Met Gala for Fashion Dummies
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This message is brought to you by McDonald's. Did you know only 7.3% of American fashion designers are Black? Well, McDonald's 2024 Change Leaders Program is ready to change the face of fashion. The innovative program awards a monetary grant to five emerging Black American designers and pairs each with an industry professional to help them elevate their brands.

I know specifically and distinctly how McDonald's can support and empower not just black Gen Z, but black people. My first job was McDonald's. I learned a lot there about customer service and how to relate to people. I still love that place and go there very often. Look out for the change of fashion designers and mentors.

at events like the BET Awards and the Essence Festival of Culture. And follow the journey of the 2024 McDonald's Change Leaders on their Instagram page, We Are Golden.

Here's an HIV pill dilemma for you. Picture the scene. There's a rooftop sunset with fairy lights and you're vibing with friends. You remember you've got to take your HIV pill. Important, yes, but the fun moment is gone. Did you know there's a long-acting treatment option available? So catch the sunset and keep the party going. Visit pillfreehiv.com today to learn more. Brought to you by Veve Healthcare.

Hello, hello, hello. From one lady to another. Greetings. Greetings. Salutations. I'm Zach Stafford. I'm Sam Sanders. And you are listening to Vibe Check, Fashion Edition. Vibe Check.

How are we? It's just us. No Saeed Jones. Saeed is dealing with some stuff, but he'll be back later this week. In the meantime, we're doing a very special bonus episode of Vibe Check on the Met Gala. Yes. Which is a space and a place I don't know too much about. So Zach, you are in charge. I'm in charge today. So let's tell the folks what's going on. We had been talking for a while about

how we're kind of into the Met Gala. Yes. Wanted to talk about it, but wanted to talk about it in a way that respects people's different entry points. Yeah. Meaning, I don't know fashion, but I find this interesting. And I think a lot of our listeners are in the same boat, right Zach? Yes, and I've been calling this Met Gala for Dummies in a nice way. It's like we're going to create an episode where...

It's very accessible. You can understand why we even talk about the Metropolitan Museum and this gala that happens and the ins and outs of all of that. But I have to say, we are also paying homage to the origin of Vibe Check by doing this because the first podcast episode we ever did together was about Andre Leon Talley.

on Sam's old show, It's Been a Minute. And it's the first time Zach Zaffer, Zahid Jones, and Sam Sanders ever came together to do a show. And it was about fashion and the history of fashion and blackness. So it just felt good for us to come together and do this today. Yeah, yeah. So listeners, if you want to go find that episode, just Google It's Been a Minute, Andre Leon Talley, and our names, you'll find it.

And then I suppose I should tell folks what they're going to hear this episode. It's kind of in two parts. The first part is going to be kind of Zach telling me and a lot of listeners what the Met Gala is and why it matters.

And then we're going to just go through the looks and say what we liked, what we didn't. Yeah. And we should note that we're doing this as the carpet is continuing on. You know, we were trying to wait for it to end, but we just found out that Miss Rihanna herself is closing down the red carpet as the last person. So she has...

Push back the dinner time of this gala. So now Cardi B is now walking to give you time. We are beginning this conversation as Cardi B arrives in a tuxedo gown that is very beautiful on her. So we're doing live reporting on fashion, which is none of our jobs, actually. It's going to be a fun time.

So with that, let's get to it. I got some basic questions for you, Zach, about what the hell this thing is. Yes. To start, I suppose, what exactly is the Met Gala? I end up seeing it every year, come across my timeline. I see the looks. I see the photos. Yes.

I'm not sure I or most Americans know exactly what the Met Gala is. I agree. I agree 100%. So for those who don't know, the Met Gala is an event that happens every year at the Met, which is the big museum in New York City on the Upper East Side.

But fun fact, it's not for the entire Metropolitan Museum. It's specifically for the Costume Institute, which is inside the museum. And this is a division, I guess, of the museum that began in the 1940s. So this event has been going on since the 40s. Oh, really? Yeah. But the reason why we care about it is because of one woman, and her name is Anna Wintour. So Sam, what do you know about Anna Wintour?

I know that she is the impetus for The Devil Wears Prada and the book that begot that movie. I know that she has been the head of Vogue International for some decades now.

