Model who once dated a Kardashian reveals embarrassing reason for six-year ban from Met Gala
A model has revealed the reason that he remains banned from the Met Gala, six years after the offense that made him persona non grata at…
Known for her ruthlessness in deciding who is and who is not included on the guest list, Anna Wintour has ensured that, over the years, each Met Gala has become more lavish and more exhibitionist than the last.
Yet as the last of the celebrities filtered up through the famed cultural institution’s doors last night, one was left wondering what remained of what began in 1948 as New York’s society’s ‘party of the year.’
Amidst the tulle, the taffeta, the sequins, the feathers, the fur and the leather, the occasion felt bereft not only of style but of substance – not to mention George and Amal.
Amidst the bevy of faces missing in action were former event-stalwarts Sarah Jessica Parker, Jennifer Lopez, Scarlett Johansson, Beyoncé and Naomi Campbell, all of whom had a ‘conflict’ in the calendar.
And three decades after the Vogue editor first hosted the bash, it’s hard not to wonder whether this fashion phenomenon’s star and influence is starting to wane.
It’s ironic given that that the night was celebrating by far the most ambitious exhibition tackled by the museum’s Costume Institute, for which the gala is a fundraiser, in years.
Known for her ruthlessness in deciding who is and who is not included on the guest list, Anna Wintour has ensured that, over the years, each Met Gala has become more lavish and more exhibitionist than the last.
Yet as the last of the celebrities filtered up through the famed cultural institutions front doors last night, one was left wondering what remained of what began in 1948 as New York’s society’s ‘party of the year.’ (Pictured: Madonna).
Inspired by guest curator Monica L. Miller’s 2009 academic text Slaves to Fashion, ‘Superfine: Tailoring and Black Style,’ explores how clothing shaped the black male identity in the United States and Europe.
For an industry with its own fraught history around race (there was not a single person of color amongst the fifteen appointments made at top fashion brands in the last year) and a museum department that has yet to appoint a black curator, this is a complicated proposition.
It has taken five years to plot the path to present a story that not only tells the sartorial ingenuity centered on the black male body but explores how fashion can be used as a means of self-liberation. Debuting in a political moment that has declared war on DEI not to mention federal funding for the arts, surely this was an opportunity to send a message that the world according to Wintour is standing strong on a progressive cultural perspective.
Yet just as Wintour struggled to articulate the night’s purpose, garbling a response on the carpet when asked about the evening’s import, the fashion world failed to find meaning in the moment and instead gathered force to celebrate nothing more consequential than itself.
Whatever the political climate, it was all far too clear – the ‘first Monday in May’ has morphed into nothing more than the world’s only couture costume party.
That’s not to say that there weren’t some beautiful clothes. Dressing to a theme, this year dubbed ‘Tailored For You,’ some of the attendees made the most of a remit open to a wide interpretation.
Anne Hathaway appeared on the red carpet wearing a Wes Gordon for Carolina Herrera black and white striped crystal embroidered column shirt that was paired with an oversized white cotton button down shirt. It somehow managed to offer an homage to the exhibition while still screaming sartorial chic.
Inspired by the legendary Vogue fashion editor Andre Leon Talley, the design was a riff on his often-quoted remark, ‘Whatever your budget you can wear a white shirt and be well dressed.’
A hallmark of Herrera’s own style, the paired down chic still allowed Hathaway to indulge in an eye-whopping sapphire and diamond Bulgari choker which peaked out from her upturned lapels.
Monica Barbaro, who made her Met debut as brand ambassador for Dior, did so in a modern reinterpretation of the iconic cream ‘Bar’ jacket and skirt debuted by Monsieur Dior himself in his revolutionizing New Look collection of 1947.
Anne Hathaway appeared on the red carpet wearing a Wes Gordon for Carolina Herrera black and white striped crystal embroidered column shirt that was paired with an oversized white cotton button down shirt.
Monica Barbaro, who made her Met Gala debut as brand ambassador for Dior, did so in a modern reinterpretation of the iconic cream ‘Bar’ jacket and skirt debuted by Monsieur Dior himself in his revolutionizing New Look collection of 1947.
