Guap Gala 2023: What Looks Can We Expect To See?

Tonight to celebrate creative excellence, GUAP has invited over 400 creative minds to the second annual GUAP Gala. Once again held at the iconic Natural History Museum, this year hosted by Remi Burgz and Munya Chawawa. It will be a great evening featuring awards in 19 categories, dancing and great vibes. The gala serves as an illustrious representation of what GUAP stands for; the celebration and platforming of the unsung heroes of the creative industry.

This year the gala is bigger and better with partners such as Lionsgate+, Whatsapp, adidas, BBC 1Xtra, Chivas Regal and Bonnie, because my dresser Instagram supporting a number of the 19 award categories. To further encourage creativity on the night, attendees are encouraged to dress in line with this year’s theme: Cosmic Dreams. 

So what can we expect to see tonight?

1. Silver

Not only are metallics trending this season, following the excitement surrounding Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour aesthetic silver is more popular than ever. Paired with the fact that reflective hues of silver and gold are reminiscent of a starry night we can expect to see a lot of this tonight. Alien superstars, we await you. 

2. Iridescent Metallics

Silver isn’t the only metallic trending this season. Unsurprisingly we can expect to see its counterpart gold heavily featured on tonight’s carpet. Bronze may also feature for those with less traditional interpretations of the theme but more exciting will be those working with iridescent metallics. Thanks to experimental fabric formulation becoming more commonplace, fabrics that look different in different lights are likely to be heavily featured tonight. Not only do they perfectly fit into the Cosmic Dreams theme but they are a sure fire way to make a beautiful statement in both flowy, loose fitting outfits and sharp, tailored looks.

3. Classic Black Tie

While not necessarily on theme, some choose to err on the side of caution and choose a safe option. At the end of the day this is a gala so a number of guests are likely to opt out of the Cosmic Dreams theme and wear traditional gala wear: black tie. Whether this is a floor length gown, tuxedo or traditional wear associated with special events, in this case tailoring is king. These looks are unlikely to turn heads and be the talk of the night but nothing is more dashing than a perfectly fitted suit, perhaps with a theme adjacent brooch like style icon Skepta below.

4. Cosmic Accessories

For the guests that want to lean ever so slightly into the theme accessories are going to be the way they pay homage to the theme. Universe theme hair clips, head dresses, bags and shoes will be a simple yet effective way to enhance an otherwise simple outfit. Or in a more loose interpretation of the theme they may just have silver, gold and other metallic accents. As simple as oversized safety pins that were first made mainstream by Versace or in a more Vivienne Westwood, punk-inspired way. Regardless, accessories are a great way to bring a look together.

5. Hair and Makeup

As a lot of the outfits are likely to be very creative and bold, hair and makeup may lean towards more subtle and soft. But those with simpler looks this is an easy yet effective way to stay on theme without veering too far from their comfort zone. We can expect to see stars and pearl hair embellishments which will look fantastic as they hit the light. Along with touches of iridescent and classic metallics to compliment the accents on the outfits.

Who and what are you most looking forward to seeing at the gala? Tweet us @guapmag and let us know.