For the longest time, she was thought to be the most powerful woman in fashion. And the Met Gala is her signature event. Every year, it seems the biggest and brightest of not just fashion, but music, TV, everything, show up dressed up for Anna and the Met. If you work in journalism or even outside journalism, why people love that movie, Death Rose Prada, is because she's such a severe bot.

And she is very decisive and very powerful. And she's made us all think about Cerulean Blue in that movie a lot, which Meryl Streep said famously. She's like this iconic person. But if you don't know much about Anna Wintour, she became the editor-in-chief of Vogue in 1988. But it wasn't until 1995 that she took over this thing called the Met Gala.

And before Anna, the Meg Ella was not very sexy. It was not something people all went to. It was mostly like very rich people in Manhattan would go to this thing, which is very similar to Vogue itself. So we all live in a world like you and I do. Samworth, Vogue is very powerful, very trendy, very cool. But it wasn't like that all the time. In the past, it was kind of like stodgy, only models in the front that you didn't really know who they were. It wasn't as sexy with like a Kim Kardashian debuting her wedding dress on it.

In a Wynn tour, when she took over, she brought in a man named Andre Leon Talley, who we talked about in that episode. And they made it this juggernaut of culture. And part of her plan was to take over the Met Gala and make it also a juggernaut, where celebrities fuse with fashion on a global stage. So, okay, so the Met Gala is a thing that's happening every year since 1948. It's a fundraiser for this one part of the Met. Right.

She says in 1995, I'm going to make this a big deal that everyone's going to care about. How does she do it? She comes in and she starts doing this thing at the gala and also with Vogue, which is something that is so normal these days that you're going to be like, wait, that was weird at the time. And it is putting celebrities on the cover of fashion magazines. Yeah.

We used to never put celebrities on fashion magazines. That's where like Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, the reason why we had all those iconic supermodels of the 80s and 90s was because they were on the covers of magazines, not Nicole Kidman, not Kim Kardashian. It was models. But what Anna Wintour did with Andrea Leone Talley, she said, screw that. We're going to put celebrities on the cover and we're going to put models on there too. We're going to do it all, all together. And it's all going to culminate

every May, the first Monday in May, into a gala where they all come. And it's a fusion of designers dressing them and picking their muses and then also brands wrapping around them and it becoming new. So it's kind of that pop culture moment is what made it a thing. Well, and like you'll notice, like I was noticing today watching the red carpet, you'll have these celebrities show up

with the designer who made their clothes next to them. And they'll talk about the look and the influences. So yeah, she's accomplished this kind of perfect melding of celebrity and high fashion. Does it work?

And I asked, does it work? Because every year they'll say, here's the theme. Then I watch the red carpet looks and I'm like, that doesn't make any sense. You're like, girl, what's happening? Yeah. Every year. And I would say as we're starting, like this year they're doing a great job and we'll get into later why, because it's Karl Lagerfeld and it's pretty easy to dress under Karl Lagerfeld's eyes. Well, he was Mr. Chanel forever and Chanel has such an iconic look. Even I know what Chanel looks like. Exactly. So it's very easy and we'll get into this. So this is an easy year, but-

Every year, you're right. They create these crazy themes and people really miss the mark. And there's a few reasons for that. So one, it's just hard. This is a costume gala. It's kind of like when you go to a Halloween party and you're like, I don't know what I'm going to wear. And sometimes you win, sometimes you flop. Celebrities are just like you. But there's other factors in this, which is, you know, the themes are picked because they coincide with the exhibitions themselves.

So in 2015, there was China Through the Looking Glass, which is the Rihanna moment of the big yellow dress that was iconic. It was amazing. But the point of this, at the end of the day, is to raise money for the Met itself, specifically for the custom wing.

So people dress like the art that's in the exhibition because you, Sam Sanders, are supposed to go visit the Met this year and go see all the dresses that they inspired. Wait, I've never put that together. Yes, that's the whole point of this. I've never seen the Met Gala and been like, oh, they want me to go to the Met. Isn't that wild? Like that's like literally, like once you know, you're like, oh, it's kind of like when you watch Sex and the City and when you tell people that each episode of Sex and the City is Carrie's column. That's why she begins with typing. Eh!

