The celebration of American design was themed to gilded glamour, sprouting classic black tailed tuxedoes for many of the men and lots of dresses in black and white for the women. Others paid literal homage to New York City, home base for the Gilded Age, and still more shimmered in metallic golds and silver.
It’s been just under eight months since the last gala, an annual fundraiser that raises eight-figure sums for the Met’s
Kim Kardashian shut down the Met Gala red carpet Monday in one of Marilyn Monroe’s most iconic dresses, a gold-beaded body hugger Monroe wore when she sexily sang happy birthday to President John F. Kennedy 60 years ago.
Kardashian had to lose 16 pounds to fit into the dress, designed by Jean Louis and purchased in 2016 by the Ripley’s Believe or Not! museum in Orlando, Florida, for a whopping $4.81 million. “It was such a challenge,” she said. “I was determined to fit it.”
The dress originally cost $12,000. It was so tight Monroe had to be sewn into it when
Costume Institute. More than $16.4 million was raised last year. The starry event is the institute’s primary budget feeder.
This year’s gala coincides with the opening of the second part of a two-part exhibit at the Costume Institute focused on American fashion and style. The evening’s dress code was gilded glamour and white tie, a la the Gilded Age, that tumultuous period between the Civil War and the turn of the 20th century known for its robber barons, drama and grandeur. AP she purred Happy birthday, Mr. president on May 19, 1962, at a Madison Square Garden fundraiser. She died three months later. It has been known as the ‘Happy Birthday, Mr. President’ dress ever since.
Kardashian, with boyfriend Pete Davidson at her side, paired the dress with Cartier white gold drop diamond earrings and a furry white jacket she kept strategically low to cover her backside. Her hair was platinum and pulled tightly into a bun. But she only wore the fragile original dress for her walk up the Grand Staircase at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, changing into a replica after that, according to Vogue.
Former presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton was in a Bordeaux-colored gown designed by Joseph Altuzarra with the names of historic women sewn into the hem and neckline.
Lizzo got the crowd cheering when she played her gold flute for fans watching the parade of fashion outside. She wore a black dress under a stunning goldembroidered black coat, all by Thom Browne.
Alicia Keys’ Ralph Lauren dress was inspired by her native New York City, with a cape evoking the New York City skyline outlined in small hand-placed crystals. Keys said her dress was meant to “represent an empire state of mind and a city of gods here tonight.”
Twitter’s new owner, Elon Musk, showed up with his mother, M Musk, a former model adorned in Chopard pearls and other jewels. Her son went with a classic tux with tails.
Blake Lively came in a grand Atelier Versace gown, with husband Ryan Reynolds in brown velvet. Lively, one of the evening’s co-hosts, wore a bronze and rose gold look that transformed into a shimmery layer of baby blue as a large bow was pulled. Her look drew inspiration from the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and the blue ceiling of Grand Central Station. “Instead of looking to fashion to influence the dress, I looked to New York City architecture,” Lively said.
What’s a Met Gala without more than one Kardashian, or six. The entire family showed up, including Kylie Jenner in a white ballgown with a matching hat. Kendall Jenner was in black Prada as she played “devil and angel” with Kylie. Sister Khloe Kardashian was in gold Moschino.
Sarah Jessica Parker, wore custom Christopher John Rogers, a white and black striped Cinderella ballgown with a towering pink and black feather head piece by Philip Treacy. Parker’s dress was inspired by the work of Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley, the first Black female fashion designer in the White House, a confidante of first lady Mary Todd Lincoln.
Gigi Hadid was more redefined cat woman than golden girl. She wore a tight-as-skin, blood red Latex catsuit with a corseted bodice and huge, quilted Versace coat.
Vogue’s Anna Wintour, who has run the gala since 1995, wore feathery Chanel and a tiara that has been in her family since 1910.
Megan Thee Stallion was also a golden goddess with her Moschino shiner with wings at the shoulders.