I understand people’s hesitation about the Met Gala right now, while Rome is burning. But quite apart from enjoying the OTT spectacle of it all like the greedy little fashion blogger I am, I like to think of it as a) jobs everywhere, from the caterers and the PAs and the PR people, to the drivers, the tailors, the stylists, the florists, the waitstaff, even whoever vacuums the carpet; and b) a contribution to culture, because at its core the Gala is intended as a fundraiser for the museum, and we cannot afford to lose it.
This year’s exhibit is “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” which Vogue describes as exploring “the role of sartorial style in forming Black identities, focusing on the emergence, significance, and proliferation of the Black dandy.” The Met has a deeper reading of it here. Accordingly, the Gala theme itself became “Tailored To You,” allowing for a broad interpretation that would hopefully — and I believe did — curtail any appropriative instincts, however well-intentioned they may have been, on behalf of people attempting a more literal tribute to Black dandyism. The result was one of my favorite Met Galas in a while — a diverse, joyous, and creative affair. Even Anna shook it up a little, eschewing her usual Chanel for a tribute to the late Virgil Abloh, a Black designer who was taken from the world just as he was truly arriving.
We begin the coverage today with the co-chairs, the advisory committee members, and our intrepid red-carpet cohosts, and we’ll have something new for you every 45 minutes or so, because we’ve got a lot of ground to cover and a lot of hats, capes, pin stripes, canes, and other glories to celebrate.
