At the Met Gala: glitter, and 275,000 pink roses
The outer staircase to the Metropolitan Museum of Art is lined with 50,000 dark pinks, and another 75,000 surround the lobby's center. Another 150,000 roses cover every inch of the steps of the Great Hall, a stunning backdrop for the host's lineup.
Meet Galas; he is a couple. But, stunned by this year's cocktail, James Cordon said it might still be his favorite.
"Great," he said. "It feels elegant."
The TV presenter waved his hand around the room, receiving hundreds of guests who followed grooming instructions - "glitter" - and into the golden era of the best they could muster. An elegant dress that glitters with gold. Classic black and white. Tail and even some spikes. Headdress and dresser, and maybe an evening accessory: the tiara was worn by none other than Vogue's Anna Wintour, who hosted the gala, wore a family heirloom.
But, of course, take a letter from "class," and you have "class," with all the dire consequences of channeling an era that creates excessive wealth and income inequality in the United States. Several guests struggled with this thought as they pondered the meaning of the evening.
Others point out that the gala concerts were funded by the Met's Costume Institute and enabled exhibitions such as In America: An Anthology of Fashion, which opens this week and seeks to uncover unsung characters and untold stories in American fashion history, particularly women and women of color.
Others say the night is crucial to show New York is back in full force even as the pandemic is still upon us. "We celebrate craftsmanship, and we celebrate America," says renowned chef Marcus Samuelson, who also prepared this year's dinner menu, selecting a chef's roster and taking his main course -- barbecue-style beef, he says, with corn and succotash. "We show that New York is back."
Of course, florists in New York are back if they haven't. Whether there will still be roses in New York after Monday's gala. The outer staircase to the Metropolitan Museum of Art is lined with 50,000 dark pinks, and another 75,000 surround the lobby's center. Another 150,000 roses cover every inch of the steps of the Great Hall, a stunning backdrop for the host's lineup.