Met Gala Looks if they were Classic Post Punk Albums

Last night, celebrities took to the red carpet of the annual Met Gala. The event has become iconic for the inventive looks that the A-listers in attendance turn out, from Kim Kardashian’s completely-covered look in 2021 to Zendaya’s Joan-of-Arc-inspired suit of armor in 2018.

But as the eyes of the media turn to the fashions of last night (themed “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion”), there is one question burning in our minds that I haven’t seen anyone asking…

Which post-punk album is each of these looks?

If you’ve been scouring the internet looking for answers, have no fear. Here’s the definitive list.

Janelle Monae: Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures

Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Is there a post-punk album more legendary than Unknown Pleasures? With its spiky guitars, dour vocals, robotic drums, and melodic bass lanes, Joy Division’s debut full length practically wrote the textbook on post-punk. Even the cover is iconic, with its stark white lines rising sharply from its black background.

Janelle Monae’s look doesn’t just mirror the cover of the record, but the genre-hopping Monae is themself an icon of similar stature.

Unknown Pleasures | Rhino

Erykah Badu: Devo – Q. Are We Not Men? A. We Are DEVO

Erykah Badu at the 2022 Met Gala
Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Erykah Badu’s patchwork dress/jacket/top hat combo is off-kilter and inventive, not unlike the synth-driven, fun-for-squares classic debut from DEVO.

Devo - Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! - Amazon.com Music

Alicia Keys: New Order – Brotherhood

Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Alicia Keys is an understated classic in her own right, but for the Met Gala she opted for a simple gown/cape combo with intricate texture work, including a depiction of the city skyline on her cape. The metallic textures remind me of another understated classic: Brotherhood by New Order, a great bit of synthy new wave which is often overshadowed by the rest of their catalog.

New Order - Brotherhood - Music

Lenny Kravitz: Cocteau Twins – Treasure

Lenny Kravitz at the 2022 Met Gala
Photo by Kevin Mazur/MG22/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue

First things first: look at this LEWK. Kravitz looks like the warrior king of some fantastical fairy kingdom. And in that kingdom, Treasure by Cocteau Twins plays on repeat.

The Thin Air | Exploring Ireland's Cultural Undercurrents

Megan Thee Stallion: The Cure – Disintegration

Megan Thee Stallion at the 2022 Met Gala
Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images

Ms. Thee Stallion’s gold gown was capped off by feather-like shoulder pads that seemed to be disintegrating off of her shoulders and down the train. The dress billowed and fell apart like the similarly feathery masterpiece Disintegration by The Cure.

The Cure - Disintegration - Amazon.com Music

Pete Davidson and Kim Kardashian: The Strokes – Is This It

Photo by Evan Agostini/Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Like Kim K’s Marilyn Monroe-inspired look, Is This It? is a nod to the minimalism of rock and roll of yore. And like Pete Davidson at the Met Gala, I’m not sure the Strokes belong on this list.

The Strokes - Is This It - Amazon.com Music

Tess Thompson: The Psychedelic Furs – Talk Talk Talk

Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Three words: Pretty In Pink.

The Psychedelic Furs - Talk Talk Talk - Music

Questlove: The Talking Heads – Stop Making sense

Questlove
Photo by Kevin Mazur/MG22/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue

Big suit? Big suit.

Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense Lyrics and Tracklist | Genius

Gunna: Bauhaus – Bela Lugosi’s Dead

Gunna at the 2022 Met Gala
Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Bella Lugosi may be dead, but Gunna looks like he’s ready to take his throne as King of the Vampires. I don’t know what’s going on with the bedazzled dog in a tux. I’m sure Bauhaus would be into that too though.

Bauhaus: The Bela Session Album Review | Pitchfork

Kid Cudi: The Smiths – The Queen is Dead

Kid Cudi at the 2022 Met Gala
Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

With a royal blue suit, matching regal cape, and tear-like makeup, Kid Cudi look is stylish, clever, and just a little insufferable, not unlike The Smiths and their classic The Queen is Dead.

SMITHS - The Queen Is Dead [Vinyl] - Music

Gigi Hadid: Interpol – Turn on the Bright Lights

Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

I’ll be honest. I’m not entirely sure why Gigi Hadid is famous (and doesn’t she have a sister too?). But I do know that this dress looks like it was made from the red curtains that are missing from the cover of Turn On the Bright Lights by Interpol.

INTERPOL - Turn On the Bright Lights - Music

Bad Bunny: Culture Club – Colour By Numbers

Bad Bunny at the 2022 Met Gala
Photo by Kevin Mazur/MG22/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue

Culture Club’s debut was a charming bit of chipper new wave, but it was largely overshadowed by the public’s confusion over Boy George’s gender identity. Bad Bunny’s bold suit/dress combo, beehive haircut, and beard play with gender expression in a similar way.

Culture Club - Colour By Numbers - Amazon.com Music

Bradley Cooper: PUBLIC IMAGE LTD. – First issue

Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum

Much like Public Image Ltd (and everything else Johnny Rotten has touched), Cooper’s look sucks. There’s shabby chic and then there’s whatever the hell this is.

Public Image Ltd. - Public Image: First Issue Lyrics and Tracklist | Genius

Future: Television – Marquee Moon

Future at the 2022 Met Gala
Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Playful, understated, and better than just about everybody else there. And like Television, Future’s look knows when to be flashy.

Television - Marquee Moon (Expanded & Remastered) - Music

Teyana Taylor: Echo & The Bunnymen – Ocean Rain

Teyana Taylor at the 2022 Met Gala
Photo by Kevin Mazur/MG22/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue 

Teyana’s flowing gown almost looks like it was sewn out of literal ocean waves. It’s probably the same ocean that Echo & the Bunnymen were talking about in their classic Ocean Rain.

ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN - Ocean Rain - Amazon.com Music

Jordan Roth: Drab Majesty – The Demonstration

Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images

Okay, I know Drab Majesty is a newcomer in the world of post punk, but no other act I could think of is as playful with mood and gender as Jordon Roth’s androgynous, avant-garde…gown? Tuxedo? Coat?

Drab Majesty - Demonstration - Music

Blake Lively: New Order – Power Corruption and Lies

Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

I’ll admit. I don’t really have a way of making this make sense, except that both this look and Power Corruption and Lies are just the best.

Power, Corruption & Lies | HIGHRESAUDIO

I know I missed a lot, but there were a ton of looks at this year’s gala. What did I forget? Let me know in the comments.

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