That episode is the column itself. So this is also that too. This is like, it's very clear. So you're dressing as the exhibition itself. So the exhibition has a theme every year and then the gala has a theme every year. But I remember some of these gala themes. They don't make sense to me. Like one year, the theme was camp.

That is so broad. That was so bad. So open to interpretation. Or even like you were saying earlier, the theme one year was China through the looking glass. To even think that you could do China in one night feels a little racist. It's a big old country. When you peel it all back, and that's what's so interesting about fashion, that fashion is an institution within society, but it backs into capitalism.

So fashion is the like fancy glittery thing in which you can kind of take the temp check on capitalism. So when we talk about China through the looking glass, the reason why the Met wanted to do that is because they have the largest collection of Chinese art outside of China through what?

colonialism, all these other factors. Because they have all of this, they're like, we need to kind of prop up our art through all these celebrities and get people to come to our museum. And it kind of reveals how complicated art itself is and how much it is about power and consuming and taking because the country of China was really pissed about that exhibition. This is about the fantasy, the Western fantasy. It's not about the East. So you're right. Each theme has a very complicated nature to it.

Yeah. When did the themes start? So if Anna Wintour comes in in 95, when did the themes specifically become a thing? That's a great question because it wasn't always that way. You know, Anna began and she started doing it and she's trying to figure it out. And it wasn't until 2002 when Andrew Bolton, who is now the curator of the Costume Institute, he enters the picture and he is best friends with Anna Wintour and they start launching themes that tie into this larger kind of

of hope that you'll come to the museum. And it should be pointed out that Andrew's partner is Tom Brown, a very famous fashion designer. And I like him because he makes suits that I understand. Amazing suits. The skirt suits, the short suits. He makes great suits. He's a wonderful, wonderful designer. So that is his partner. And that's where you see themes really emerge and just kept building and building and building. But something I want to point out that is the confusing thing that which Twitter like takes over every year is why are people so bad at dressing? And

It's because the economics of the Met Gala. So the Met Gala, you know, is a celebrity thing, Vogue is there, whatever, but it's a business at the end of the day. They're trying to raise millions and millions and millions of dollars. How much do they raise? They've surpassed $120 million so far since Anna's taken over since 1995. And this money is the only revenue source for this wing of the museum. How they get the money is they sell tables to the designers, Chanel, Versace, etc., etc.,

And those design houses pick celebrities that they get to bring in. To wear the stuff. And Anna approves those lists. But when they come, that house, like Chanel, may be like, I want to put you all in suits because we want to sell suits this year because we need to sell some more suits. And that's why people come looking crazy sometimes because they're just marketing vehicles. They're marketing these fashion houses. Yes. We're just seeing a massive marketing campaign happening in real time for charity.

So there are some things that I see in fashion where I'm like, this is going to trickle down to me at some point. Like when I see runway shows at whatever fashion week, I assume that at some point that's going to end up in a store that I shop at. Yeah. With the Met Gala, none of these looks at all feel as if they're going to end up trickling down to the lay folks. Yeah. So fashion wise,

How important is this in most people's everyday long-term? I would say, in my opinion, not very. A lot of people are pulling archive work or couture, which is very expensive and meaning it's one of a kind. So it's not going to shape everything. However, in the past few years with the advent of Zara and fast fashion, you'll see certain pieces replicated literally by next week, which is not good for climate change, by the way.

Really terrible thing. But fashion wise, really chic that you can maybe get Cardi B's tuxedo dress at Zara in two weeks. But yeah, typically these things don't filter out. So the Lil Nas X outfit, which we can talk about in the next part of the show. What did he wear? He's just all glitter. Oh, that was him? The like silver glitter with the button? That's him. Cheeks out? Yeah, cheeks out. I thought that was him and I was like, I couldn't tell. Bussy out. Yeah, that's not going to be.

That may not be at H&M, but that may be at a Halloween party soon. So it's a costume gala. You know, this isn't like the spring ready-to-wear show for J.Crew. This is a very high-end, high-concept gala. I want us to get to some looks after the break, but I got to ask about the legacy of the Met Gala, especially in this year.

