'Surreal' Met Gala celebrates fashion with over-the-top red carpet looks

Supermodel Iman Abdulmajid in a massive gold feathered headpiece by designer Harris Reed. Photo: Reuters

New York is done with dressing down: the splashy black-tie Met Gala returned Monday night (Sept 13), with a cohort of Gen-Z's glitterati hosting the A-lister bash famed around the world for its over-the-top panache – and, despite the pandemic, this year the fashion was so fierce one guest wielded a sword.

The crowd of some 400 actors, athletes, poets and performers – all of whom were either vaccinated or had tested negative for Covid-19 – was largely maskless, defying the global coronavirus pandemic that forced the cancellation of last year's event.