◀ Follow AP’s live coverage of the 2024 Met Gala here.
NEW YORK (AP) — It is Met Gala time Monday’s celebrity fashion show included a swirl of flora and fauna on a green-hued carpet surrounded by foliage. Jennifer Lopez wore silver leaf in a second-skin goddess dress and Zendaya was all vamp and fantasy.
They are both co-chairs of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual fundraiser. They both received cheers from the crowd of fashionistas gathered behind the barricades outside.
Flowers were everywhere, in keeping with this year’s theme: “The Garden of Time.” Lopez (in Schiaparelli) was absolutely radiant in a nearly nude dress that hugged her like a second skin. She’s got a Meta Gala: it’s her fourteenth.
This year’s theme is inspired by J. J. Ballard’s 1962 short story of the same name.
Zendaya wore her modern face in blue and green tones, with a headpiece that matched the leaf accents.
It’s been five years since Zendaya last attended the Met Gala. Her peacock-colored look was designed by Maison Margiela. Lopez wore Tiffany & Co. diamonds, including a stunning bird-shaped necklace with a more than 20-carat diamond at its center.
Mindy Kaling is sure to make top lists in the sand-colored swirls that rise above her head from the back. Don’t worry about dinner. The back was removable. Her look was designed by Indian fashion designer Gaurav Gupta.
Fashion kings and queens…and the good witch
Jessica Biel (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Gigi Hadid brought the drama in a look by the drama king himself, Thom Browne. Its white exterior is decorated with 2.8 million tiny beads of yellow flowers and green thorns. She was very resplendent in wavy hair and crimson lips.
If there’s a Met Gala queen besides the evening’s mastermind, Anna Wintour, it’s Sarah Jessica Parker. Longtime attendees take each year’s theme seriously, digging into every detail. This year she was wearing an Alice in Wonderland dress with a lavender overlay and a Philip Treacy bonnet on her head. The dress was designed by Richard Quinn. Her long hair hung behind her back in beachy waves, a look that was a beauty trend for the evening.
Serena Williams took metallic gold to another level with a sparkling one-shoulder look. Ariana Grande was the good witch’s Clinda, making the most of her pale, strapless look with 3D lashes on the side of each eye. She arrived with her Wicked co-star, Cynthia Erivo, dressed in black with pink petals for a darker, more dramatic look.
Cardi B, who had the most fun at the Met Gala, struck a pose or three in black with a huge tulle train. She paired the look with green jewels and a high black turban. She needed several assistants to move her dress up the stairs
Channeling Sleeping Beauty and the Garden
Meanwhile, Penelope Cruz wore black Chanel. It had a bra top and an off-the-shoulder silhouette that resembled Sleeping Beauty. There was another Sleeping Beauty guest: Kendall Jenner in a Givenchy look designed by Alexander McQueen in 1999.
Kendall’s sister, Kylie Jenner, looked more Old Hollywood than storybook in a chic, low-cut, strapless look, a white flower in her slicked-back hairstyle and a train behind her. Oddly enough, big sister Kim Kardashian tightly covered up her gorgeous silver look with a Maison Margiela leaf shape with a chunky gray jacket.
Dua Lipa was a completely different kind of princess. She was given a rock ‘n’ roll look in black by Marc Jacobs who accompanied her.
The princess’s sentiments were in clear reference to the Met’s spring exhibition, which the ceremony kicked off. it’s called “Sleeping Beauties: Awakening Fashion.” Although it’s not actually about Disney, or even about princesses, some of the 400 guests went there.
Demi Moore stuck it to the garden in a Harris-Reid look with huge wings surrounded by arrows and hand-painted with pink and white flowers.
Diesel hit the red carpet at Dove Cameron’s gala. It was very different from Diesel as it is now, where he also went to the park. The look had sleeves attached to her train.
Find deeper meaning in the topic
Lily Gladstone chose black by Gabriela Hearst.
“We wanted her to feel connected to the power of my ancestors,” she said. “For the Kiowa and the Blackfeet, our ancestors are the stars, and that’s where we come from. … I feel like it’s long overdue for us to have a lot of Indigenous representation and that kind of upper-class world of luxury fashion, because that’s the beauty of us, you know, he loved Natives are always luxurious.
Floral appearance and additional 1 special feature
Colman Domingo wore a white jacket with a cape and extra-wide pants, carrying a bouquet of white calla lilies, while Tayla chose a dress made to look like sand using actual sand on the fabric. She needed help with the hourglass she was carrying as she made her way up the museum stairs. Domingo’s designer was Willy Chavarria.
Sam Smith wore silver and gold metallic roses tucked into the center of a jacket, and Jack Harlow also channeled the flowers, but subtly with a silver and pearl floral boutonniere.
Wintour wore a black coat decorated with multi-colored flowers. Her fellow co-chair Bad Bunny wore all black. A pregnant Lea Michele wore a Rodarte dress, inspired by the brand’s Spring/Summer 2012 collection.
“I’m honored to be here and bring my baby with me,” Michelle said. “I don’t think I’m allowed an extra one, but I’ll get one,” she said with a laugh. “I’m so grateful. I feel really beautiful, you know, in this pregnancy.”
Are you looking forward to following? And here A Quick primer About what you need to know about A-list celebrities from movies, fashion, music, sports, politics and social media.
Among those who greatly enjoyed the nature and garden theme was Lana Del Rey. She walked down the museum steps like a real tree, her face covered by the cloth secured to its branches.
How to watch the MET concert
This is difficult. Vogue has an exclusive live broadcast, which begins at 6 p.m. ET Vogue.com. The broadcast will also be available on Vogue’s digital platforms, including TikTok and YouTube.
There will be plenty of other media on site as well. Watch the event on E!, also starting at 6 p.m., with live streaming on X, TikTok, Instagram and Peacock.
The Associated Press will broadcast live outside the Mark Hotel, where several celebrities prepare before heading to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to ascend the grand staircase. The live stream will begin at 4:45 PM ET and will be available on Youtube And APNews.com.
Only the event’s stacked red carpet could be seen – the ceremony’s cocktail hour and dinner are popular private events.
What is it?
What is the purpose of the MET GALA?
It’s a party, sure, with cocktails and dinner for about 400 invited guests, but it’s also a massive fundraiser for the Met’s Costume Institute, the only department of the museum required to 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 organizing the whole shebang. No phones are allowed, which adds to the attraction.
He is also promoting the museum’s so-called exhibition this year “Sleeping Beauties: Awakening Fashion.” It includes 250 items from the Costume Institute’s permanent collection, including some garments that are rarely seen in public and are so fragile that they need to be placed under glass. The curators wanted to do just that Engage all sensesIncluding the smell.
The exhibition opens its doors to the public on Friday and continues until September 2.
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Associated Press writer John Carucci contributed to this story.
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