When Jodie Turner-Smith and Joshua Jackson, one of Hollywood’s most adored couples, announced their unexpected split at the end of September 2023, the news caught fans completely off guard. Their love story, which began back in 2018, four years before Turner-Smith’s first Met Gala appearance alongside Jackson in 2022, had seemingly reached its final chapter. But if there’s anything Turner-Smith’s recent Met Gala look has taught us, it’s that endings are just the precursor to new beginnings.
For her sophomore turn on the Met Gala red carpet, Turner-Smith chose a gown that was more than just a dress; it was a recommitment to herself. Crafted by Burberry, the striking custom ensemble bared an uncanny resemble to a bridal gown.
The British actress and model donned a floor-sweeping transparent tulle dress adorned with ivory silk organza faux feather flowers, all hand-embroidered. Beneath this delicate overlay shimmered a mesh underdress, intricately embellished with 150,000 faux pearls. This creation wasn’t just clothing; it was a manifesto woven into fabric, perfectly aligning with this year’s Costume Institute exhibition theme, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,” which paid homage to the ephemeral beauty of fashion’s past — and for Turner-Smith, her own.
Turner-Smith’s Instagram caption under a photo of herself at the Gala revealed much about her mindset. “This Met Gala was a very special one for me… my first stepping out on my own,” she wrote. Her dress, she explained, was “full of English flowers, was deliberately bridal. White, representing a rebirth. A clean start. A recommitment to the most important relationship I will ever have, the relationship from which all others grow: my relationship with myself.”
In conversation with Vogue, Turner-Smith couldn’t help but gush over her gown, saying, “It makes me feel like a beautiful English garden.” The two weeks it took to create the dress were well spent, crafting something that symbolized both the fragility and strength inherent within nature—and within Turner-Smith herself. “The details on the dress represent that delicateness, but the pearl underdress feels like an armour, indicating a strength behind the fragility of the tulle and organza,” she shared.
Her reflections on the Gala were poignant, touching on themes of growth, love, and self-honor. “In nature, death is both an ending and a beginning… I am ever changing, ever growing, always beginning… and FREE, to love better, stronger, more fiercely and fearlessly than I ever have,” Turner-Smith mused.
Truly, Turner-Smith’s bridal outfit at the Met Gala was much more than just a style statement. It was a loud and proud shout-out to her independence, her strength, and her optimism for the future. Even as Jackson moves on with Lupita Nyong’o, Turner-Smith radiates confidence, proving she’s ready to boldly forge her own path.
Before you go, click here for all the celebrity splits and divorces we never saw coming.
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