Uptown Funk: Inside Michael Kors' Glamorous Met Ball Afterparty
Just as the longest distance between two points is between a kidnapper and his money, the greatest volume occupied at a fashion afterparty is a waiter passing desserts. While the pecan squares and meringue cookies being passed at Michael Kors’ uptown Met Gala afterparty looked sublime, if the guests at the Mark Hotel gave these servers any wider berth, they would have found themselves out on 77th St. But, honestly, who could blame them? After all, the Met Gala is widely considered to the Oscars of fashion, so it is safe to assume that everyone has been on a no-sweets regime for a while now.
And what a sparkling crowd it was. What began around 11pm with a trickle — the Olsens in their dark-as-night vintage Galliano gowns, and Tommy Hilfiger, who styled wife Dee’s gown so the awaiting photographers could get the best shot — soon became a flood of Hollywood and fashion’s A-list. They came in droves to kiss the ring of Kors, or perhaps just kick up their heels. Kerry Washington, Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson, Hailee Steinfeld, Adrien Brody, Elizabeth Banks, Maggie Gyllenhaal were joined by Mario Testino, Christopher Bailey, Jenna Lyons, Joseph Altuzarra, Karolina Kurkova, Alexa Chung, Zac Posen, Fei Fei Sun, and Karlie Kloss.
At the bar, comedian Joel McHale was eliciting gales of laughter from Vogue’s Lisa Love, and her daughter, Laura. Taking in the Met’s exhibit, “China: Through the Looking Glass,” which gave the gala its theme, McHale was charmed by a singular look. “There was an outfit made entirely of plates, which I loved,” he said. “But you would die if you wore it. Because it was made entirely of broken glass.”
Next to McHale, Claire Danes and husband Hugh Dancy chatted with Matthew Rhys and girlfriend Keri Russell, who dazzled in a green, feathered frock. “It’s Altuzarra. And its…Well he’s right behind you,” she said, pulling the designer over. “It’s based on ‘Shanghai Express,’ on a feathered dress Marlene Dietrich wore in that film,” he explained.
While the gala’s theme produced enough silk trains to carpet a ballroom, Jenna Lyons’s ensemble, a metallic crosshatch over silk, was the intersection of contemporary and tradition. “Bill Cunningham, who I’m obsessed with, said ‘Oh, a modern interpretation’,” said Lyons. “My entire relationship with China, where I’ve been going for years, has been historical. And every time I go I buy silk pajamas. But I’ve always noticed the bamboo latticework. So this is silk pajamas with lattice work on top.”
On the other end of the spectrum, FKA Twigs—who went against the grain, or ignored the conceit completely—managed to emerge among the best dressed, with the arms (and other appendages) woven into her Christopher Kane dress. The arrival of her fiancée spurred a 180 in Twigs, who’d been pouting—or maybe just gathering steam—on a couch.
The other famous musician in the room, Miguel, was giving a performance in a side room — unfortunately for an audience that numbered very few. It wasn’t Miguel’s fault; there was just too much to look at elsewhere (also not helping: the side room is where many of the waiters, and their desserts, had migrated). Those who took a break from all that fabulousness witnessed a performance that was as passionate and gorgeous as it was intimate. This was not something one gets to sample every day. It was a treat.
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