Fashion expert explains why Doja Cat's wet t-shirt was actually a perfect choice for the Met Gala

After Doja Cat's 2024 Met Gala look left fans divided, with some saying she should be 'banned' from the event, a fashion expert has other thoughts.

I mean, she couldn’t quite beat her cat-ensemble for the Met Gala's Karl Lagerfield theme last year... but this year? Some think it’s just downright lazy.

As many waited for the 'Paint The Town Red' singer to step on to the red carpet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York on Monday (6 May), it wasn’t exactly what they expected.

'The Garden of Time' theme should have been a great indication that she’d go all out, but the musician decided to wear what looked like a straight-out-the-shower towel.

Doja's first outfit was a towel wrapped around her body and another on her head, with makeup that looked like it was running down her face.

Doja Cat's first Met Gala outfit consisted of nothing but some clear heels and an.. erm.. towel? (Kristina Bumphrey/WWD via Getty Images)

The second look was a wet-look oversized t-shirt dress and bleached blonde hair.

While there's no doubting that the rapper - real name Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini - absolutely served, a lot of people weren't happy, with some even saying she should be banned from the prestigious event.

One X user said: "If this is her only outfit then don't invite Doja Cat next year. Take note Anna Wintour. Didn't you ban her from Met Gala last year?"

"She’s never getting invited again i fear," another added.

However, a spokesperson from Dalston Mill Fabrics commented that she didn’t ‘disappoint’ with her look this year.

They said: “Doja Cat is known for her controversial and avant-garde fashion choices, and her appearance at the 2024 MET Gala was no different - and in that sense, she did not disappoint.

“However, the singer’s two outfit choices for the event were perhaps far from what fans were expecting - but some of the most controversial fashion choices actually make for the most clever and well-thought-out looks when examining with a closer eye and an open mind.”

They explained the method to her outfit and why it was a ‘showstopper’: “The singer’s initial outfit of a towel ‘dress’ with streaming makeup as if just out the shower was a teaser for fans - building anticipation for her red-carpet look, promising it to be a showstopper.”

The singer's second outfit was an oversized wet-look t-shirt dress, much to many fan's disappointment. (Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)

The spokesperson went on to explain that because she didn’t wear couture, many were shocked - but it was all due to Doja Cat’s interpretation of the theme.

They said: “When taking to the famous MET steps, however, instead of donning the traditionally opulent gowns and couture masterpieces most attendees of the event wear - Doja Cat presented a translucent, wet-look cotton white T-shirt dress.

"Whilst on the face of it, this may be a stark contrast to the expectations of celebrities at the coveted event, the singer’s interpretation of the theme was one of 'timelessness’, as explained by the star herself.

“Doja Cat’s interpretation of the theme, ‘The Garden of Time’, was in keeping with her creative, unique, and experimental taste - and portrayed the theme of transience conveyed in the short novel, upon which the event theme was based.

"Much like the book symbolises - nothing is immune to time - the wet-look appearance of Doja Cat’s dress will dry and change once again, and it’s all a part of the cycle.

"So whilst the contrast of the singer's look may be confusing in the first instance, it complimented the Gala's theme in a surprisingly obscure way."

Topics: Doja Cat, Met Gala, Fashion, Celebrity

Britt Jones