The first Monday in May marks the biggest day in fashion. Every year the Met Gala sweeps fashion headlines with celebrity sightings, costume controversies and memorable interviews. This year was no different. However, many of the headlines surrounding this year’s Met Gala were not simply because of the big names at the Met, but controversy surrounding the theme and protests happening outside of the ceremony. Here is everything that went wrong on fashion’s biggest night:

Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue, strayed slightly from her traditions, setting a dress code completely different from the Met Gala exhibit. The dress code “The Garden of Time” was based on a short story by J. G. Ballard.

However, the collection of 400 pieces of clothing shown off at the Met fell under the theme Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion. While this may not seem like a large difference, Wintour publicly apologized saying that her goal is to make sure there is no confusion over the dress code next year. In contrast to last year’s darker theme, this year was meant to encapsulate the ever-changing world of fashion by bringing in vintage pieces and new designs alike.

Four co-chairs were set this year to help coordinate the theme and to lead the way in terms of fashion and outreach for the 2024 Met Gala. This year, the co-chairs were Zendaya, Bad Bunny, Jennifer Lopez and Chris Hemsworth. Each showed up in a look interpreting the theme differently allowing designers to showcase their creativity.

But, many celebrities did not show up on theme, creating a completely disjointed look and a red carpet that did not fit one vision. Oscar-winning Actor Matt Damon showed up in a plain tuxedo and he was not alone as many male guests kept their looks plain, not living up to the fashion standards of the event. Kylie Jenner, famous for her carpet looks, showed up in a plain, ivory Oscar de la Renta gown. Someone who typically steals the show disappeared in a sea of more on-brand and fitting looks of the night.

As athletes, singers and actors walked up the Met steps to celebrate fashion, this year was also clouded with different headlines. Just as the Gala was beginning, protesters began to rush the streets to protest the war in Gaza, many of them disrupting traffic and forcing NYPD officers to get involved.

Twenty-seven protesters were arrested on the streets of New York and, while they did not disrupt the Gala, they pulled attention away from the event which could be seen as a small victory in their Pro-Palestininan protest.

With a theme that fell flat and protests surrounding the event, the 2024 Met Gala was not the smoothly run event it typically is. While some looks absolutely hit the mark and certain interviews have been all over social media, it is hard to ignore the stumbles in this year’s execution.