Stars stun in interpretations of Gilded Age fashion
NEW YORK — 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 she purred “Happy birthday, Mr. president” on May 19, 1962, at a Madison Square Garden fundraiser. It has been known as the “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” dress ever since.
Kardashian, with boyfriend Pete Davidson at her side, 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.
Earlier, Blake Lively smiled for the cameras in a grand Atelier Versace gown, with husband Ryan Reynolds in brown velvet, Billie Eilish went with an upcycled green lacetrim dress from Gucci and Cynthia Erivo wore sheer white Louis Vuitton with a matching head piece as the Met Gala returned to its berth on the first Monday in May after years of pandemic upheaval.
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.
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.
Cardi B, accompanied by Donatella Versace, was an over-the-top golden goddess in a dress of mesh and chains. Gigi Hadid wore a tight-as-skin, blood
red Latex catsuit with a corseted bodice and huge, heavy quilted coat from Versace.
Lizzo, meanwhile, 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 gold-embroidered black coat, all by Thom Browne.
Janelle Monae offered a royal wave in a black and white bedazzled helmet piece and slinky gown with head piece.
“Amazing. I’m proud to be American. I’m proud to be wearing Ralph Lauren. This is gilded glamour from the future,” Monae told The Associated Press.
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. They include Abigail Adams, Shirley Chisolm and Madeleine Albright.
It’s been just under eight months since the last gala, an annual fundraiser that raises eight-figure sums for the Met’s 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.
Some of the stars included extra touches. Gabrielle Union said the red jewels in her hair to go with her silver Versace dress represented the blood shed by people of color during the Gilded Age. The dress included a large red flower embellishment at the waist. Vogue’s Anna Wintour, who has run the gala since 1995, wore feathery Chanel and a jeweled tiara that has been in her family since 1910.
She continues as one of the night’s honorary co-chairs, along with designer Tom Ford and Instagram’s
Adam Mosseri. The other official co-chairs for 2022
were Regina King and LinManuel Miranda.
Todd Snyder, the New York-based designer, appreciated many of the night’s interpretations on the white tie dress code.
“Seeing how people pushed beyond the expected interpretation was refreshing this year. I loved Austin Butler in custom Prada swapping the classic bow tie for a silk scarf over a cropped tux jacket. Ryan Reynolds and Rege Jean Page reminded us of the elegance of velvet in a tux. While the era from the outside was opulent, Riz Ahmed’s statement of wearing a workwear inspired outfit to represent the immigrant workers that kept the Gilded Age going is a statement that must not be forgotten.”