For many red-carpet lovers, fashion is a religion, and the Met Gala a high holy day — especially on Monday, May 7, 2018, when the star-studded event at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute celebrated its new exhibit, “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.”
Looking heavenly (if not exactly holy) — Olivia Munn (in gold chainmail “veil” matching her H&M Conscious dress); co-chair Amal Clooney (wearing full skirt and trousers by Brit up-and-comer Richard Quinn; Kerry Washington (in modest gold Ralph Lauren); the hip-hop trio Migos in their vibrant (Versace) take on the three magi; and Anne Hathaway (Valentino), Rita Ora (Prada) and Sza (pastel Versace) in halos, halos, halos.
So how hard is it to rock a halo, exactly? “I forget it’s on till I run into someone’s head,” said Sza. Out-pope-ing everyone? Rihanna, of course, in a miter that may have been swiped from Pope Francis’ closet.
And then there was Katy Perry, whose entrance startled Ariana Grande. “Oh, my God, it’s an angel,” Grande (wearing a Sistine Chapel-print Vera Wang) exclaimed in the midst of an E! TV interview. Yes, Perry went all out in custom Versace angel wings (pity the poor person who has to sit next to her at the banquet).
Don’t worry, churchgoers, the Vatican has actually given this exhibit a papal thumbs up, loaning the museum 50 vestments and accessories, to be shown alongside 150 items by top designers. The idea is to show the subtle (and not-so-subtle) ways in which the style and shapes of religious garments have found their way into designer collections over the years.
Like that crucifix dominating Jennifer Lopez’s hot look. “I feel lucky every day, but most lucky when I’m with her,” said her beau, Alex Rodriguez. There’s a man whose prayers were answered.
