Flash-forward to 24 hours before the Met, and it was time to rehearse that epic entrance. Along with his six men, many of whom are Broadway dancers by day, the entire ancient Egyptian–inspired crew practiced lifting Porter up and down while marching in unison. “I think you’re going to have fun for days afterwards, talking about it,” Porter said to the camera during the process. (He was absolutely right.) The day of, Porter kept things quiet ahead of his grand performance. While getting his makeup done by La Sonya Gunter, who did his beauty during his Kinky Boots days, Porter is seen lounging on his hotel bed while Gunter uses Pat McGrath products for a glittery gold look. “I’m trying to conserve my energy, because I know it’s going to be crazy tonight,” he said. While Porter’s getting-ready demeanor was chill, Gunter’s vision for the beauty was anything but. “As Oscar Wilde said, ‘One should be wear a work of art, or be a work of art,’ and when I thought of Billy, I was like, he’s both,” she said. After slipping on his custom getup, Porter was off to the Met in his own party bus, where he even drove by cochair Lady Gaga, who was walking to the venue along the Upper East Side. Noticing her entourage carrying her long pink train, he quipped, “I have some people carrying me too, Lady Gaga. I’ll see you there.” Above, see how Porter became a “sun god” for fashion’s biggest night. Director Kevin Tadge Camera Assistant Olivia Bolling Sound Kathy Lee, John Thayer, Lea Thomas See All of the Celebrity Looks From the Met Gala 2019 Red Carpet: 1 / 100 Chevron Chevron Photo: Getty Images Lady Gaga in Brandon Maxwell Met Gala 2019: See Every Celebrity Arrival, Read the Latest Stories, and Get Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Here<doc-sep>Everyone gagged at last night's Met Gala entrance by the one and only Billy Porter, the Pose star, and genderfluid performer who has been fiercely undergoing a playful, celebratory, and unapologetic fashion evolution. This year, his over-the-top sartorial inclinations were jaw-droppingly inspirational, and right at home within the Gala's Susan Sontag-led theme, Camp: Notes on Fashion. Not to mention, they came from a long lineage of Black artists boldly blazing their own trails. For starters: The Egyptian litter he rode in on was carried by six shirtless, muscle-bound Broadway performers! He wore a head-to-toe embroidered gold look (with wings!) by The Blonds! The whole thing was inspired by the Cleopatra segment of '70s Diana Ross vehicle, Mahogany! Like Celine Dion in recent years, Billy Porter's mid-life fashion renaissance has also always been part of him. Last night, after working together for six weeks on the concept, Porter and his stylist for over a year, Sam Ratelle — whose full-service boutique agency, RRR Creative, handles creative direction, branding, casting, styling, and PR for Broadway stars and Hollywood influencers alike — brought their glamorous vision to life. (Ratelle is also responsible for that Christian Siriano gown Porter wore to the Oscars this year). "My understanding of what initially started all this is that Billy gets a call from [Pose showrunner] Ryan Murphy, and he's like, 'Bitch, I'm going as Liberace, you have to go as a whole montage in Mahogany,'" Ratelle tells PAPER. "Billy was like, 'OK that sounds like a lot of work.' Ryan was so excited and telling Billy he should do all the outfit changes, and finding a space to change and all that. Billy wanted to narrow it down." Porter and Ratelle decided to mine the abundant Egyptian artifacts collection from the Met and Mahogany's Cleopatra-channeling scene to round out their vision. When it came to finding designers to make the clothes Porter would wear, due to Porter's currently New York-based filming schedule, they turned to The Blonds in the city. "They are so campy and theatrical, he'd never been to Fashion Week, and it was one of our favorite fashion shows this past season," Ratelle explains. "It was part of his community and his people. I'd been going to the Blonds for years and knowing them. They'd done Egyptian themes and have been legends of high-fashion camp in New York, they were sold in Patricia Fields' old store in the East Village, we just thought, What could be better?" And obviously, Porter being carried was the only way to make a