8 Emails That Deserve a Met Gala Ticket

🎀 Lil Kim and Otherland: The Y2K overdose

The theme of the 1999 Met Gala was “Rock Style”, and Lil Kim definitely drew inspiration from glam and hard rock stars like Steve Tyler. However, even though we can see traces of the 1970s and 1980s in her look, isn’t it also the most Y2K thing you’ve ever seen? And what’s more Y2K than designs inspired by old computers?

We found an email from Otherland that matches Lil Kim’s look in both the vibes and the colors — because there’s no such thing as too much pink, right?

☀️ Rihanna and Vacation: And it was all yellow

People who are not that interested in fashion often think of Met Gala as the place where famous people wear the unwearable and every look is very avant-garde, weird, and provocative. But it’s not always the case — sometimes attendees opt for traditional gowns that look expensive and just gorgeous. For example, take Rihanna’s 2015 Met Gala look. For the China-inspired theme, she wore a beautiful yellow dress giving off Old Hollywood vibes.

There are a lot of yellow emails, and we chose this one from Vacation — it’s both yellow and vintage-inspired, and it’s definitely representing Rihanna’s look. The photos remind us of pin-up posters, the graceful script font in the title looks luxurious, and we just can’t get over this exact shade of yellow.

🩸 Cardi B and The Period Company: Seeing red

The “campy” Met Gala that took place in 2019 was asking for insane outfits — this one by Cardi B is one of our favorites. Her dress is the definition of camp: loud, maximalist, and very provocative despite being modest. She somehow looks naked while being fully covered with all these ruffles and feathers!

So, we chose a provocative email for a provocative look — and, of course, with the same burgundy-based color scheme. This email from The Period Company is not shy about the female anatomy — it promotes period underwear, after all.

🍊 The Jenner sisters and Flings: The duo-chrome madness

For the 2019 Met Gala, Kylie and Kendall Jenner interpreted “camp” as “carnival”, and both chose outfits inspired both by Brazilian carnival attire and burlesque. The girls also chose an interesting color juxtaposition: orange and purple are both giving Halloween and exotic birds since the orange outfit is all feathery. 

Maybe it’s not the most interesting “camp” look but we accidentally found an email from Flings that uses the exact same hues of orange and purple. And, like the outfits of Kylie and Kendall, this color combination looks magnificent in this freebie promotion newsletter! Despite the counterintuitive palette, it looks very tasteful and doesn’t hurt our eyes in the slightest.

🗡️ Grimes and Balenciaga: Inspired by Frank Herbert

In 2021, Met Gala attendees were celebrating America and its influences on fashion. Grimes used the loose wording of the theme for her own good and pulled off a look that is inspired both by The Statue of Liberty and science fiction. The singer loves Dune so much that her debut album is actually a concept piece based on the book and its characters — so we can suppose that the sandy landscapes of Arrakis were her main inspiration.

It was hard but we found a sandy email for a sandy look. This email from Balenciaga features metallic elements (although gold and not silver), the edge (although not the one of the sword), and, of course, sand.

⬛ Kim Kardashian and The Working Assembly: The actual “all black”

As we mentioned before, Met Gala looks are not always crazy — but sometimes they are. For example, in 2021, Kim Kardashian showed up at the event in the actual all-black, spandex covering her face and all the rest. You can interpret the look in many ways from purposefully creating a viral sensation to expressing the grief from the recently failed marriage. No matter which one you choose, it’s a statement.

Of course, we couldn’t find an “actually all black” email with black text on a black background. However, this minimalist email from The Working Assembly is the closest approximation. It’s simple and even a bit funereal — the fine lines framing each block remind us of mourning pictures. So, rest in peace, 2023, and Kim’s marriage as well.

🕷️ Jenna Ortega and Dolls Kill: Goth is undead

In 2023, Met Gala attendees were paying their homages to Karl Lagerfeld and his fashion legacy. Some participants took inspiration from the designer’s works for Chanel and other brands, others incorporated the elements of his personal style into their looks. Jenna Ortega chose the latter and showcased the fit inspired both by Karl Lagerfeld’s signature monochrome looks, Victorian goth, and her titular character from Wednesday.

We love both the black-and-white color palette and the gothic influences — and you know who else does? Dolls Kill, a clothing brand that is as goth as you can get these days. The intricate title font, the grainy black-and-white photography, the corpse paint, and the CTAs reminding of DIY punk zines… While this email is not in line with the traditional subculture look from the 1980s, it’s definitely proving that goth is undead.

🌼 Elle Fanning and Dose: Flower power

Elle Fanning’s 2023 Met Gala look was not the craziest but one of the most tasteful, in our opinion. The actress took inspiration from her childhood memories and the “Little Black Jacket” book photoshoot, showcasing a bridal-ish dress, a daisy crown — and, of course, the jacket.

Out of all the flowery emails complementing Elle Fanning’s look, we chose this one from Dose. The flower doodles reminiscent of children’s drawings, the natural color scheme, and the pictures are in line with the look — and both make us crave some chamomile tea.

🍇 Bonus: Camila Cabello and FWD: by Selzy

There’s nothing inherently unusual about the outfit that Camila Cabello wore for the 2021 Met Gala — we included it as a bonus because this shade of purple feels familiar… Oh, wait, this is the header color for our recently rebranded newsletter! We swear it’s not plagiarism.

But seriously though, aside from the violently violet header, FWD: by Selzy has a lot in store. The freshest blog updates, email marketing insights gained from personal experience, tips to up your email game, and bi-weekly email inspo — it’s all you need in one newsletter that you will forward.

🛠️ Build a Met Gala-worthy email with Selzy

This year’s Met Gala theme is “The Garden of Time” — what would you wear for it if you were invited? And if you’re more of a designer than a fashionista, what would you include in an email inspired by this prompt?

You may or may not have been invited to fancy fashion events but you can make your emails worth all the runways and red carpets in the world with Selzy’s new email builder. It allows you to create picture-perfect emails without knowledge or experience in coding and web design. It offers many pre-made templates, blocks, and elements for building a unique layout from scratch. Even better, there’s an AI assistant that will help you with email copywriting and generating images, isn’t it cool?

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