On the second Monday in September, upper Fifth Avenue lit up with a blitz of flashbulbs not seen in over two years.

9月的第二個週一，上東區的第五大道上閃爍著兩年多未見的閃光燈。

The Met Gala — like Broadway, like New York Fashion Week, like the U.S. Open — had returned, and with it the extreme pageantry that it inspires as guests and the designers who dress them vie to see who can create the most viral look according to theme.

和百老匯、紐約時裝週、美國公開賽一樣，Met Gala又回來了，隨之而來的一場時裝盛宴，客人們和為他們著裝的設計師們爭相展示，看誰能根據主題創造出最火爆的造型。

The dress code this year was “American Independence.” (It was linked to the Costume Institute exhibition it celebrated, “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.”) What exactly that means is a question George and Martha Washington probably never had to contemplate (even Dolley Madison, the resident founding fashionista, likely didn’t ask), but the gala provided a variety of answers: some obvious, some more pointed, all plumbing the mythology of the country — historical, pop cultural, and just plain fantastical.

今年的著裝主題是「美國獨立」。（這與大都會博物館服裝學院[Costume Institute]舉辦的展覽《在美國：時尚詞典》[In America: A Lexicon of Fashion]相關聯。）喬治和瑪莎·華盛頓(George and Martha Washington)可能從來不需要考慮它究竟意味著什麼（即使是開天闢地的時尚達人多莉·麥迪遜[Dolley Madison]可能也沒問過這個問題），但這個晚宴提供了各種各樣的答案：有些淺顯易懂，有些則比較尖銳，所有這些都與這個國家的神話有關——歷史，流行文化，以及純粹的幻想。

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, for example, wore her politics on her sleeve — or rather, her back — in a white mermaid dress by Aurora James, founder of Brother Vellies and the 15 Percent Pledge, with the message “Tax the Rich,” scrawled in bright red letters, and a bag to match.

例如，紐約州的眾議員亞歷山大·奧卡西奧-科爾特斯(Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez)將她的政治宣言穿在了身上——由維利兄弟(Brother Vellies)和百分之十五承諾(15 Percent Pledge)的創始人奧羅拉·詹姆斯(Aurora James)設計的白色美人魚連衣裙，上面用鮮紅色的字母潦草地寫著「對富人徵稅」，還有一個與之搭配的手包。

Given that the gala is a cornucopia of capitalist values, full of the rich and famous, that’s independent thinking for you.

鑒於這個晚宴就像一個資本主義價值觀的盛宴，全是富人和名人，不知道你們怎麼想。

Along with Representative Carolyn Maloney, in a suffragist purple, white and gold gown and cape by Antonios Couture calling for “Equal Rights for Women” and an ERA clutch, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez took the fashion statement idea to a whole new level.

議員卡羅琳·馬洛尼(Carolyn Maloney)身著安東尼奧斯時裝(Antonios Couture)設計的呼籲「女性平等權利」的長裙和斗篷，使用了代表女權主義的紫色、白色和金色，配ERA手包，與奧卡西奧-科爾特斯一起將時尚宣言的意義提升到一個全新的水平。

There was a sense, before the gala, that after 2019’s “Camp” theme, which had Billy Porter on a litter borne by six shirtless men and Katy Perry as a chandelier, the costuming for the Costume Institute had gone about as far as it could go, and perhaps the time away had been an opportunity for a reset. Maybe attendees would just honor the occasion by wearing a nicely elegant gown by an American brand, rather than a look that probably flirted with national cliché. Some — like the event’s honorary chairman, Anna Wintour, in floral Oscar de la Renta — did. But as the evening progressed, it became increasingly clear they were in the minority. Besides, many couldn’t, even if they wanted to, because they were the guests of European brands and thus had to also model their clothes. Meaning they had to engage with the theme in more overt ways.

