A scan around the room offered a variety of floral fashion interpretations in the garden. Malle wore fresh rosebuds in her hair, and an ethereal Simone Rocha dress with long-stemmed roses sewn into the skirt under layers of organza; Guiducci wore a Tom Ford suit in a dark brown shade that he described as the “color of a garden bed” and completed the look with a fresh white peony on the lapel. Cohosts Nnadi and Sussmann wore gossamer tulle skirts with light floribunda accents.
At the height of the party, the room was absolutely packed and the scent of flowers wafted through the room. A trip to the bar—where we served variations on French 75s with floating petunia petals and more festive drinks courtesy of Delta One—felt more like cutting through a field of wildflowers, as I sidestepped oversized floral brooches and blooming boutonnières.
Hari Nef (in a picturesque floral SS24 Balenciaga maxi) swam around the room; Dressed in a stylish floral costume, Gwendoline Christie appeared before her performance as Fashion Met Gala livestream co-host, and Ivy Getty, looked elegant in a vintage silk slip dress she recently picked up in Rome. Getty’s floral touch? A pair of vintage Rene Caovilla sandals. Anok Yao was voted best dressed in an open-back vampire dress by Quine Li. Elsewhere there was Law Roach, who wore a yarn pom-pom hat and lilac coat.
A handful of designers were in attendance, spending time on their crucial final hours of Met Gala fixtures. Tanner Richie and Fletcher Kasell of Tanner Fletcher admitted they still weren’t done with their Met Gala looks. “We’ll be fine,†gulp!†Kasell said of the top-secret looks they’re designing. Alexandra O’Neill of Markarian was also in attendance and expressed her excitement about some last-minute phone calls for the Met. Also in the audience were Erdem MoralıoÄŸlu, Wes Gordon of Carolina Herrera and Fernando Garcia and Laural Kim of Oscar de la Renta.
Midway through the evening, guests were treated to cubes of petal jello shots from Solid Wiggles, and The Dare was played from a second-floor balcony. Those with a sweet tooth went outside for a soft cone, handed out from a parked ice cream truck. It certainly wasn’t the only treat of the evening: guests were happily encouraged to bring as many bouquets as they could carry – a floral package that was sure to see everyone through until Monday’s big, flower-filled gala.