What did stars wear when it was time to party?
It was hard to miss the Met Gala this week — it’s a tentpole of the fashion calendar each year — and the event and its themes have been an ongoing point of discussion. There’s been the traditional red carpet analysis of course, and the latter was underpinned by the uncannily relevant theme of the Gala itself.
Was it tone deaf of genius, wondered Viva fashion director Dan Ahwa, who wrote an inciteful explainer of the tension at play. Ahwa analyses the dystopian J.G. Ballard story, The Garden of Time, that inspired the Gala — a tale about decaying wealth and an uprising of the populace, which commentators saw mirrored in the protests outside the Metropolitan Museum — which differed from the exhibition theme Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion. US Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour publicly acknowledged the “confusion” during an appearance on The Today Show.
And from the looks of the outfit changes following the Gala itself, attendees relished the opportunity to step away from the complicated theme. A slew of afterparties saw ensembles with wild abandon; sexy clothes, lots of them — or, perhaps, less is a better word here. And there was a visible that felt lightness missing from much of the looks that preceded it.
So, on a night that delivered an exhausting deluge of outfits both on the (mouldy looking, in my opinion) carpet of the Costume Institute and constellations of associated events, who stood out at the after-parties?
Coco Rocha
An execution in ASMR by designer Christian Siriano, this is frothy and frivolous and Rocha is clearly loving it. So much so that the model did the rounds of several post-Gala events, attending FKA Twigs, Card B’s and Usher parties.
Paloma Elsesser
This outfit is like Gaultier’s Madonna on steroids. A conversational look, Elsesser’s after-party dress (Vaquera) was a thematic twin to her sculptural Gala outfit (H&M).
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Janelle Monáe
All eyes on the Grammy-nominated Monáe at Casa Cipriani. This ensemble is ridiculous and unforgettable. It’s by Area, and New Yorkers Piotrek Panszczyk and Beckett Fogg know how to put together a party look.
Taylor Russell
Beautifully draped dress. Like we saw on Elsesser, Russell’s look feels like it’s in dialogue with Russell’s mind-blowing Met Gala look (both were Loewe by Jonathan Anderson). I really like the shoes. I said it before and I’ll say it again; if peep toes aren’t not back already, they will be soon.
SZA and Lizzo
More fuschia, this time on Lizzo, who’s with SZA at Casa Cipriani. Between these outfits and the rest of the shots from the night, I’m getting flashbacks to the party photos of the 2000s. A simpler time.
Emma Gleason is the deputy editor of lifestyle and entertainment (audience), and has worked on Viva for over four years, contributing stories on culture, fashion and what’s going on in Auckland. Recently she’s looked at a Karangahape Rd exhibition of thrashed and threadbare Kiwi band shirts, a good upcoming gig, and Auckland Central Library’s snapshot of New Zealand style.
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