Maisie Williams Is Unrecognizable at the 2021 Met Gala

new york, new york september 13 maisie williams attends the 2021 met gala celebrating in america a lexicon of fashion at metropolitan museum of art on september 13, 2021 in new york city photo by theo wargogetty images

(Image credit: Theo Wargo / Getty Images)

published 14 September 2021

Former Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams is absolutely going for it at the 2021 Met Gala: she looks like a high-fashion Wednesday Addams from The Addams Family (although she said it's actually inspired by The Matrix). When she spoke to E! News, she explained what was the inspiration behind the graphic, gothic, sustainable all-black look.

She explained that her outfit was designed by boyfriend Reuben Selby and inspired by The Matrix (just in time for the latest movie trailer to come out, which is impeccable timing). She also spoke about what coming to the event meant to her: "I was brought up on American icons ... these women in film ... it's shaped the woman I became," she explained.

Williams has been blonde (including the eyebrows, which she kept for the look) since April 2021, right around the time she became WWF's new global ambassador for climate and nature. The change already makes her look totally different. She's also been dialing up her high-fashion looks recently, and this is absolutely no exception. Her hair matches the waves of her dress and she actually has stirrup tights into her platform shoes. It took two hours to put the pieces in her hair!

Her boyfriend, Reuben Selby (cofounder of a modeling agency), took to Instagram to talk about the look:

"Maisie and I visited The Metropolitan Museum of Art in August 2019 for the first time and were inspired deeply by the collection and the exhibition "Camp: Notes on Fashion". Little did we know we would see one of our creations on the red carpet two years later."

The look was pulled off by a "team of five" in both the design and the creation of the dress, train and full bodysuit. They thanked Maisie "for your trust, support and creativity. It takes courage to be yourself."

Here's the look from different angles:

Amazing.

Katherine’s a contributing syndications editor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle. In her role, she writes stories that are syndicated by MSN and other outlets. She’s been a full-time freelancer for over a decade and has had roles with Cosmopolitan (where she covered lifestyle, culture, and fashion SEO content) and Bustle (where she was their movies and culture writer). She has bylines in New York Times, Parents, InStyle, Refinery29, and elsewhere. Her work has also been syndicated by ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, and Women’s Health, among others. In addition to her stories reaching millions of readers, content she's written and edited has qualified for a Bell Ringer Award and received a Communicator Award.

Katherine has a BA in English and art history from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in art business from the Sotheby's Institute of Art (with a focus on marketing/communications). She covers a wide breadth of topics: she's written about how to find the very best petite jeans, how sustainable travel has found its footing on Instagram, and what it's like to be a professional advice-giver in the modern world. Her personal essays have run the gamut from learning to dress as a queer woman to navigating food allergies as a mom. She also has deep knowledge of SEO/EATT, affiliate revenue, commerce, and social media; she regularly edits the work of other writers. She speaks at writing-related events and podcasts about freelancing and journalism, mentors students and other new writers, and consults on coursework. Currently, Katherine lives in Boston with her husband and two kids, and you can follow her on Instagram. If you're wondering about her last name, it’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.