在這次晚宴前，似乎有一種感覺，即在2019年的「坎普」(Camp)主題之後，服裝學院的禮服創意已經用盡。在那次主題中，比利·波特(Billy Porter)坐在六名赤膊男子抬著的轎子上，凱蒂·佩里(Katy Perry)扮成水晶吊燈，也許這個長久的時間間隔是重新啟動的機會。也許客人只是穿著一件美國品牌的優雅禮服來慶祝這一場合，而不是某種可能帶有民族風情的俗套造型。有些人——比如這一活動的名譽主席安娜·溫圖爾(Anna Wintour)就做到了，她穿著奧斯卡·德拉倫塔(Oscar de la Renta)的花卉禮服。但隨著晚宴的進行，越來越明顯的是他們是少數。此外，許多人即使想穿美國品牌也做不到，因為他們是歐洲品牌請來的代言，因此也不得不為它們的衣服做模特。這意味著他們必須以更顯眼的方式參與主題。

The West was worn. Leon Bridges sported a blue suede cowboy jacket from Bode, while Jennifer Lopez’s plunging beaded Ralph Lauren gown, faux fur bolero and leather hat had a whiff of the million-acre ranch, and Kim Petras’s Collina Strada came complete with … a horse head. So was the melting pot, thanks to the co-host Naomi Osaka, in a Louis Vuitton gown that referenced her Haitian and Japanese roots.

有的穿著美國西部風情。萊昂·布里奇斯(Leon Bridges)身著Bode的藍色流蘇牛仔夾克，而珍妮佛·洛佩茲(Jennifer Lopez)穿著深V珠飾拉爾夫·勞倫(Ralph Lauren)禮服、人造毛皮披肩和皮帽散發著百萬英畝牧場的氣息，而金·佩特拉(Kim Petras)的科琳娜·斯特拉達(Collina Strada)禮服則配了一個……馬頭。主持人之一大坂直美(Naomi Osaka)的路易威登(Louis Vuitton)禮服帶來的種族大熔爐也是，她的裙裝暗示了她的海地和日本血統。

There was denim, obviously, as modeled by Ben Platt, David Byrne and Lupita Nyong’o in a molded Versace jean bustier.

毫無疑問，還有牛仔布，穿著它的有本·普拉特(Ben Platt)和大衛·伯恩(David Byrne)，還有穿著凡賽斯(Versace)牛仔胸衣的露皮塔·尼永奧(Lupita Nyong\'o)。

Also a lot of red, white, and blue, sometimes all in one outfit, such as Megan Rapinoe’s Sergio Hudson pantsuit (in what turned into one of the trends of the night, her bag also had a message: “In Gay We Trust); sometimes in a designer’s matching guests, such as Stella McCartney’s troika of Ella Emhoff in red trousers and top, Julia Garner in a white sheer gown and Nia Dennis in a blue bodysuit.

還有很多紅色、白色和藍色，有時全在一套衣服裡呈現，比如梅根·拉皮諾(Megan Rapinoe)的塞爾吉奧·哈德森(Sergio Hudson)長褲套裝（成為當晚的熱搜之一，她的包上還有一條信息：「In Gay We Trust」[我們信仰基友]）；有時會出現在設計師的嘉賓組合中，例如史黛拉·麥卡尼(Stella McCartney)的三人組：埃拉·恩霍夫(Ella Emhoff)穿著紅色褲子和上衣，朱莉婭·加納(Julia Garner)穿著白色透視禮服，尼亞·丹尼斯(Nia Dennis)穿著藍色連衣褲。

Or maybe it was a superhero suit? That’s how Serena Williams said she thought about her silver Gucci number, worn under a gigantic feathered cape — like a couture caped crusader.

或者是超級英雄套裝？塞雷娜·威廉斯(Serena Williams)說她就是這樣想到了自己的銀色古馳(Gucci)系列，披在巨大的羽毛披風下——就像一名穿著高級定製時裝斗篷的十字軍戰士。

Likewise caped and crusading: Lil Nas X, who shed his regal Versace outerwear to reveal a gleaming gold C-3PO suit, which he then jettisoned to expose a crystal-beaded bodysuit — an LGBTQ+ parable in clothes about the power of revealing your true self. It echoed Dan Levy’s billowing Loewe outfit, based on a work by the late American artist and activist David Wojnarowicz featuring an appliqué of two men kissing on the front, framed by lapping water and a map of the world.

同樣披著斗篷的十字軍還有：利爾·納斯·X(Lil Nas X)，他脫掉了華麗的凡賽斯外套，露出了一件閃閃發光的金色C-3PO套裝，然後他又扔掉了它，露出了一件鑲滿水晶的連衣褲——服裝中的LGBTQ+比喻，講述了揭示真實自我的力量。它呼應了丹·利維(Dan Levy)的羅意威(Loewe)禮服猶如翻騰的波浪，該禮服基於已故美國藝術家和活動家大衛·沃伊納羅維奇(David Wojnarowicz)的作品，衣服正面飾有兩個男人親吻的印花，周圍環繞著海水和世界地圖。

The sartorial metaphors didn’t end there.