So Anna Wintour, it's been rumored for a while now that she might be soon stepping down as the head of Vogue International. And the person being honored this year at the Met Gala is Karl Lagerfeld. The theme is Karl Lagerfeld, a line of beauty. Anna Wintour seems to be trying to shape her legacy as she moves closer to retirement. And a lot of people in this gala moment are trying to remake Karl Lagerfeld's legacy because when you read past the first headline, it seemed as if this guy was not a nice dude. Right.

How should we look at these two titans in the midst of this Met Gala right now? You know, Anna Wintour and Karl Lagerfeld. There's that quote that I'm going to mess up right now, but it is like history is in the pen of the hand that holds it or whatever. But it's the people that have the power that can control the narrative that make history and control history. And Anna's doing that right now with Karl Lagerfeld. You know, he's a very publicly fat

racists, sexists, mean person who hates pink, says that people when they wear sweatpants have given up on life and should like not be alive anymore and things like that. He's this very mean, mean, mean, mean fashion person.

But what we're seeing through tonight, and you can hear it in the interviews, and even in Anna Wintour being interviewed by Gayle King this week on CBS This Morning, they are looking over that. They're saying, you know, we can look at his legacy as a designer and not talk about what he personally said because, you know, he was flamboyant. He was ridiculous. He said things to make headlines.

But they're ignoring the fact that this German man who comes from a very working class background, who has this kind of Phoenix rise through the fashion world, through Chloe, Chanel, Fendi. He was a problematic white man that we should probably not be celebrating, but yet look at tonight. What does it mean to have

these two icons of fashion at the forefront of tonight's Met Gala as the Met Gala itself and fashion tries to look to the future as legendary as they both are. Anna Wintour is not the future and neither is Karl Lagerfeld.

I think what I can say here is you're going to be really excited about our weekly episode of Vibe Check this week, because I think Sam and I are going to get into this. And it's about kind of this gap we're seeing in the world through every industry, whether it's fashion or politics, where you have white elderly people running everything and fighting so hard to make sure that their history is preserved and that their legacy looks good while not just acknowledging the

obvious systems that are very much oppressing people of color right in front of us. So like whether it's the White House Correspondents Dinner over the weekend or the Met Gala, these are very archaic ways of bringing society together that at the end of the day only prop up these like elderly white people who probably should have stepped out a while ago but yet are still grasping for power. And it

ignoring the harm that they have done. So it's complicated. It's a really beautiful night. Fashion's really beautiful, but it's still like a very toxic place that hasn't been fixed. Yeah. Well, and like, you know, we're not trying to be ageist at all, but we have a lot of institutions led by people that have been there for a long time. What happens when that happens? And is that good for everybody else?

Yeah. And it leads to like the Met Gala where we're honoring an openly racist person who didn't like that. Yeah. And that's fashion for you, honey. That's fashion. Well, I know a lot more about the Met Gala after hearing you explain it to me, Zach. Thank you for that. We're going to take a break. When we come back, we will critique the looks and channel. Who was the mean lady? Joan Rivers. Yes. Joan Rivers. We're going to channel Joan. All right. You're listening to Vibe Check. We'll be right back. Bye.

This message is brought to you by McDonald's. Did you know only 7.3% of American fashion designers are Black? Well, McDonald's 2024 Change Leaders Program is ready to change the face of fashion. The innovative program awards a monetary grant to five emerging Black American designers and pairs each with an industry professional to help them elevate their brands. I

I know specifically and distinctly how McDonald's can support and empower not just black Gen Z, but black people. My first job was McDonald's. I learned a lot there about customer service and how to relate to people. I still love that place and go there very often. Look out for the change of fashion designers and mentors

at events like the BET Awards and the Essence Festival of Culture. And follow the journey of the 2024 McDonald's Change Leaders on their Instagram page, We Are Golden.

Here's an HIV pill dilemma for you. Picture the scene. There's a rooftop sunset with fairy lights and you're vibing with friends. You remember you've got to take your HIV pill. Important, yes, but the fun moment is gone. Did you know there's a long-acting treatment option available? So catch the sunset and keep the party going. Visit pillfreehiv.com today to learn more. Brought to you by Veve Healthcare.

We are back. You're listening to Vibe Check, special Met Gala edition.

