Amanda Gorman, 23, looked gorgeous in her flowing blue Vera Wang dress at the 2021 Met Gala on Monday September 13. The youth poet laureate’s royal blue mini-dress had sparkles, resembling stars placed all over the gown. The outfit also had a matching-sheer train behind her. Amanda said that she wanted to “lean into the spirit of the Statue of Liberty” with the outfit, which was complete with a golden crown of laurels.
Amanda told host Keke Palmer that she kept the Statue of Liberty in mind with her dress. “[I was] trying to think of ways my own identity could intersect with hers,” she said. The poet fittingly had a clutch, fashioned to look like a blue book with the words “Give Us Your Tired” printed on the front. “I wanted to kind of repurpose that for tonight. I wanted the energy and spirit of my outfit to be about America welcoming the world.”
Besides looking stunning on the red carpet, Amanda is also one of the co-chairs and co-hosts for the evening, along with Billie Eilish, Naomi Osaka, and Timothée Chalamet. Amanda opened up about the incredible opportunity in a July interview with Porter. “Co-chairing with Timothée, Naomi and Billie – it feels like being a freshman at a party with seniors. You know? Like I just arrived here,” she said. “My life has changed quite recently and they are all at the top of their game, and so I’m just absorbing what it means to be able to stand beside their greatness.”
The former National Youth Poet Laureate has earned a large following that few poets have in recent years. The Met Gala is only the latest event that Amanda has brought a literary influence to in recent years. Amanda performed her poem “The Hill We Climb” at President Joe Biden’s inauguration back in January to rave reviews! The piece was one of the inauguration’s most popular moments, complete with a clever, Lin Manuel-Miranda–approved reference to Hamilton, but Amanda later amusingly about hearing former First Lady Michelle Obama telling her husband Barack Obama to stop giving people so many hugs, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other than the inauguration and Met Gala, Amanda also started the year with another place that a poet was somewhat expected: Super Bowl LV. Ahead of the big game, Amanda saluted educator Trimaine Davis, nurse manager Suzie Dorner, a nurse, and Marine veteran James Martin through a sweeping poem. The literary tribute to essential workers was especially fitting during the American pastime, nearly a year after the COVID-19 pandemic struck the nation.
While Amanda looked fabulous at the Met Gala, she’s certainly gearing up for a very busy winter. She’s expected to re-release her poetry collection Call Us What We Carry on December 7. The collection, which included her poem from the inauguration, was originally called The Hill We Climb And Other Poems, after her piece for Biden’s swearing-in.