NEW YORK (AP) — It’s time for the Met Gala and the celebrity fashion show includes a swirl of flora and fauna on a green-tinged carpet surrounded by foliage. Jennifer Lopez opted for silver leaves with a goddess dress with many transparencies and tight like a second skin, Zendaya was a dark fantasy, on two occasions.
This year they are both co-chairs of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual fundraising event. And both received cheers from the crowd of fashion enthusiasts gathered near the entrance.
López (in Schiaparelli) looked spectacular in a dress with many transparencies that hugged her like a second skin. It’s her 14th Met Gala.
Zendaya, one of the fashionable faces, was in blue and green tones, with a matching headdress, with leaf details and dramatic makeup with a gothic air. Later, in a rare twist, she walked again to close the carpet in a black Givenchy dress by John Galliano with a floral headpiece by Alexander McQueen.
It had been five years since Zendaya last attended the Met Gala. Her look in peacock colors was from Maison Margiela. Lopez left with diamonds from Tiffany & Co., including a stunning bird-themed necklace with a more than 20-carat diamond at the center of it.
There were flowers everywhere, fitting for this year’s theme: “The Garden of Time.” The theme is inspired by JG Ballard’s 1962 short story of the same name.
Mindy Kaling is sure to be on best-dressed lists in a number with sand-colored swirls rising above her head in the back. The back of it was removable so she could dine. Her model was by Indian couturier Gaurav Gupta.
Usher held a single red rose, wearing a mysterious black suit, a wide-brimmed hat and a black brooch on one lapel.
KINGS AND QUEENS OF FASHION… AND A GOOD WITCH
Gigi Hadid brought the drama in a drama king, Thom Browne look. His white style was adorned with 2.8 million microbeads with yellow flowers and green stems. She looked very glamorous with wavy bob hair and crimson lips.
If there is a queen of the Met Gala, besides Anna Wintour who is the mastermind of the night, it is Sarah Jessica Parker. The actress is a regular at the gala and takes each year’s theme seriously, investigating every detail. On this occasion she was wearing a stowaway dress that gave her an Alice in Wonderland look with a Philip Treacy hat. The dress was by Richard Quinn. Her long hair fell behind her back in waves, a style that became a beauty trend of the night.
Serena Williams took gold to another level in a sparkling one-shoulder dress. Ariana Grande was Glinda the Good Witch, making the most of her pale strapless look with 3D decorations at the level of the cheekbones. She arrived with her “Wicked” co-star Cynthia Erivo, who was dressed in black with pink petals in a bolder look.
Cardi B, who usually has fun at the Met Gala, struck a pose or three in her enormous black tulle dress. She wore emeralds and a tall black turban. She needed several helpers to carry her dress up the stairs.
SLEEPING BEAUTY AND THE GARDEN
Penélope Cruz, for her part, dressed in gothic black by Chanel. She had a bustier and off-the-shoulder silhouette similar to Sleeping Beauty. There was another guest in the style of Sleeping Beauty: Kendall Jenner with a Givenchy model made by Alexander McQueen in 1999.
Kendall’s sister, Kylie Jenner, went old Hollywood style with an elegant low-cut strapless dress, a white flower in her hair up and a large tail in her skirt. Interestingly, her older sister, Kim Kardashian, covered her beautiful silver corset with a Maison Margiela leaf motif with a puffy gray sweater.
Dua Lipa was a completely different type of princess. She started dancing in black with Marc Jacobs, who accompanied her.
The princess-like dresses among the night’s 400 guests were an apparent reference to the Met’s spring exhibition that kicks off the gala. It’s called “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” but it doesn’t really have to do with Disney, or even princesses.
Among the princesses was the Mad Hatter, Barry Keoghan, in a velvet Victorian style with a high-necked bow shirt underneath. He, of course, was wearing a top hat.
Demi Moore stuck to the garden theme in a Harris Reed look with huge ruffles surrounded by hand-painted pink and white flower arrows.
Diesel made his way onto the gala red carpet with Dove Cameron. She was as different from Diesel as you can get, she also referred to the garden. Her look had sleeves tied to his tail.
FINDING DEEPER MEANING IN THE SUBJECT
Lily Gladstone opted for a black Gabriela Hearst model.
“We wanted me to feel enveloped in the power of my ancestors,” she said. “For the Kiowa and the Blackfeet, our ancestors are the stars, that’s where we come from. … I feel like it’s long overdue to have a lot more Indigenous representation and this sort of high-end world of high-luxury fashion, because that It’s our aesthetic, you know, the natives have always liked luxury.”
FLORAL LOOKS AND A SPECIAL COMPANION
Colman Domingo donned a white cape jacket and extra baggy pants, holding a bouquet of white calla lilies, while Tyla chose a dress made to look like sand using real sand in the fabric. She needed help with an hourglass that she was holding as she walked up the stairs of the museum. Domingo’s designer was Willy Chavarría.
Sam Smith wore silver and gold metallic roses tucked into the waistband of a jacket, and Jack Harlow also wore flowers, but subtly with a silver and pearl floral boutonniere.
Wintour wore a black coat adorned with multicolored flowers from Loewe. The co-president of the gala, Bad Bunny, was dressed completely in black. A pregnant Lea Michele wore a Rodarte dress, inspired by the brand’s spring/summer 2012 collection.
“I feel honored to be here and bring my baby with me,” Michele said. “I don’t think they would allow me to bring a companion, but I do,” she said, laughing. I’m very grateful. “I feel very beautiful, you know, in this pregnancy.”
Among those who had a lot of fun with the nature and garden theme was Lana Del Rey. She walked up the steps of the museum like a real tree, her face covered by a cloth held by her branches and a single red rose in her hand.
Nicki Minaj also stepped out of the box in a bright metallic yellow dress with large flowers hanging and swaying as she moved.
Jerry Seinfeld and Jimmy Fallon had the crowd applauding in traditional tuxedos.
THE PURPOSE OF THE MET GALA
It’s a party, sure, with cocktails and dinner, but it’s also a big fundraiser for the Met’s Costume Institute, the museum’s only department that must pay for itself. Last year, the gala raised about $22 million. Wintour, a Met trustee for whom part of the institute has been renamed, is hosting the big night. Cell phones are not allowed, which adds to the appeal.
It also promotes the exhibition “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.” The show includes 250 items from the Clothing Institute’s permanent collection, including some garments that are rarely seen in public and are so fragile that they need to be in display cases. The curators wanted to involve all the senses, including smell, in the exhibition.
The exhibition opens to the public on Friday and concludes on September 2.