I'm a fashion girly this episode. Who knew? Who knew? I do want people to know, Sam has recently bought me a piece of clothing. He bought a bunch of us a piece of clothing. It's a very chic sweatshirt from the Sam's Club. No, Costco, baby. Costco, sorry. Costco. I got all my friends Kirkland signature sweatshirts with the Kirkland logo on it. That's my fashion sense, okay? It is. That's where I'm at. I wore it the other day on a hike, and some straight man was also wearing one too. And I...

I was like, I'm straight. I'm a heterosexual now. Well, before we jump into us, I don't want to say critiquing. We're giving our thoughts. We can critique. We can channel Joan Rivers. There's some looks I like, some looks I don't. But it's probably important first to just talk about what this theme is. If the theme is Karl Lagerfeld...

Zach, what does that mean? Fashion-wise, image-wise? Image-wise, the word you should remember today is Chanel. So Karl Lagerfeld was a young designer, not formally trained. He won a competition in his 20s. He designed a coat really well and went to work for a Balmain.

And he was an assistant to Beaumont, Pierre Beaumont, for years. And then he eventually rose up the ranks, joined the House of Chloe, a French house he did ready-to-wear. But it wasn't really until Chanel where he popped off. And what he did, and why I'm stressing this so much, is he took those tweed jackets, suits, pearls...

All of that really fancy white lady country club stuff and made it really chic, really pop, and really big. So he took black tie and made it cool and really sexy. And that's what tonight's about. It's really about black tie. It's about wealth. It's about, I would say, casual luxury. Really great tailoring. A lot of roses and flowers. He loved orchids and all that. So that's kind of the ground rules for him. Glamour, wealth, rich people. So for those who are like me at the 101 level...

The best way to think of the iconic Lagerfeld image is probably...

Breakfast at Tiffany's? Yes. Yes. That's a great, great reference. Yeah. So Audrey Hepburn in that film is very girly, very prissy, very pearls. That look, that was Chanel. So when I think of Chanel, I think of one, mostly black and white, very put together, very feminine, lots of pearls and jewelry, and just, it's girly. It's girly in a very smart, posh way, if that makes sense. 1,000%.

And what we're seeing tonight, I would say from a bird's eye view, we're seeing sexy, girly, a lot of body, whether it's Lin-Manuel Miranda, showing his little boy body, or Carisha from City Girls. We're seeing a lot of elevated type of tuxes, but lots of butts out. So it's kind of this new interpretation that I actually don't know if Karl Lagerfeld would love, but we love it because we love when people show their bodies. So let's get into the looks. Yeah, who are you loving? I'm much more interested in what you like because I want to hear how you think about...

beauty and fashion. So who's really standing out to you? For me, it's kind of like, in general, I think people who are that rich and who are paid to look good are going to look in some way good no matter what they wear. So I'm more into like

what causes the most chatter and the most conversation. And for me, there were two people who have so far caused the most conversation. One, Doja Cat, whose dress was Chanel enough, but her face was prosthetically made up to look like Karl Lagerfeld's cat. She had full cat face. It was wild. It was fun. And I liked it because she kept it weird. So that was one. And then secondly, Serena Williams...

And Pearls for the Girls, full Chanel style, revealed her latest pregnancy. So I love that. And then besides that, I think Michaela Cole just looked great. Listeners, go Google Michaela Cole McGallagher right now. She looks like...

There are no words. She's a jewel. She's a jewel. She's wearing Schiaparelli, which is another French house, very old. And it's now kind of seen a new life because of so many people wearing them. The best way to think about Schiaparelli is whenever you see a celebrity wearing a piece of an eye as an earring or a nose as a necklace, that's Schiaparelli. But Michaela Cole's wearing a couture gown and it looks incredible. And the best part about Michaela Cole looking incredible is that you should go listen to her and Sam Sanders talk to each other because there's this episode that they did together.

