Dystopian Reality: Class, Fashion, and Status Shown on Real Life Runways
Written by Maggie Bond
The Met Gala is the ultimate style bash that's been making waves in the fashion world since its fabulous debut in 1971. Initially a fundraising event in celebration of the Costume Institute's exhibit opening, the Gala has evolved over the years as a stage for the best and brightest in the fashion landscape. A-listers, influencers, and fashion icons alike sport eclectic fashions on the steps of the Met Museum in New York City every year.
After the 2023 Met Gala, many fashion enthusiasts took to the internet to point out similarities between the extravagant pieces they saw on the carpet to fashions of fictitious worlds. Many correlations were made between the looks at the Met Gala and the overly garish “couture” style of Capitol citizens in Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games. The juxtaposition illustrates an important revelation about class, fashion, and status within the world we live in today.
For anyone unfamiliar, The Hunger Games is a book and movie franchise from the mind of Suzanne Collins set in a dystopian futuristic America. In this story, the nation's wealthiest citizens live in the Capitol, engorging themselves with fine goods, food, and clothing whilst the poorest in the nation are nearly starving to death. Through descriptions in all four books and visuals in the five film adaptations, the fashion of the Capitol citizens is one of the most obvious indicators of their wealth and desire for extravagance. This online narrative sparked conversation about the current sociopolitical state of the US.
The fashion aspect of this franchise was so acclaimed that one of the promotional sites for the film, designed by the Watson Design Group, featured a five-issue fashion magazine that "[blended] in-world storytelling with real-world fashion icons". Real-life supermodels began to rock makeup, accessory, and outfit nuances inspired by Capitol citizens.
Although this franchise takes place in a dystopian setting, it was born to critique real-world problems of class divide and power dynamics. Instead, the fashion, or “Capitol Couture” if you will, has been glorified and nearly replicated on real-life runways. In more ways than one, the correlations from the dystopian world to real life translate into issues larger than fashion. The point of the books is to present the worst case imaginable for society to reach, but many facets have manifested in real life. The fashion correlations are some of the more obvious ones but can indicate the dwindling distinctions between dystopian worlds and reality.
While lavish fashion can be found on any runway in the world, the Met Gala stands out due to its increasingly over-the-top themes. Here are a few Met Gala and Capitol Couture comparisons, and what they say about wealth disparities, fashion, and status in the current fashion landscape.
Effie Trinket is a character in The Hunger Games who embodies everything Capitol style represents. From outlandish makeup looks to over-the-top outfits and accessories, she is a painting of what we are to expect a Capitol citizen to look like. She wears the ensemble pictured above featuring wild makeup, and a bold silhouette to District 12, a community known for its extreme poverty. Effie’s choice of attire is a prime example of Capitol citizens shamelessly flaunting their excessive wealth, even in front of those struggling to survive.
Similar to Effie Trinket's aberrant wardrobe, Lady Gaga is known for sporting unique fashion on red carpets, and the “camp” themed 2019 Met Gala was no exception. Her billowing bright pink gown and fierce eye makeup were fitting for the theme. Gaga’s looks can cost anywhere from $28,000 to $30,000,000. The flaunting of this extreme wealth through fashion, visible to millions of ordinary people, uncomfortably mirrors the realities depicted in Collins’ dystopian novels. While this is not meant to be a direct slander against Gaga, who is extremely active in her philanthropy, it does pose a new perspective on the immense class divide in this country and the considerable gap between celebrities and the general population.
Another comparison to note is between the character Tigris in The Hunger Games and Doja Cat’s 2023 Met Gala look. Tigris’s animal-like look shown above emphasizes the extreme plastic surgery expected and used by Capitol citizens –This is a luxury service she utilizes to visibly demonstrate her wealth to others as a Capitol citizen. Doja Cat sported an Oscar de La Renta gown complete with feline facial prosthetics and a $1 million diamond on her forehead for her Met Gala Debut. While her look was meant to honor the late Karl Lagerfeld’s beloved cat, there is room to dissect this look in comparison to Tigris.
The frivolity of wearing a $1 million stone on her face while dressed as a cat, while silly to many, further emphasizes the out-of-touch nature of many Met Gala looks. The performative use of the gem exacerbates the display of celebrity status. An appreciation for fashion and creativity is necessary to hold while viewing these looks. Still, extravagant fashion like this begs the question, “When does high fashion exclusively become a status symbol?”
The answer to this question is far from simple. Frankly, it is not one for me to answer for anyone else. These comparisons are meant to spark critical thinking regarding the way we see celebrities, and the use of fashion as a tool to elevate status and emphasize wealth.
It is important moving forward to continue to appreciate and cultivate great creativity within fashion. With that being said, the acknowledgment of the fine line between authentic and performative fashion will help to distinguish the line between the worlds of dystopian novels and our reality. Fashion is an art form rather than a senseless class partition; Steps to treat it as such are necessary to maintain the integrity and artistry of the craft.
Edited by: Brett Byers, Hana Razvi, Katherine Rubinstein, Sam Teisch, and Sophie Wilmerding
DEI Reviewed by: Katherine Rubinstein
