Bay Area fashion icons shine in Met Gala's celebration of Black style
I wish André Leon Talley were alive to be there.
The groundbreaking fashion editor did so much to advance Black designers, models and other creatives before his death in 2022 at age 73. His five-decade career took him from Women's Wear Daily and Vogue to curating museum exhibitions, like his 2016 celebration of Oscar de Renta at the de Young Museum. Frequently styled in elegant, bespoke suits and later, regal caftans, he embodied the spirit of Black dandyism the exhibition is celebrating.
Talley was also the author of three books, with his 2020 memoir 'The Chiffon Trenches' offering a frank assessment of the racism he encountered in the fashion industry, and also, a testament to the triumphs of Black style in American culture.
Several Bay Area stars honored that history, and paid homage to Talley, with their looks at the event.
Gala cochair Colman Domingo (who got his start in the Bay Area theater scene) gave a nod to the late fashion icon wearing an ornate blue cape by Valentino reminiscent of a look Talley wore to the Met Gala in 2011. He later revealed a windowpane-patterned jacket with Oscar Wildian accessories, also by Valentino, for whom Domingo is a brand ambassador.
Oakland native Zendaya wore a white, three-piece suit and wide brim hat by Pharrell for Louis Vuitton. Styled by Law Roach, the look recalled Bianca Jaggers' well-known yen for white suiting (including a Yves Saint Laurent skirt suit to her 1971 wedding to Mick Jagger) but also referenced a look worn by Diana Ross in her 1975 fashion film 'Mahogany.'
When Zendaya spotted Ross posing for photographers on the museum's staircase, it became a social media moment as these stars from different generations intersected. Ross (who will be headlining the upcoming Stern Grove Festival) attended the party for the first time in 22 years also wearing white. Her look included a feathered picture hat, silvery beaded gown and feather-trimmed opera coat with 18-foot train embroidered with the names of her children and grandchildren. The ensemble was designed in a collaboration between Ross, her son Evan Ross, and Nigerian designer Ugo Mozie.
Gap Inc. Executive Vice President and Creative Director Zac Posen created a custom Gap Studio look for actor Laura Harrier. The cream-colored ensemble leaned into dandy suiting elements with its raw denim-fitted vest, which contrasted with duchess silk satin wide-leg trousers. Harrier's voluminous cotton organdie sleeve added a touch of 18th century drama. Posen wore a custom Banana Republic suit made of wool-linen meant to evoke denim in a dandy London drape cut. (Banana Republic is owned by Gap Inc.; both are headquartered in San Francisco.)
One of the most notable attendees skipped the blue carpet entirety. Former Vice President Kamala Harris made her debut at the party with husband Doug Emhoff wearing a black and white gown by IB Kamara, the designer and creative director from fashion label Off-White. The choice was yet another endorsement of Black fashion talent by Harris: In addition to Kamara, the brand was founded by the late designer Virgil Abloh, the first Black artistic director at Louis Vuitton.
Harris' debut was also notable because of Vogue Editor-in-Chief and Costume Institute namesake Anna Wintour's ban of President Donald Trump at the gala. The artistic director and global chief content officer for Conde Nast said in a 2017 appearance on James Corden's 'The Late Late Show' that Trump would never be invited back to the party.
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