I'm plugging all of Sam's episodes. I love it. It's so wonderful. I've been to her twice. Yeah. She's phenomenal. She's phenomenal. She's also one of the chairs tonight at the Met Gala. And like the detailing on her dress and the shoes. So like the dress is this brown kind of form fitting see-through mess situation with jewels all over it. But then if you scroll down to her shoes, she's wearing these like brass golden high heels and,

that have like how do you describe it zach like it's imprints of the toes in the metal of the shoe it's just phenomenal it's a very scaparelli thing they like to show kind of the body part under in some of their clothing it's really cool you just have to look at it but she looks you know next next level yeah who else do you like okay i'm gonna say a few more people i like let me talk about people i don't like um okay can we just i have to say this

I'm obsessed with bad bunny. I know he's dating Kendall Jenner, which I kind of love the bad bunnies wearing a white suit that has this huge cutout in the back with a huge cake. Oh, that's great. It's made by Jacques Moose. Um,

And it is amazing. It is huge. I love how he plays with the masculine and the feminine at the same time. Same. From the front, it looks like a pretty traditional white suit. Then he turns around, the back is out, and there's a floral cape. Yes. He's been doing this a lot in his work on stage. He's playing with fluidity. He's playing with gender and sexuality. I like it.

I love it. And he's one of the biggest pop stars of the past year, highest grossing. And he's really cool with playing with gender. You know, people try to ID him as queer. He only dates women to all of our knowledge. But he's so supportive of the LGBTQ community. He's from Puerto Rico and has done so much locally for the community. So to see him continue to show up in these really gender-pushing outfits, I just love. But he also is wearing a cape like every other man in this Met Gala, which never happens. Like, they're all wearing capes tonight. What are the capes about?

The capes, what we're assuming tonight, are an ode to Andre Leon Talley. So what people may not know is Andre Leon Talley was Karl Lagerfeld's best friend. He also was best friends with Anna Wintour and was her right hand.

So he was the right hand to two of the people who are being kind of focused on in this gala this year. And there are really terrible, complicated rumors that Andre Leontali was Karl Lagerfeld's lover. He denies it. That was all fueled by a lot of racism in Paris. So it makes sense that people would all be wearing capes because this is also the first year in which Andre is not there to host the red carpet.

So it does feel like a subtle nod to him. And it's everyone from Brian Tyree, Henry, to Puffy, or now Love. Diddy. Whatever his name is. To Jeremy Pope literally wearing a cape with Karl Lagerfeld's profile on it. So capes are huge at the Met Gala, but I don't think we're all going to be wearing capes. The one that we're seeing right now that is just so funny is Letitia Wright. And I just have to say, she looks like Lori Lightfoot. She does.

She is, you've seen Black Panther 2 by now. She is the new Black Panther. She was the sister of Chadwick Boseman's character in the movie. She is, as some people say, dressed like Lori Lightfoot circa 1996. So funny. Whoa, whoa, she tried. So something that people expected in the Met Gala this year was a lot of cat stuff.

And the reason for that is because Karl Lagerfeld had a cat. His name was Chopette. And two people, Doja Cat, as you mentioned, dressed up as the cat. But Jarrett Leto literally wore a furry outfit where he just looks like a cat. Sam, what do you think about these kind of campy moments in the Met Gala? You know what? At least it's a thing to talk about. If the Met Gala doesn't mean nearly as much to lay people as Anna Wintour wishes it does or thinks it does...

at least give me a water cooler meme moment. And Doja gave that. Jared gave that. Jared Leto actually always has the most interesting looks at the Met Gala. Wasn't there one year where he showed up

holding in his hand what looked like to be his beheaded head. Yes, he did. Yeah. He pushes the envelope, so I'm fine with that. I like it. Yeah, make a moment. Yeah. Well, what do you think about the Kardashians arriving? Because there was rumors that they were not going to be there, but Kim, Kylie, and Kendall are all there. Yeah.

Kendall's obviously dating Bad Bunny. He's there. But what do you think about their rise from reality TV stars to fashion royalty tonight? I hate to say it. I might get some backlash, especially when it comes to Kim. She's earned it. She's turned in some truly iconic looks. You can disagree with a lot about how they do business. But there are at least three or four looks that Kim has done that will go down in history.

My favorite one of hers is a few years ago, like the wet dress. I don't know how to describe it, but she wore this form-fitting kind of like almost vinyl thing. It looked like her body was wet in this form-fitting dress. It was one of the most interesting and beautifully artistic

articulated things I've ever seen on a person. And so I'm not sure I support everything that they do, but if there's one night where I support the Kardashians, it's Met Gala night because they look good. I saw her look tonight, all the pearls. It worked. It worked.

