Tom Ford Shades Katy Perry’s Past Met Gala Outfits Including Hamburger and Chandelier Dresses

With the 2022 Met Gala quickly approaching and attendees finalizing their ensembles for the big evening, designer Tom Ford offered some strong criticism about the course the event has taken in recent years, including a diss aimed directly at Katy Perry. 

In an act of subtle shade thrown against Katy, 37, Tom, 60, mentioned past looks that he found to be tacky in an excerpt from an upcoming book about his close friend Anna Wintour, which was published by Time on Monday, April 25. “You didn’t have to look like the 18th century, you didn’t have to dress like a hamburger, you didn’t have to arrive in a van where you were standing up because you couldn’t sit down because you wore a chandelier,” the designer said, likely referring to the time Katy wore a chandelier dress followed by a hamburger costume at the 2019 Met Gala.

“It’s turned into a costume party,” the fashion designer said.

Tom, who has been a longstanding close friend of the Vogue editor-in-chief, 72, served as an honorary chair of the 2021 event. In the excerpt from the book, Anna: The Biography, Tom also told the author, former New York Magazine editor Amy Odell, that the event has strayed from its original intentions. 

“That used to just be very chic people wearing very beautiful clothes going to an exhibition about the 18th century,” Tom explained.

In recent Met Gala history, stars have often selected eccentric get ups to wear on the red carpet. Let’s not forget Cardi B’s ginormous red feathered train from the 2019 event or Kim Kardashian’s 2021 masked look. 

While the increasingly extravagant outfits do not sit well with Tom, it seems the event’s high priestess, Anna, isn’t bothered by them.

“It’s that English part of her. She loves a dress-up party,” former Vogue West Coast director Lisa Love told the author.

It also seems Tom himself isn’t too particularly upset by the slightly absurd looks, as he will be returning to the 2022 Met Gala as honorary co-chair. The theme for the 2022 event is “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” exhibit. As for Katy, she recently told Page Six Style that her look for the event will not be as “crazy” as years past. 

“You know, it would be pretty obvious for me to go play the kooky, crazy, wild, big, fun, colorful card,” Katy said. “This time, I’m going to play a whole different card.”