THE LOOK BOOK: THE MET

Did the museum feel normal?

I don’t want to get so artsy about it, but being there felt almost like being in a piece of performance art—everyone walking around trying to pretend that everything is normal and the same. Except it’s not, and everyone is in a mask.

What piece of art did you miss the most? I came to visit the statue of Queen Hatshepsut. Before the pandemic, I came to see her often— she was a pharaoh, and you can see this amazing sense of calm in her face. She was moved to the second floor during the closure, so I had to ask the staff to help me find her.

You’re a designer?

A fashion student. Last year, I created a look based on the Met Gala’s theme, which was “camp.” I made what I called a “pussy dress.” It had an organza leopardprint skirt.

How long did you stay?

Six hours. I was reconnecting with pieces that, before the pandemic, I used to visit often: the Japanese collections, the Southeast Asian collections, the Indian collections. Six hours is different at the museum when there’s no café— you can’t get a snack or tea. There is only water now.

WEIJIN WANG Engineer, Jersey City, New Jersey

CHRISTIAN VIRGIL REYES Artist, Washington Heights

ANDIE YOUNISS Student and model, Williamsburg

CYNTHIA KALFA Director of product development, Sunnyside

KIM DINH PHAM Artist and writer, Tivoli, New York

ZAHRA THALEB Programming coordinator, Kensington

RAMYA SRIDHARAN Scientist, Upper East Side

LUISA MACHOWSKI Au pair, Nyack, New York

ANNABEL BERUSCH Artist, Upper West Side

KRISTIN AND KELSIE Students, Bridgeport, Connecticut

MICHELLE LAU Student, Williamsburg

NANNETTE NESBITT Nonprofit manager, East Village

JARED AUSTIN Interior designer, Harlem

BABI BYAMBATSOGT Fashion designer, Jersey City, New Jersey

AYLA ROSEN Theater producer, Crown Heights

DAHVEED WILKINS Cinematographer, Ocean Hill

DEAN BOULER Unemployed, Inwood

MEGAN STRATTON Writer, Hell’s Kitchen