truly godlike entrance and live up to the high Camp of the moment. "When Vogue approved us to have him be carried in, it was maybe two weeks ago," Ratelle says. "We had to get in all the men, and figure out where the hell this litter would come from. [Costume designer] Nicolas Putvinski [who designs Heidi Klum's Halloween looks] made the men's looks and the litter." As far as casting Porter's carriers, Ratelle prioritized men of color. As we've seen from Porter's interviews over the years, representation is important to him. Ratelle says that all the men all had to be the same height, but other than that, the point was to amplify performers who don't always get regular work. "We are seeing more diversity in fashion but theater needs it, too," he says. "If you have an Asian show, you get Miss Saigon or a Black show, you get The Color Purple which is all important, but it's just as important to have multicultural experiences reflected whenever possible and often. Plus, we just wanted cute boys." Ratelle calls Porter's Met Gala entrance "an interruption" akin to "watching a kid go to Disneyland for the first time and living his fashion dreams." "He's been trying to do this for 30 years and no one paid attention," Ratelle says. "In the past, people overlooked him for being queeny and over-the-top, but now that's what's inspiring people, so it's been amazing to witness and be part of his evolution and see how the public responds, as well." PAPER also caught up today with Porter to gauge his thoughts on his big Met Gala breakout. He was prepping for an audition. As he says, though he realizes the moment was groundbreaking, "the work continues." Your evolution in the fashion space has been so amazing to see. And bravo for being so on-theme this year! What does Camp mean to you? Billy Porter: Thank you! It had been in the back of the mind for my whole career. As time has gone on, people would accuse me of being flamboyant, as if it was a bad thing, but I knew better. And with Camp, it has over time taken on a negative connotation and treated as a way for people to describe something in a pejorative manner. What I loved about this idea of camp is that at its best, it is elevated, it is a true art form, which is amazing to me. I wanted to hit that on the nose. Ryan Murphy said to me, "You should do all five looks from the Mahogany montage," and I was like, "Bitch, I don't wanna work that hard." I loved the idea, but the moment that stood out the most to me was Egyptian because that can easily be elevated. I wanted to pay tribute in a modern way to the Bob Mackies of the world, and honor his work on that film. Cher, Diana, fascinate me. The Blonds in their own way have also taken up that mantle without putting a word on it. When we went to The Blonds, I loved the idea of the wings, the gold, and the glitter, it came together organically. And I was a god! So of course I couldn't walk, honey. They said you have to be carried, and I was like, "OK! Gods are carried!" Anna Wintour and them were like, "Okay, do you." We're fine with all the shenanigans and chicanery. "Authenticity only happens when it's convenient. It's respected when it's convenient and when it makes money. We make money now.<doc-sep>We all aspire to be as self-indulgent as Billy Porter at the Met Gala. Obviously, everyone wants to make an entrance at the Met Gala pink carpet. If anything, the carpet walk is a performance in itself — from Lady Gaga stripping through four different looks in the span of 15 minutes to Zendaya lighting up the carpet (literally, her dress had built in lights) as Cinderella. But nobody on Monday night nailed down the entrance quite like Tony-Award-winning actor Billy Porter, who showed up lounging on a chaise carried by six very attractive shirtless men adorned in gold. Honestly, can anyone top this? It's a freakin' MOOD. Image: Taylor Hill/getty images And it was only a matter of time before Instagram users molded it into a stunning new self-care meme. Seeking professional help for mental health issues? Yes. Leaning into your support network? Yes. Avoiding dairy products to deal with your long-suffering lactose intolerance? Yes. In the year of Billy Porter being carried into the Met Gala on the shoulders of six very hot men, we are taking! Care! Of! Ourselves! Please enjoy these wholesome, self-indulgent memes. What are you still doing online? Go put on a face mask and take a nap! Self-care, baby!