It doesn’t get more depressing than this: Like everything else this crazy year, the 2020 Met Gala was canceled, or as they say, “postponed indefinitely”. The classic flurry of fashion, photographers and A-listers dressed to the True Fashionista nines was a non-entity, as the iconic First Monday in May came and went with eerie silence at New York’s currently shuttered Metropolitan Museum of Art. This year’s event, which would have been hosted by Vogue Editor in Chief Anna Wintour, was themed, “About Time: Fashion and Duration”, showcasing the journey of fashion from 1870, the year the museum was founded, to the present time. The Museum exhibit of the same name is now slated to open this fall on October 29th, reports Time.
Back in March Ms. Wintour delivered the news in a statement, “Due to the unavoidable and responsible decision by the Metropolitan Museum to close its doors, ‘About Time’, and the opening night gala, will not take place on the date scheduled.” Vogue’s May issue instead is chock full of celeb pics in their Gala ’20 outfits via selfies taken at home. The mag’s overview “A Moment with the Met” was live-streamed via their YouTube channel on May 4th, followed by the retrospective “Everything You need to Know About the Met Gala” on May 5th. While visiting their page you can also enjoy the multitudes of past Gala moments, outfits, live performances and more posted for your convenience, including links to their standard “73 questions” challenge posed to celebs including Kim Kardashian West, Taylor Swift and many more for your “no Gala but at least we’re entertained” viewing pleasure.
What, you were binging Netflix and missed the livestreams?! Here’s the YouTube link once again. You’re welcome.
Anna opined, "It would be impossible to recreate the gala on Monday evening, though I have loved hearing how so many are marking the occasion in their own ways. So instead, I asked a few friends to join me for a simple moment—one that I hope will bring us all a bit of joy."
Not surprisingly, the red carpet went virtual thanks to High Fashion Twitter, where fashion industry insiders and fans alike joined for a virtual event entitled “High Fashion Twitter Met Gala” to show off images, collages, illustrations and mood boards of what they would wear to fashion’s favorite party. This version gave many the opportunity to actively participate in an event legendary for its exclusive guest list, shares Cady Lang for Time. Initially organized by 19-year-old aerospace engineering student Aria Olson, ten additional young women jumped aboard to make the 24-hour-long virtual event happen, which by the time it was done featured four different categories and suggested that the 800-plus people who signed up to participate also make a donation to the International Medical Corps. Participants shared their looks via the hashtag #HFTMetGala2020.
Many of the True Fashionista stars who had planned to attend the live Gala, in the meantime, expressed their feelings elsewhere on social media, as InStyle reports. Julia Roberts, a 2008 Gala co-chair, posted an older photo on Instagram standing in her bathtub window wearing a two-tiered black and white dress. The shot, from an Entertainment Weekly cover, hit home with her caption of “Here’s me…not going to the Met Ball tonight.”
Also on IG, Katy Perry, who is expecting her first baby with fiancé Orlando Bloom, showed off the Jean Paul Gaultier-designed maternity corset (inspired by Madonna) on a mannequin, lamenting “What would have been…”, while Blake Lively revealed that she’d secretly been matching the carpet every year, something no one had even noticed. Rita Wilson, now forever known along with husband Tom Hanks as Hollywood’s first COVID-19 survivors, shared, “My Met Ball outfit this year is a lovely sweat suit with divine fuzzy slippers.”
Not to be outdone, Priyanka Chopra Jonas let niece Krishna Sky give her a glamorous makeover at home, posting pictures of herself in a denim dress accessorized with sparkling tiara. “First Monday in May. This year’s theme: Pretty Pretty Princess,” she wrote.
ENews reports that style icon Billy Porter joined forces with Vogue to create the #MetGalaChallenge on Instagram, inviting the world to choose an iconic look from years past to recreate in your own home. Sorry, True Fashionista divas, that challenge ended May 3rd, but oh do we have some great images to relish, including those from Mindy Kaling, who recreated Jared Leto’s unforgettable red carpet look from 2019 (complete with life-sized head replica) and Adam Rippon channeling Rihanna in her 2015 iconic yellow Guo Pei couture.
The real thing may not have happened this year, but the virtual Met Gala lives on into eternity. While you’re checking it out, open another tab and shop True Fashionistas online. We’re also thrilled to announce that our Naples, FL store has reopened following social distancing guidelines. Come on in!