Emma Chamberlain Goes Goth For The Met Gala 2024

Emma Chamberlain returns to the Met Gala red carpet as a presenter, but this time, she’s embracing a whole new vibe. Gone are the glitzy, neo-Edwardian and ‘Mean Girls’ looks of the past; instead, she’s channelling her inner Goth, with a little help from the renowned house of Jean Paul Gaultier and her stylist, Jared Ellner.

We get an inside look at the creation of Chamberlain’s striking ensemble for this year’s gala. From jewellery by Cartier to customised nails and even a bespoke microphone, every detail has been carefully curated to fit the theme of ‘Sleeping Beauties.’

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Discussing the evening’s dress code, Chamberlain explains, “The Met, it’s the time to put on a show, no? The theme is the ‘Garden of Time,’ which is the title of a short story. This is sort of a fantasy, enchanted-like theme. It’s fun to do a dark twist on it; the underbelly of nature.”

The inspiration for Chamberlain’s dress draws from various sources, with a particular nod to a mocha-coloured lace corset worn by Suzanne von Aichinger in Jean Paul Gaultier’s spring 2003 couture show, titled Morphing. This served as the foundation for a dress that exudes fragility and decomposition, capturing what Chamberlain describes as her “swampy mode.”

Explaining the design process, a spokesperson for Gaultier notes, “The initial sketches of the dress started with a strong lacing idea; enclosing the corseted body, tightening it at the top, and opening the volume of the dress at the bottom. A lacing that unravels, falls, and intertwines.”

The meticulous craftsmanship behind Chamberlain’s look is truly astonishing. Forty hours were dedicated solely to pattern making, while four seamstresses spent approximately 600 hours assembling the corseted dress with transparent supports and lace inlays. The main material, a Chantilly lace dyed brown, contrasts sharply with the softness of the colour and lace, featuring ferns and allusions to brambles, in response to the Garden of Time theme.

Reflecting on her Met Gala experiences, Chamberlain muses, “This will be my fourth Met Gala. To me, it sort of feels like this unveiling of me as an adult in fashion in a way.”