took a bold statement to the theme.

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Revolve

Elliatt Rosalind Dress

For those looking for outfits inspired by her outfit at the Met, consider this Rosalind dress from Revolve. This multi color dress comes in sizes XXS to XL. Size XXL is currently out of stock, but you can get yourself a similar floral option here.

The Rosalind dress is perfect for all occasions, featuring an elevated yet timeless aesthetic. Follow in the footsteps of Nicki Minaj, and add this dress to your cart for your next night out.

Amazon

Zaful Sleeveless 2-Piece Outfit

Another artist who stunned at the Met Gala carpet was BLACKPINK’s Jennie, who wore a gorgeous custom Alaïa blue mini-dress. Although her piece was custom-made, the electric blue, did not go unnoticed.

This 2-piece blue dress is simple yet eye-catching. Whether you’re going for a night out with friends or a casual dinner, this two-piece Zaful sleeveless piece is a great option, you can easily dress up or down. It comes in many colors from green to brown.

Amazon

Meilun Sequin Formal Evening Dress 

If you love the dress Colombian singer Karol G wore at the Met, consider this Sequin formal evening gown. The delicate sequins and mermaid-like designs make it one of a kind. From a cocktail party to a wedding, this dress has you covered.

Revolve

Revolve Bustier Gown

To switch up from mermaid-fairy to a more villainesque outfit, consider this dress from Revolve. This look-alike gown gives off the same vibes as the dress singer Dua Lipa wore at the Met. With its ruffled tulle (lightweight netting fabric) adding volume to the entire outfit, you can’t go wrong. You’ll get to show some skin in the same way Dua Lipa did in the black Marc Jacobs gown.

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When in doubt, just go with a hot red dress, like Shakira. She debuted a high-slit Carolina Herrera gown. You too, can live your hot red gown dreams with this ASOS Volume Sleeve mini dress that’s 70% off.

For more product recommendations, check out these stylish summer dresses and TikTok affordable fashion finds that can upgrade your wardrobe.

The annual Met Gala took over New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art on Monday night (May 6), with some of today’s biggest stars ascending the iconic white staircase in creative and jaw-dropping looks to capture the “Garden in Time” dress code. While the Met Gala looked like a blast itself, the real fun happens […]

All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. Are you feeling unmotivated to workout? A great way to get started is by changing your outfit. Investing in a workout […]

The first Monday in May means it’s one of the biggest fashion days of the year, the Met Gala. Some of the biggest stars walked the red — or white, rather — carpet on Monday night (May 6), showing off some of the most creative looks to capture the evening’s theme. This year’s theme, Sleeping […]

From Ariana Grande to Lana Del Rey, Usher to Sabrina Carpenter, dozens of stars gathered in New York City Monday (May 7) for the biggest American fashion event of the year, each one looking more show-stopping than the last. This year’s Met Gala theme was particularly dramatic — “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” — and prompted […]

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The much anticipated 2024 Met Gala, ahem, the 2024 Costume Institute Benefit went down on Monday, May 6 and per usual the red carpet was the real show. Plenty of Hip-Hop heads, and the adjacent, were in the building, with both the extremes of fire fits and attire choices that will make you question the true intentions of their stylist.
The 2024 Met Gala’s theme was “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” along with a dress code that entailed “The Garden of Time,” which is inspired by a short story by English novelist JG Ballard.
That’s all good, but we’re just here to judge the fits. Check out some of the best and worst dressed attendees—including Cardi B, Bad Bunny, Queen Latifah, Doja Cat and more—at the 2024 Met Gala in the gallery.

1. Donald Glover

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Childish Gambino aka Donald Glover kept it kind of tame while channeling his inner Ricardo Tubbs from Miami Vice. 

2. Ben Simmons

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Occassional NBA star Ben Simmons had folk clocking his Thom Browne fit. 

3. Colman Domingo

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Colman Domingo does not miss. His outfit was a homage to the late André Leon Talley and Chadwick Boseman. Respect!

4. Cardi B

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As always, the Bronx’s Cardi B understood the assignment.

5. Lizzo

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We usually rock with Lizzo, but what is going on here beloved? 

6. Bad Bunny

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The Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny does not play when it is time to slay. He was also a co-chair of this year’s gala. 

7. Jennifer Lopez

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J. Lo left the block to show out at usual. 

8. Tyla

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South African singer and songwriter Tyla of “Water” fame upped the thirst. 