<doc-sep>This is how Billy Porter does Mondays. The "Pose" star arrived on the steps of the The Metropolitan Museum of Art carried by six shirtless pharaohs on an ancient Egyptian bed. Porter channeled the 2019 Met Gala "Camp: Notes on Fashion" theme with a “Sun God” ensemble, by The Blonds. The Cleopatra-inspired outfit featured a gold metallic catsuit with 10-foot wings, a 24-karat gold headpiece and custom Giuseppe Zanotti gold booties. Porter accessorized with jewels by Andreoli and Oscar Heyman. The performance art ensemble paid homage to Bob Mackie’s iconic costumes for Cher and American drag queen, Pepper LaBeija. “Camp means irreverence...Camp means as hugely over-the-top and grand and what some may feel is ridiculous and silly, and embracing all of those creative impulses inside us that very often are squelched,” Porter told Variety.<doc-sep>
Murphy suggested that Porter do an ode to Diana Ross in 1975’s Mahogany, including several outfit changes. “I was like, ‘Okay, calm down,’ ” he said. Working with his stylist of one year Sam Ratelle, Porter landed on an interpretation of Ross’s Ancient Egypt–inspired look. He also cites additional references, such as Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra and Bob Mackie’s iconic costumes for Cher, while the Blonds designers Phillipe Blond and David Blond were inspired by ballroom fixture Pepper LaBeija. When it came time to finding his designers, Porter knew The Blonds duo was the right choice. He had attended the New York City label’s Fall 2019 runway show in February, which confirmed that camp was well in their wheelhouse. “It’s true modern-day camp,” he said of The Blonds. “They just are so good—the glitz and the glamour and the capes and bustiers!” Ratelle said the choice was obvious for him, too. “I knew that The Blonds had previously done an Egyptian-themed runway show, which I really loved,” he said. “And given the massive collection of Egyptian art the Met has, it was also our way to pay respect to that.” The designers—who are big fans of Porter’s fearless style—began working on the custom design right away. “Each piece took several months to create,” said David. “Customized for Billy, the catsuit was embellished by hand . . . with a mix of Preciosa crystals and chain fringe, as well as gold bugle beads. This is meant to emulate the rays of the sun as they catch and move the light.” As for those show-stopping wings? “The wing cape is an archival piece, and it is comprised of gold baguettes, crystals, and beads, all anchored with caviar beads,” said Phillipe. “Each wing was made to look three dimensional by using tube beads as stilts to raise certain areas. In all, Billy will be wearing well over a million crystals, beads, and chains!” The litter and accompanying men, meanwhile, came from set designer Nicolas Putvinski, who recently worked on the off-Broadway show Cleopatra. With all these elements, however, Ratelle wanted to make sure that he included a few streamlined details. “I didn’t want it to look costume-y,” he said, explaining that he incorporated modern accents, like the metallic jeans that were worn by the litter bearers. Given it was Porter’s first time at the Met Gala—“I’ve been trying to get invited for decades,” he adds—Porter felt a need to nail his debut outfit and said tonight’s moment felt perfectly true to him. “Coming from the theatre and being flamboyant and campy my whole life, it was a breathe of fresh air to have this focus on the genre,” Porter says. “It’s what I do.” This isn’t the first time Porter has slain the step and repeat, of course. Back in February, he memorably stole the show at the Oscars in a custom Christian Soriano gown. But for the Met, he didn’t feel a pressure to out-do that viral hit—he was just focused on having fun. “How am I going to top a tuxedo dress? It’s not about topping it,” he says. “It’s just about showing up and being the best bitch you can be.” Boy, did he. See All of the Celebrity Looks From the Met Gala 2019 Red Carpet: 1 / 100 Chevron Chevron Photo: Getty Images Lady Gaga in Brandon Maxwell Met Gala 2019: See Every Celebrity Arrival, Read the Latest Stories, and Get Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Here