Bad Bunny Speeds up the Hands of Time at This Year’s Met Gala
Bad Bunny has been a Met Gala favorite in recent years, experimenting with style and paying homage to his Puerto Rican roots, but this year, he went as his future self. So, if you were asking, “Who’s the abuelito on the carpet?” you might’ve missed him.
Hitting the carpet in aged prosthetics curated by makeup artist Mike Marino, who also crafted Heidi Klum’s look for the evening, the Puerto Rican superstar’s look featured hyper-realistic signs of aging, including wrinkles, sagging, and sun spots.
The look was a direct correlation with the museum’s “Costume as Art,” specifically, the “Aging Bodies” exhibit, which discusses “our fear of having to face our own mortality, the youth-oriented fashion industry has traditionally ignored the aged body.”
When asked about his motivation behind the look, he told Vogue, “This day of the Met is the perfect day to explore and be creative and express yourself in a different way, so that’s what I’m doing tonight.”
Aside from the prosthetics, the singer, born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, collaborated with Zara on his custom all-black tuxedo suit, complete with a pussy bow from “Bustle,” Charles James 1947 gown now in the Costume Institute’s permanent collection. Topping off the look was the ultimate accessory, a gold watch and a gold-detailed cane.
Bad Bunny’s look this year was a complete 180 in comparison to last year’s sleek look, fusing high fashion with heritage. He walked the carpet in a tailored brown suit, complete with a pava and bowling ball bag, blending traditional Latino influences with the growing American consumer culture.
With his Met Gala appearance this year, Bad Bunny yet again proved that he doesn’t shy away from experimenting with concepts during fashion’s biggest event. By entering the world of a hyper-realized depiction of aging, he turned the carpet into an artwork in which he defied all notions of beauty, time, and legacy.
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