9. Jack Harlow

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Who sent Jack Harlow an invite? Mans looked like he went to Men’s Warehouse, respectfully. 

10. Serena Williams

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Serena Williams. That is all. 

11. Nicki Minaj

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Of course Nicki Minaj was there. 

12. Janelle Monae

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Singer Janelle Monae continues to be a stylist’s, and thirst bucket’s, dream. 

13. Odell Beckham Jr.

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NFL star Odell Beckham Jr. also scored an invite. 

14. Lil Nas X

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Lil Nas X fit was kind of tame considering his previous history of button pushing. 

16. Doja Cat

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Doja Cat really leaned into this wet t-shirt look. 

“You’re all beautiful!” As the clock ticks toward 2 a.m. ET, FKA Twigs is standing on the bar at The Standard’s Boom Boom Room, peering out onto a sea of guests who are celebrating the first Monday in May (May 6), otherwise known as the day of the Met Gala.

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“You’re all living your lives in this weird world being yourself, and I think that’s enough,” the singer said.

By now you already know that the Met Gala is the cultural happening of the calendar year — a night as fashionable as it is hyped. But if the party of the year occurs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, it’s the afterparties that feature even more head-turning moments. And the Meatpacking District’s Boom Boom Room is known for being the epicenter of the chaotic cool that follows the annual bash.

Sporting my best hand-me-down jacket and polished (Windexed) shoes, I ventured to scope out the scene. What I found was a space adorned with massive towers of fresh flowers (the theme of the party was “The Garden of Time,” after all), and a cavalcade of guests in plant-inspired outfits trickling in around midnight amid an effervescent odor of lilacs.

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Columbia Records labelmates Lil Nas X and Camila Cabello came in hand-in-hand, the former rocking long leather shorts, the latter in a full-on leather dress.

After stopping to greet the party’s host, Twigs, they posed seductively for the camera and were gone just as quickly as they arrived. It was a big day for Cabello, who reportedly wore a 15-pound dress that boasted 250,000 crystals earlier in the night. She also nabbed the attention to announce the details for her new album C,XOXO, which drops June 28.

Among the starry crowd at The Standard were an array of names from Sam Smith to Moses Sumney, as well as Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos and his fiancée, Lauren Sánchez, who held court sitting in a corner that looked out over the skyline near the penthouse space’s entrance. (I briefly considered asking for a discount on Prime). Elsewhere, A$AP Ferg, Lourdes Leon and Tony Award-winner Alex Newell were spotted.

Revelers were rushing in and out as the 2024 party scene proved to be a busy one: Usher threw a “Secret Garden”-themed bash at the Times Square Edition which wooed the likes of Ne-Yo, while Mr. Halftime himself later headed to an after-hours bash hosted by Richie Akiva at the chic members-only space Casa Cipriani, where the likes of Cardi B (who hosted her own afters), Offset, Doja Cat and Teyana Taylor were spotted.

Meanwhile, Apres hosted a bash with a guest list that included Bad Bunny, Lana Del Rey, Charli XCX and Jaden Smith. At an afterparty thrown by Stella McCartney, Rita Ora and Shakira made the guest list at the Upper East Side’s Casa Cruz.

Back inside the Boom Boom Room, the space celebrated its 25th anniversary of Met Gala parties, with FKA Twigs joining a stacked history (Lizzo, Cardi B and Katy Perry all hosted their own soirées over the years at the space). And lest we forget, it was in an elevator at this party exactly 10 years ago that the famed skirmish which inspired Beyonce’s Lemonade took place. So, yes, this venue is historic.

“The Boom Boom Room for the Met Gala afters is the spot to be, and it’s where it’s always been,” said New York City-based DJ and producer Ty Sunderland, who flew in from Lisbon earlier in the day. “I had to, because it’s one of the biggest nights in New York City to go out.”

To mark the occasion, Twigs used the opportunity to preview two as-of-yet unreleased tracks. “Would you mind if I played a couple of songs for you tonight?” she teased to cheers from the audience. “I’m up here like it’s a performance, it’s not,” she quickly clarified from atop the bar. “I’m just sharing it with you.” While her last full release was the 2022 mixtape Caprisongs, Twigs last released an album in the form of 2019’s Magdalene.

Accompanied by British DJ and producer Koreless (“he’s the best”), Twigs bobbed her head as a pulsating beat blasted through the space, crooning lyrics like “call me up” and singing along to the chorus.

