An unintended consequence of the Charles James theme at this year’s Met Gala? Just how hard it was to move around in those big dresses, especially at the “unofficial” after-party at the Top of the Standard. At one point, Hedwig and the Angry Inch star Lena Hall slipped on the dance floor; lucky for her, her full Jamesian skirt broke the fall: “Oh, it’s fine, it’s like falling on a bunch of pillows—I feel like I’m wearing a big comforter!” Sarah Jessica Parker spent the better part of the evening in the far back, by the fireplace, her massive Oscar de la Renta train safely out of everyone’s way.
The consensus among all of the designers in attendance—Peter Copping, Peter Dundas, Stella McCartney, Alexander Wang, and Joseph Altuzarra among them—was a sense of relief that the event was over. “Well, until the CFDAs next month!” Phillip Lim exclaimed.
The room hushed when Beyoncé Knowles and Jay Z arrived, but only until the DJ queued up “Drunk in Love.” Naomi Campbell, Riccardo Tisci, and Lupita Nyong’o led the room in a spirited round of dancing. At one point, Beyoncé enthusiastically approached a woman, believing her to be someone else, and to her dismay, was corrected. “Oh, I’m sorry, that’s so embarrassing!” said Knowles. Blame it on her Givenchy Haute Couture net veil, or maybe Queen Bey mistakes strangers just like the rest of us. She quickly resumed her place on the dance floor alongside her sister, Solange.
The crowd danced until well after 2 a.m., when the party moved to Up & Down for an even more “unofficial” after-after-party, hosted by another Met-goer by the name of Rihanna.