And they're kind of the perfect evidence of this new version of fashion where those who just have power and prominence, Anna Wintour brings in to bring a lot of eyeballs there. Because we were all waiting for them to show up. And Kim Kardashian is wearing Schiaparelli as well. Kendall is wearing Marc Jacobs. And then Kylie is wearing Ackerman, which is an ode to Andre Leon Talley as well. So lots of Andre Leon Talley odes tonight. Which looks did you hate? I mean...

So I'm looking through a Rolling Stone album right now. And I just have to say, I'm sure people are going to be mad at me for this, but I don't know who Emma Chamberlain is. She's a YouTube star. She's very famous. Her Miu Miu thing she's wearing right now? No, no. Like to me, no, no. This is not good. This is not good. Why not? It's not tailored well. Describe it visually for folks who aren't seeing it right now. Yeah, so it's a powder blue suit that's

with some like shimmer in between that's over her stomach area. And it has like white cuffs. It just looks, it doesn't look like it was tailored and it looks a bit sloppy in this look. I also just don't like this headband. So I'm just not a big fan of it. I don't think it looks, I've seen her before. She looks amazing typically. I don't love this. Yeah. Janelle Monae's look is great. Oh my gosh. She's wearing Tom Brown and she's taking it off as she climbs the stairs. Wow.

So it is this big, wide, inflated, ballooned out version of a black and white two-tone suit that's fluffy with like a cat-shaped print.

She looks like a cartoon character, which is kind of her deal. I think she owns it, though. I love it. It's good. It's really good. Someone else I don't like, as I'm going through this list, Ariana DeBose. I saw that, yeah. She did not do a thing here. She's very aggressive. Alcizora. I do love her. I do, too.

She's a very hard-working person in showbiz. She's hosting the Tonys, and as people are listening to this, the Tonys have been announced, the nominees have been announced, so congratulations to those folks, our friends. But, you know, she's wearing this Joseph Altazar outfit. It looks like one of those fur coats I wore in middle school. It's just not... It's not good. It's not good. I'm not into it. Nicole Kidman and her husband...

you know, Heath Urban. Look amazing as always. But she's wearing the dress that she wore in a commercial for Chanel years ago. Oh, she is? She talked about it on the red carpet with Lala. I watched some of the live feed. You know that iconic Chanel commercial she was in many years ago where she's like running from the limo? Uh-huh. She's wearing that dress again tonight. That's amazing. And also, people should know, Karl Lagerfeld was one of the first designers to create short films to promote the brand globally.

And then also Quinta Brunson is here and we love her so much, but we do not love this dress. I do not. And I feel bad because she's already ending up on worst dress lists already, but we love her deeply next year. I love Olivia Rodrigo and that album still speaks to me. I'm not sure I get the dress.

Yeah, it's fine. Now, you know who did do the damn thing? Who? Anne Hathaway, or as I call her, Stan Hathaway, because that's Stan. She looks good. Anne Hath is sickening. I don't know what happened. I don't know if she went through a divorce or what, but she looks so incredible these days. She's the face of Versace right now. But she looks amazing, amazing, amazing, amazing. We love her. She's got this white dress that's kind of detailed with what look like bejeweled safety pins tying the dress together.

It's kind of cool. So I have to say, I was going to be mean, but I'm not. James Corden looks good in a powder blue tux with black pants. He just gets on everyone's nerves, as we all know. And you know what? He deserves his final lap as he leaves the show. So you know what? Moving on. Congrats, James. Can I tell you who I wanted to look really good tonight, but I'm not sure I love it? Who? Who?

Pedro Pascal. I don't get that look. Daddy Pascal does not look good. It's this red situation. Not into it. It's a red trench coat on top of shorts, dominatrix boots, and a red shirt with a black tie.

I don't know. Not into it. Not into it. Kiki Palmer, yes. Kiki Palmer, yes. Oh my God, Kiki Palmer looks amazing. Classic beauty. Just like a classic long dress. And then Jack Harlow, who just named himself the second best white rapper alive, looks fine. What was he wearing? He's wearing a navy tweed suit thing. Very Chanel looking.

