
610 guests attended this year’s MET Gala, spread across 65 tables. 50,000 hours were spent on venue set up. 500,000 roses were threaded into installations, making up precisely half of the one million flowers ordered.
All of which set the scene for guests to undergo their own sparkling transformations. In keeping with The Costume Institute’s spring 2016 exhibition theme Manus x Machina, which explores how designers are reconciling the handmade and machine-made, there was plenty of detail to take in.
Noted were embellishments, laser cut outs, futuristic high impact party make up and hand beading. It was an outrageous juxtaposition of garments old and new. Claire Danes wore a fibre optic gown by Zac Posen that glowed in the dark. And don’t forget the metallic Balmain army of the Jenner-Kardashian-West clan.
Most essentially, there was ample to fuss over in the jewelry department. Some took the theme literally, and suited up much like a member of the cast from MADMax Fury would. Both Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid rocked metal hand and arm armour.
Vintage jewels were high on the priority list, no doubt playing into the discussion of handmade craftsmanship as opposed to mass production pieces. We noted Hailee Steinfeld’s gold choker and emerald green gown, while Margot Robbie wore oversized gold Tiffany and Co accessories.
Delicate designs were spotted on both Emily Ratajkowski and Sienna Miller, who wore dangling earrings to complement a gold strapless Gucci creation.

UPDATE:
In one happy coincidence, a new shipment of Love and Object Vintage has arrived, all of which would have been at home on the MET Gala red carpet this year. Visit our Just In page for the goods.