Punk Rock Princess

Who can deny that they were dying for an exclusive invite from a certain Vogue Editor-in-Chief to attend the greatest red carpet event in the fashion calendar this week? Monday saw all eyes once again on the scarlet runway for the annual Met Gala, the launch party for the opening of this year’s fashion exhibit at the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The event is hosted by Vogue and the guest list is overseen by Anna Wintour herself, although Vogue staffers also have a hand in deciding the celebrity invitees. Much like the red carpets of the Oscars and other such events, everyone wants to know who will be wearing which designer, but unlike any other event, The Met Gala is all about the designer whose on your arm.

Each year the gala has a theme and this year is certainly no exception, mirroring that of the new fashion exhibit; Punk: Chaos to Couture. Although some stars choose not to conform to the theme, many really get into the spirit of the exhibit, even if it costs them a place on the Best Dressed lists. Perhaps the most obvious choice of designer would be Vivienne Westwood, given that she was the designer that brought punk fashion to the catwalk, although only Christina Ricci, Lily Cole and Zachary Quinto ended up wearing Westwood designs to the Gala, with perhaps the more memorable and punky pieces coming in from Marc Jacobs and Givenchy Haute Couture. We also saw stunning studded punk from Burberry on Brit icons Sienna Miller and Cara Delevigne, not to mention some inspired hair and beauty looks.

We can take tips from this year’s Met Gala red carpet on how to give a punky edge to your normal style, whilst remaining more punk rock princess than anarchic mess – we’re looking at you Madonna. Obviously black is a key colour as there was a distinct lack of much else amongst those who took the theme seriously, although we did see some red and yellow; of course reminiscent of the infamous Sex Pistols album cover. You could instead inject a bit of tartan, key to some of Westwood’s greatest punk looks; with a shirt, a skirt, printed skinnies, shoes or even just on a bag.

Leather and studs also featured heavily and perhaps the easiest way to punk up an outfit is to throw a studded leather jacket over the top, a la Sienna Miller’s red carpet look. However, this is not the only way to use studs or leather; there are fiercely studded shoes all over the High Street and laser cut-out detailed leather is really having its moment. Of course accessories remain the simplest way to bring in trends without compromising your usual style; try leather studded belts or bags, or spiky jewellery for an easy nod to the anarchic era.

You can see how simple it is to include punk fashion into true style and I think this is a real-life reflection of the Chaos to Couture exhibit, rather than just the red carpet theme.

By Louise Hayward