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Met Gala 2021: Troye Sivan's all-black androgynous dress, leather armband turn heads

Troye Sivan said that when he thinks of America, he thinks of New York City chic, black and white fashion, artist Robert Mapplethorpe and leather

Australian singer-songwriter, actor, and YouTuber Troye Sivan stole the show with his outfit at the 2021 Met Gala — an event that is famous for over-the-top outfits. The ‘Happy Little Pill’ hitmaker previewed his Met Gala look on his Instagram ahead of red carpet appearance. He donned a long, minimal cut-out black dress with a simple leather armband on his left bicep. The all-black look was paired with a Cartier Essential Lines necklace in platinum and diamonds as well as a Cartier love ring in 18k yellow gold and diamonds.

This year's Met Gala theme was “America: A Lexicon of Fashion”. And as per Vanity Fair, it gave attendees a “wide berth of ideas to play with from founding fathers in powdered wigs and star-spangled gowns.” Sivan spoke to host Keke Palmer about the look saying that when he thinks of America, he thinks of New York City, minimal, as well as black and white. 

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“When I think of America, especially New York, I think of chic, I think of black and white, I think of Robert Mapplethorpe and I think of leather,” Sivan told Palmer at the Met Gala. “Leather is so American,” he added. "I just wanted to be hot."

Mapplethorpe was an American photographer, best known for his black-and-white photographs. Mapplethorpe died at the age of 42 from AIDS in 1989, during the height of the American epidemic. The artist once famously said, “I’m looking for perfection in form,” whether with portraits, penises, or flowers. “It’s not different from one subject to the next.”

A New York Times feature in the 30th year of his death noted, “In leather bars and sex clubs he recruited his models, and he staged them performing acts that were bizarre and disquieting to a general audience.” The feature quoted an old interview, where he said, “It was almost like theater that was happening for the photo sessions — it wasn’t sex.” The American photographer’s work, another feature noted, "altered perceptions and pushed boundaries in relation to the male gaze upon the male body."

But what did Sivan’s fans have to say about his look? One fan wrote, “Props to troye sivan's #MetGala look for daring to reference such an important piece of american history: this picture of gwyneth paltrow smoking a cigarette.” Another fan wrote, “Troye Sivan wearing platform shoes and a black dress, imagine the met gala without the gays? Not worth existing.” One fan wrote, “My sexual preference is now Troye Sivan in a dress.”

One fan said, “yes king give us that boyish long step walk. the true androgyny of this is the whole point not troye looking like a girl - which he is far from doing. love it.” Another fan, sharing a photo of Channing Tatum with Sivan in the background, wrote, “Troye Sivan isn’t even the center of attention in this photo but he’s serving Met Gala realness anyway.”