The ivory silk faille jacket which was paired with a black pleated tulle skirt (the original was wool), Barbaro upped the wit factor of her archival dive by adding both shirt and tie – topping the ensemble off, quite literally, with a statement boater hat.
Perhaps deciding that wrapping one’s body in thorny brown twigs and shimmering veil made for an uncomfortable evening at last year’s party, Lana Del Ray embraced sweeping elegance with a gown designed by Valentino’s new creative director Alessandro Michelle.
Composed of a black velvet bodice and voluminous brown satin skirt, Del Ray turned to reveal a sumptuous black lace panel on her back with giant feathers suspended from the satin bow over her shoulder.
With a hint of the whimsical that did not overburden a gown, the look embodied the craftsmanship of tailored custom couture.
It was proof positive that dressing to a theme does not have to mean embracing sartorial parody.
This was certainly the message that Nicole Kidman, dressed in a black silk satin recreation of a 1952 gown by Cristobel Balenciaga, was keen to promote.
‘From the hips to the bows around the waist, to the corset…this dress,’ Nicole Kidman said, ‘was tailored to perfection.’ The same gown was once photographed by Richard Avedon for the cover of Harpers Bazaar, and by wearing it Kidman sent a bold message that the timelessness of mid twentieth design, rather than contemporary trend, can create fashion headlines.
Composed of a black velvet bodice and voluminous brown satin skirt, Lana Del Ray turned to reveal a sumptuous black lace panel on her back with giant feathers suspended from the satin bow over her shoulder.
‘From the hips to the bows around the waist, to the corset…this dress,’ Nicole Kidman said, ‘was tailored to perfection.’
Gigi Hadid agreed. A vision in gold sequined custom Miu Miu, she adopted full 1940s pizzaz with a look that was inspired by the designs of Zelda Wynn Valdes best known for designing the Playboy Bunny uniform.
Yet the impact of a few well-dressed women, who actually tried to adhere to the night’s style code whilst still looking good, was almost lost amidst a group that instead preferred exaggerated silhouettes and unwearable one-offs.
With the exception of Diana Ross, whose over-the-top train, feathers and gilt seemed entirely in proportion to the magnitude of her fame, most doubled down on the costume theme that parodied rather than celebrated the skill behind the craftsmanship that has embodied black male style over the last three centuries.
And if the spectacle told us anything it is that, while Wintour’s power as a magnet for global celebrity is clearly still in play, her centrality as an arbiter not just of style but cultural significance, is open for debate.
Even her usually pristine appearance was marred but an unsightly stain on the skirt of her embellished satin gown.
One of the Democratic party’s most powerful celebrity fundraisers, Wintour has prided herself on the influence she can wield through the portal of her Condé Nast corner office.
Though, having failed to shift the political ground for the last two women she endorsed for president, it remains to be seen whether either her party or her politics still matter in this very different ideological moment.
She did convince Kamala Harris to break California cover and ditch her usual boring pantsuit for a dramatic asymmetric black silk gown by Off-White designer Ib Kamara, slipping into the gala through a side door, it is unclear of what — if any — importance that will be.
Gigi Hadid agreed. A vision in gold sequined custom Miu Miu, she adopted full 1940s pizzaz with a look that was inspired by the designs of Zelda Wynn Valdes best known for designing the Playboy Bunny uniform.
With the exception of Diana Ross, whose over-the-top train, feathers and gilt seemed entirely in proportion to the magnitude of her fame, most doubled down on the costume theme that parodied rather than celebrated the craftsmanship that has embodied black male style.
Wintour did convince Kamala Harris to break California cover and ditch her usual boring pantsuit for a dramatic asymmetric black silk gown by Off-White designer Ib Kamara, slipping into the gala through a side door, it is unclear of what, if any, importance that will be.
In fact, Harris’s appearance only added to the impression that Wintour has fallen out of step with the moment, backward looking where once she was trendsetting.
Meanwhile many powerful Hollywood, cultural and philanthropic names were simply missing last night.
Known to dictate not just the seating chart but what everyone is wearing to her party, here was a chance for something that reflected not just a sobering political moment but the identity crisis that is gripping the political party that Wintour has helped front.
Yet this event was conceived in a truly different moment in time and instead of self-reflection last night we saw, in its full flourish, only self-reference and irrelevance.