Jenna Ortega, I think really hit it out of the park. She's wearing a tweed crop jacket. It's very Chanel. It's very fun. It's very sexy. And she's in like a bodice and there's lots of pearls. And I think Jenna Ortega, I'll say this on the show. I love her.

She's going to be the next big star of our generation. She's it. She's it. She's got everything. Everything. I love it. I want to see more of her. Ginzy Julia Roberts. I feel it now. Oh my God, Sam. That is perfect. I did not even think about that. She is Ginzy Julia Roberts. She is someone that would be a tentpole for a movie opening. Yes. Speaking of movie stars, J-Lo looked good. J-Lo looks great. And no Ben Affleck. So maybe they're getting a divorce. Who knows? Hey, now, don't. Whoa!

Oh, buddy. Who knows? Who knows? What do you actually think about this Lil Nas X outfit? Do we like it? Do we not? What do we actually think about it? I've come to just understand that this is who he is and what he does. He's very provocative. He'll do something and every few weeks he has to apologize for it. His whole thing is to push buttons, so I'm not at all surprised.

It could have been even more offensive because he likes to be offensive. So listen, girl, do you. Very new. There is visible penis line here. It's just a lot happening here. But I will say he's probably of the school of thought that a lot of TikTokers are, which is that theory of controlled controversy. Have you heard this before? No, tell me. So a lot of influencers have learned that you create controversy for yourself. That is...

going to cause some stirs and some ruffling of feathers, but you can recover. So they do something with the intention of recovering from it and increasing the profile. And he's really good at that, like shock marketing. So that's what this feels a bit like. So anyway, all in all, Sam Sanders, would you like to go to the Met Gala one day? Would it be your thing? Sure. But I'm just wearing like a basic black tux. That's it. Yeah.

That's it. What are you wearing, Zach? I would not try. Oh, I would wear. What would you do? Okay. I would be so stressed out. I would be so stressed out. Let me tell y'all something. I can't believe I'm saying this live. The first time I met Anna Wintour, I met with stylists to make sure I look okay. Stop.

Yes. I was so stressed out about it. So if I got invited to the Met Gala, I would have to be on a lot of pills to like calm my nerves. I would be a mess. So let me tell you, if I ever get to meet Anna Wintour, I think I'm wearing the Kirkland signature sweatshirt. She...

She might like it ironically. She would maybe like it ironically. With that, listeners, let us know your thoughts on this year's Met Gala. You should note that we are stopping recording before Rihanna arrives. And I'm sure she'll look great. We bless her. We don't need to keep recording because we know she's going to be great. So, like, sorry. Two last shout outs. Stephanie Hsu from Everything Everywhere All At Once looks great.

as does Tiana Taylor. Tiana Taylor, I could do an entire vibe check on why that woman is everything to me. She needs to EGOT at some point. She's got it all. All right. Well, listeners, again, share your thoughts with us on this year's Met Gala and reach out to us via email on vibecheckatstitcher.com.

And also, if you loved hearing about the Met Gala and you have lots of questions about how it came to be, there's a wonderful documentary that is called The First Monday in May. And it's wonderful. It's a great time. Condé Nast did partially produce it, so it's not the full truth, but it gives you insight into the 2015 Met Gala and how it came to be.

Thank you for tuning into today's special episode of Vibe Check. If you love the show and want to support us, please make sure to follow the show on your favorite podcast listening platform and tell a friend, tell another friend, tell the person at Zara you meet when you're shopping. Tell everyone. Here's what's next.

Want to give a special shout out to Kristen Stewart for always being herself. Big lesbian energy. Being herself. Love it. Love it.

And also, listeners, don't forget we always want to hear from you. Let us know what your favorite Met Gala looks have been or your least favorite Met Gala looks. Email us about anything, anytime. We are at vibecheckatstitcher.com. Also, we're on Instagram. I'm at Sam Sanders. Zach is at Zach Staff. And Saeed is at The Ferocity. If you tag us on socials, use the hashtag vibecheckpod.

There's a TikTok account for us as well, at VibeTechPod. All right, we're going to go back to our usual schedule. You're going to see another episode in this feed on Wednesday. Look for that one, too. With that, goodbye. Goodbye. Stitcher.

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