NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Alysa Liu surveyed the glittery crowd arrayed in front of her, sipping cocktails and chatting. It was and she hesitated for a second, searching for a word to describe it.
鈥淚t鈥檚 鈥� BIG,鈥� the Olympic skater finally said with a grin.
But what Liu, dressed in a blood-red custom Louis Vuitton gown with a full skirt and huge ruffles, couldn鈥檛 quite get was how big SHE had become. Even at a party full of very, very famous people, everyone wanted to greet her.
Some Met Gala guests have been famous for many years. Others have achieved fame with dizzying speed. For Liu, all it took was a the whole world.
鈥淓verybody recognizes me!鈥� she said, with genuine surprise, of the crowd packed into the airy Charles Engelhard Court at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 鈥淚t鈥檚 crazy. Imagine that overnight, suddenly everyone knows who you are!鈥�
And then America鈥檚 skating sweetheart was off, soon to be spotted laughing with another star of the night who also arrived from an ice rink.
Some more scenes from inside the Met Gala:
Under a full moon, the strains of harp music
After guests made their way up the carpeted steps to the museum, they entered into the Great Hall, which had been transformed into 鈥渁 Northern Italian garden,鈥� in the museum鈥檚 words. There was a huge moon hanging and swaying from the ceiling, and below it a floral centerpiece surrounded by cypress branches.
A half dozen harpists serenaded the guests, who waited to shake the hands of the gala co-chairs 鈥� Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, Vogue鈥檚 Anna Wintour, and honorary chair Lauren S谩nchez Bezos 鈥� but not, for now, the late-arriving Beyonc茅.
The receiving line was a long wait, reported Sarah Paulson.
鈥淚 waited 45 minutes,鈥� the actor said, explaining why she hadn鈥檛 made it yet to the Conde M. Nast Galleries to see the which examines the dressed body through centuries of art history. Her feet hurt. 鈥淵ou could cut my legs off at the ankle,鈥� she said.
Lobster crostini and tomato-mozzarella pillows
As the Engelhard court gradually filled, guests milled about snacking on lobster crostini or tomato and mozzarella 鈥減illows.鈥�
Zo毛 Kravitz, who headed the host committee, greeted Storrie 鈥� did we mention he was a top attraction? 鈥� and complimented him on his work. Bradley Cooper and Gigi Hadid sat quietly chatting on the sidelines, hand in hand.
Near them, Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster did the same. Jackman stood up when came by, giving her a hug. Vonn, who suffered a traumatic leg injury at the Winter Olympics, used only a cane and sparkled in a Thom Browne gown.
Billionaires, he鈥檚 seen 鈥榚m before
Ever since Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and wife Lauren S谩nchez Bezos had been announced as honorary chairs, there had been anti-billionaire backlash in liberal New York City. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he would not come. A group called Everyone Hates Elon 鈥� a reference to Musk 鈥� had plastered posters at bus stops, like one on the East Side saying 鈥淒ress code: Willful ignorance,鈥� and on subways.
The Rev. Al Sharpton, though, had a different take. He’d attended a few Met Galas, and said billionaires were nothing new.
鈥淭here have always been billionaires here,鈥� Sharpton said. 鈥淚 may not agree with everything Bezos does, but do I abandon Beyonc茅 and Venus Williams?鈥� He also praised Wintour for paying attention to diversity. 鈥淚 opted to come.鈥�
He said the gala 鈥渂rings a cultured meeting space鈥� for people who haven’t yet met.
A date night for Jon Batiste
At previous galas, sometimes leading a musical band with his melodica to get crowds to head to dinner. This time around, he had no gala responsibilities 鈥� and he was happy.
After all, he said, 鈥渋t鈥檚 date night鈥� with his wife, Suleika Jaouad. 鈥淎 night in the museum,鈥� he quipped. The couple were dinner guests of Wintour herself.
Batiste wore a look by Eli Russell Linnetz that he said echoed the work of late 鈥� a long white coat and white ensemble underneath. Hendricks often juxtaposed Black skin with white clothes, Batiste noted. Jaouad wore a sumptuous Christian Siriano gown.
Progress in the fight for diversity
Sin茅ad Burke, the Irish disability activist, said that when she was first approached to be on the host committee, 鈥淚 said no.鈥�
Unless, she says she told organizers, they made the gala fully accessible.
They did, Burke says, arranging for a step-free entrance for guests who need it, south of the main entrance.
Burke ended up working closely with the museum for 18 months before the gala. She made sure there was room for disabled press to cover the gala carpet. She and her organization, Tilting the Lens, also helped train guides who will assist the public when they view 鈥淐ostume Art,鈥� which has a large section on the disabled body.
And Burke herself, who was born with dwarfism, two outfits are displayed on mannequins created in her image.
鈥淚鈥檓 proud of the small moments,鈥� she said.
But a step backward, elsewhere
Model Lauren Wasser, also on the host committee, attended in a custom Prabal Gurung ensemble all in gold, including her trademark gold prosthetic legs.
She said she was glad the museum was shining a light on diversity in body types. But she cautioned that in the outside world, things are looking bleaker. (Research has found that designers are starting to turn away from using plus-size models, for example.)
鈥淚 want to see it in real life, too,鈥� Wasser said of such diversity. 鈥淲e had a moment. But we鈥檝e taken a step back.鈥�
Wearing silver, feeling golden
The songwriter who from 鈥淜Pop Demon Hunters鈥� was wearing, well, silver. But she said she was feeling golden.
In fact, EJAE, part of the team that won best original song for the impossibly catchy tune, said she was trying to channel a specific lyric with her gown, a Swarovski number dripping with crystals.
鈥淚鈥檓 done hidin鈥�, now I鈥檓 shinin鈥� like I鈥檓 born to be,鈥� the song goes.
鈥淚 wanted to literally be shining,鈥� EJAE said. Mission accomplished.
Sarah Paulson has the Met鈥檚 secrets 鈥� remember?
This wasn鈥檛 the first rodeo for Paulson. In fact in was her sixth Met Gala, she said.
But Paulson has more after-hours experience at the Met. She shot the movie 鈥淥cean鈥檚 8鈥� there, a film about a heist during 鈥� the Met Gala.
鈥淚 spent a lot of time here 鈥� I know the secrets,鈥� Paulson said. 鈥淭hey should watch out!鈥�
Asked if six Met Galas got a little tiresome, Paulson said they did not.
鈥淵ou can鈥檛 really believe the people here and the oxygen you鈥檙e sharing,鈥� the actor said. 鈥淧eople from all the great talents of the world.鈥�
Rihanna and A$AP Rocky are Heidi Klum fans
Dinner was under way. Beyonc茅 had arrived, with Jay-Z and Blue Ivy.
But the assembled media on the carpet and various staffers in the museum lobby weren鈥檛 breaking for the night. There was one more big arrival to come. Yes, Rihanna.
When she and partner A$AP Rocky arrived in the Great Hall, they stopped for photos quickly and then headed toward the Temple of Dendur for dinner. But then they ran into Heidi Klum, who knows her way around a costume, virtually unrecognizable as a marble statue.
The couple spent 10 minutes or so laughing with Klum and complimenting her.
鈥淭his is the coolest outfit tonight, ain鈥檛 gonna lie,鈥� A$AP Rocky noted.
鈥淥h my god, I can鈥檛 stand you!鈥� Rihanna said admiringly.
鈥淗ow much did they pay you to just stand here for the rest of the night?鈥� the singer asked the statue. They all laughed.
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