“This is my gift to you,” she said into the microphone. “Thank you for following me, thank you for supporting me. You all mean the world.” It must have been whiplash for the singer, who just last week was in front of a very different microphone: speaking to the U.S. Senate about the dangers of AI.

By 3 a.m. ET, the 2024 iteration of the bash was officially coming to a close; the only guests left being tipsy stragglers, members of FKA Twigs’ team and Boom employees.

At that point, petals from aforementioned fresh flowers were on the floor and the cleanup had begun. As I made my way down the elevator, gawkers were outside on the street below. Now across the city, and the fashion world, the question inevitably turns to: What’s the plan for next year?

Almost seven years after she first rapped the proposition in her 2017 Billboard Hot 100 hit “Bartier Cardi” (No. 14, with 21 Savage), Billboard has the inside on scoop on what it’s really like to party with Cardi B.
Hours after stunning the Met Gala‘s green carpet with a massive black ball gown — accented with emerald jewelry and a gagged of tuxedo-clad red carpet assistants, no less — Cardi B headed downtown to Silencio to host her own afterparty, in partnership with Revolve + Fwrd. Led by creative director Kendall Jenner, Fwrd is an online luxury fashion destination that operates under Revolve Group, an e-commerce fashion retailer.

Known for her dramatic trains, Cardi’s Met Gala green carpet look played smartly on the dark undertones of the event’s “Garden of Time” dress code. This year, the Costume Institute celebrated their spring exhibition, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” with a charity ball co-hosted by Emmy winner Zendaya, Billboard 200 chart-toppers Bad Bunny and Jennifer Lopez and BAFTA nominee Chris Hemsworth. For her afterparty ensemble, Cardi opted for a red, body-sculpting number that evoked the classic sensuality of Jessica Rabbit, billowing retro curls and all.

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The “WAP” rapper’s red-hot corset dress paired well with the décor for the night; red lights illuminated the room with simple decals announcing her presence adorning the otherwise bare walls. While the dancefloor remained packed thanks to the efforts of DJ Nicky Rizz and DJ SpinKing, the night’s biggest stars remained in various sections around the venue. Among those in attendance were Grammy winner Leon Thomas III, celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton, Hennessy Carolina, Kamari Bonds from Netflix’s Twentysomethings: Austin and, of course, hip-hop power couple Offset and Cardi B.

Fresh off wrapping his first headlining U.S. tour — which he launched in support of 2023’s Set It Off LP — Offset donned distressed denim and a bead-embellished gray shirt, opting for a more casual vibe to complement his wife’s exuberant glamour. Hennessy Carolina, Cardi’s sister, wore a stunning hooded black gown that featured perhaps the night’s most daring neckline.

With an open bar and hors d’oeuvres ranging from caviar-topped potato chips to crispy french fries, Cardi definitely threw quite the function. Although she did not treat the crowd to her trademark quips or any remarks at all — in fairness, the intense camera flash whenever she emerged was certainly overwhelming — the DJs kept the energy high with sets that centered on the rich R&B and hip-hop legacies of New York City, Cardi B’s hometown. Of course, several of her Hot 100 hits got spun, including 2017’s “No Limit” (No. 4, with G-Eazy & A$AP Rocky), 2019’s Grammy-nominated “Clout” (No. 39, with Offset), 2022’s “Shake It” (No. 51, with Kay Flock, Dougie B & Bory300), and 2023’s “Put It On Da Floor Again” (No. 13, with Latto) and “Bongos” (No. 14, with Megan Thee Stallion).

Surprisingly, both DJs appeared to have shied away from the Kendrick Lamar and Drake diss tracks that have dominated both streaming and cultural conversations for the past few weeks. For what it’s worth, the songs that really got Cardi moving weren’t a part of that battle or even her own catalog; her favorite tracks of the night included Master KG, Nomcebo Zikode & Burna Boy‘s “Jerusalema,” A$AP Ferg‘s “Work,” Bobby Shmurda‘s “Hot N—a,” and Fivio Foreign‘s “Big Drip.” You can take the girl out of NYC, but you can’t take NYC out of the girl!

Monday night’s flashy bash continues a busy year for Cardi B. She’s released several singles in anticipation for the launch of her sophomore album campaign, including her Missy Elliott-nodding “Like What (Freestyle)” (No. 38), “Enough (Miami)” (No. 9) and “Puntería” (No. 72, with Shakira).

The verdict is in: ain’t no party like a Cardi B party!