This is why Amal Clooney was the only celeb to wear trousers at the Met Gala 2018

It's pretty symbolic

amal clooney
(Image credit: Rex)

It's pretty symbolic

While everyone was talking about Rihanna's Pope-tastic outfit and Katy Perry's angelic wings at the Met Gala 2018, others were wondering why Amal Clooney was wearing trousers, and whether she was actually on theme (which was Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination, FYI).

Well, while a little more subtle than the likes of Solange and Blake Lively's dresses, Amal's choice was actually pretty powerful.

It was designed by Richard Quinn, who lest we forget had the actual Queen on his front row at London Fashion Week.

First off, there are the trousers, which are symbolic in themselves. Richard Quinn said in a statement, 'Her decision to wear trousers was her way of depicting female empowerment and modern religion by referencing the stringent oppression that women faced. Amal is recognised for her work in international law and human rights so it was important to us that her look made a statement and reinforced the amazing work that she does.'

amal clooney

Photo: Rex

Others argued that the floral print on her bustier weren't in keeping with the religious theme, but again, there was a secret meaning to it.

'Amal wanted to include roses and lilies in the print because of their religious iconographies. The rose is an icon of veneration in the pre-Christian era, and was used in ancient Rome to symbolize devotion to the goddess Venus, and it was important to Amal that the print subtly referenced religion so we used heavy brush marks to mimic the look of a stain glass window on a beautifully detailed print,' the designer revealed.

Easily missed, but powerful once you know it.

Penny Goldstone

Penny Goldstone is the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire, covering everything from catwalk trends to royal fashion and the latest high street and Instagram must-haves.

Penny grew up in France and studied languages and law at the Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris before moving to the UK for her MA in multimedia journalism at Bournemouth University. She moved to the UK permanently and has never looked back (though she does go back regularly to stock up on cheese and wine).

Although she's always loved fashion - she used to create scrapbooks of her favourite trends and looks, including Sienna Miller and Kate Moss' boho phase - her first job was at MoneySavingExpert.com, sourcing the best deals for everything from restaurants to designer sales.

However she quit after two years to follow her true passion, fashion journalism, and after many years of internships and freelance stints at magazines including Red, Cosmopolitan, Stylist and Good Housekeeping, landed her dream job as the Digital Fashion Editor at Marie Claire UK.

Her favourite part of the job is discovering new brands and meeting designers, and travelling the world to attend events and fashion shows. Seeing her first Chanel runway IRL at Paris Fashion Week was a true pinch-me moment.