用服飾做的比喻並沒有就此結束。

Ciara played her part in a lime green sequined Dundas football jersey gown with her husband Russell Wilson’s Seattle Seahawks number on the front and his Super Bowl ring on her finger. Amanda Gorman, also a co-host, came as an interpretation of the Statue of Liberty, thanks to a sparkling deep blue Vera Wang gown illuminated by more than 3,000 crystals, carrying a book clutch with the title “Give US Your Tired,” a nod to the Emma Lazarus poem at the statue’s base. Homages to other statuesque women like Barbie and Marilyn Monroe combined with a touch of Disney’s “Cinderella in the gigantic nude Oscar de la Renta ball gown of the co-host Billie Eilish.

席亞拉(Ciara)身著檸檬綠色亮片做成的登打士(Dundas)橄欖球衣禮服，正面飾有她丈夫拉塞爾·威爾遜(Russell Wilson)在西雅圖海鷹隊的號碼，手指上戴著他的超級盃戒指。同為主持人的阿曼達·高爾曼(Amanda Gorman)演繹了自由女神像，因為她穿著一件由3000多顆閃耀水晶裝飾的深藍色Vera Wang禮服，手拿一個書形手包，上面寫著「將你疲累的人民交給我們」(Give US Your Tired)——致敬雕像底部的艾瑪·拉撒路(Emma Lazarus)的詩。還有人向其他具有象徵性的女性致敬，例如芭比娃娃和瑪麗蓮夢露結合迪斯尼的「灰姑娘」，就像主持人之一比莉·艾利什(Billie Eilish)的巨大裸色奧斯卡·德拉倫塔(Oscar de la Renta)舞會禮服那樣。

Even the humble canvas Converse All Stars had a moment courtesy of the co-host Timothée Chalamet, in almost all white with an edge of black via a Haider Ackermann jacket and Rick Owens shirt, meant to pay homage to his kicks. ”)

即使是不起眼的帆布匡威全明星(Converse All Stars)，也得到了聯合主持人蒂莫西·查拉梅(Timothée Chalamet)的片刻禮遇，他的幾乎全白配黑邊的帆布鞋搭配的是海德爾·阿克曼(Haider Ackermann)的夾克和裡克·歐文斯(Rick Owens)的襯衫，旨在向他的鞋致敬。

But there was also the looming look of doom. Fair enough; it’s part of the story of this country, too: Hunter Schaffer’s bulging, zombie-white contact lenses or Kim Kardashian’s face-obscuring Balenciaga body stocking, gloves and dress with train, turning her into a shadow of herself. Evan Mock wore archival Thom Browne shorts with a black patent leather mask on his head, suggesting fetish and bondage. Erykah Badu also had a Thom Browne bubble obscuring her features — though as far as unsettling accessories go, Frank Ocean, in Prada, birthed the best memes with a robotic green baby doll that matched his bright green hair.

但也有人展示迫在眉睫的末日。這也說得通：這也是這個國家敘事的一部分：杭特·謝弗(Hunter Schaffer)鼓起的殭屍白色隱形眼鏡或金·卡戴珊(Kim Kardashian)用來把臉遮住的巴黎世家(Balenciaga)緊身襪、手套和帶長擺的連衣裙，將她變成了自己的影子。埃文·莫克(Evan Mock)穿著收藏級的湯姆·布朗(Thom Browne)短褲，頭上戴著黑色漆皮面具，暗示著戀物癖和綁縛。艾麗卡·巴杜(Erykah Badu)也用一件湯姆·布朗(Thom Browne)外衣遮住了她的身材——不過在令人不安的配飾這方面，誕生了最佳迷因的還是穿普拉達的弗蘭克·奧申(Frank Ocean)，他用一個綠色機器人嬰兒娃娃搭配他亮綠色的頭髮。

Not a bad reminder, really, that this is a country full of people from elsewhere, and many of us were once aliens in the land.

真的，這很好的提醒了我們，這是一個充滿來自其他地方的人的國家，我們中的許多人曾經是這片土地上的外來人。