At the Met Gala, Celebrities Were Definitely Open to Having Robots Help Them Get Dressed

Singer will.i.am had a robot in his helmet at the 2016 Met Gala. (Photo: Getty Images)

Have you ever felt as if you’ve stepped into the future? Perhaps the closest Yahoo Style has come was on the stairs at this year’s Met Costume Institute Gala. It was as if all of the stars had dressed for perhaps 3016, as the theme was “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology.” On the red carpet, there was one robot-inspired piece after another. Hence, we had to ask: What would the stars have liked to have a robot do for them? And what will a closet look like in the year 3000?

Last year, Anna Wintour complained that Allison Williams’s husband, Ricky Van Veen, should be told to stay off his phone during the gala. He was prominently on Williams’s arm again this year, and when we asked her about robots, she answered that her husband, who founded CollegeHumor.com, was her touch of tech.

“This is my ultimate tech accessory,“ she told Yahoo Style.

Actress Allison Williams with husband Ricky Van Veen. (Photo: Rex Images)

Last year, Wendi Deng Murdoch helped host the China-themed exhibit. But this year, she indicated that she felt more relaxed. She’d gotten ready “at home with my children,” she said.

Would a robot have helped?

“I would have had it clean up,” she said.

Julie Macklowe, who was wearing Philipp Plein, looked a wee bit robot-like herself. “It took maybe two and a half hours” to get ready, she said.

What could she have used a robot for?

“I have a great idea,” she said. “I want a robot that lives in my hair and washes and does my hair for me every day — a hairbot.”

And her thoughts on Wardrobe 3000 went well beyond the closet. “Probably flying cars, sex machines,” she offered. “No one will probably even have to talk to each other by then.”

Uma Thurman was the height of elegance as she arrived in Tommy Hilfiger with a rather large vintage Cartier brooch on one shoulder.

Would a robot have helped her get ready? “Well, the treadmill helped a lot,” she answered, laughing.

La La Anthony was wearing a remarkable dress by Nicolas Jebran, and her husband, Carmelo Anthony, had on Public School.

And that tie? “It’s a little tech bowtie,” Mr. Anthony answered.

Would a robot have helped him get ready?

“I think so,” Mrs. Anthony said. “It would have fit the theme. Some of the dresses I’ve seen have that feel to it. And they’re really cool.”

Prabal Gurung, wearing an orchid pinned to his lapel, said a robot would help him do “everything” in the future.

Supermodel Amber Valletta was wearing H&M Conscious Couture. Might a robot have helped her get ready?

“No, I needed all the human tenderness and help today, and I had plenty of it,” she said. “But maybe one could go get me a drink or some food.”

And what would beloved designer Alber Elbaz, who was wearing his own design, have a robot do in the future? “Love me,” he replied with a laugh and then a giggle.

Andy Cohen, in a Ralph Lauren tux and on the arm of Sarah Jessica Parker, quipped he’d have a robot “clean my house.”

Kate Bosworth, in Dolce & Gabbana with flowers in her hair, joked that she felt like “the real-life Grecian Snapchat filter.”

Kate Bosworth wearing Dolce & Gabbana. (Photo: Getty Images)

In the future, would she like a robot to do something for her?

“Absolutely,” Bosworth answered. “A lot of things. We have really tall windows in our house. Anything that can clean the floor-to-ceiling windows would be much appreciated.”

Mark Ronson, however, said he didn’t need any help. “I’m kind of a bit of a micro-tasker,” he said. “I don’t think I could trust anybody to do anything.”

Hailey Baldwin started getting ready at 3:30 in the afternoon. Might a robot have helped her start later? “Maybe just to speed things up,” she said. “But we did that on purpose today. We were trying to take our time, to make sure that it was everything I wanted and that the hair was everything I wanted.”

Girls actor Andrew Rannells was in a Ralph Lauren tux and had no need for a robot, even to tie his bowtie. “Guess what?” he said. “I did it myself. I’m really proud.”

Chloe Sevigny, in Simone Rocha, said a robot could have helped her “with rearranging my brain,” while Cindy Crawford said she didn’t need a robot at all. “I like the human touch,” she said.

Carolyn Murphy, in Peter Copping for Oscar de la Renta, wasn’t interested in a robot’s assistance either. “I’m not quite ready for that,” she said. “I’m a control freak. I have to know everything that is going on.”

Male model Lucky Blue Smith’s sister Pyper America Smith had a feathered silver train that was endless. Her brother was on her arm. “A robot made this dress,” Pyper America offered. “A machine made these sequins, these vinyl feathers.”

In the future, though, she said, “I think everyone is going to be naked.”

Fashion designer Tory Burch at the 2016 Met Gala. (Photo: Getty Images)

Tory Burch looked resplendent in vintage Balenciaga and an enormous — like two very large knuckles — baroque Fred Leighton pearl. Her thoughts on robots? “Absolutely, I can’t wait,” she said. “We need them for doing the dishes, combing your hair, and checking on your children.”

Michael B. Jordan said he was wearing Calvin Klein but just laughed when we asked about robots.

Might Naomi Watts employ a robot?

“To get out of this dress, yes!” she exclaimed.

Jessica Chastain disdained the idea of getting help from a robot. “No, my friends are the best,” she told Yahoo Style.

Katy Perry said she didn’t need any robots besides the Tamagotchi, the 1990s Japanese digital pet, she’d brought along. (Boyfriend Orlando Bloom had an identical one.)

Miranda Kerr had on Louis Vuitton and said she could have used a robot while getting ready. “Maybe to fan me,” she said. “It was a little hot in the hotel room.”

Very last to arrive was Beyoncé, with her stylist, Ty Hunter, helping with her translucent, latex dress. To keep it simple, we just asked about the degree of difficulty presented by the gown she was wearing. “It’s actually a lot easier than last year,” she said. Amen.

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