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<doc-sep>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>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>Billy Porter made an entrance fit for a king at the annual Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Benefit on Monday evening. Porter, who is a star in the current TV series Pose and made a name as the Tony-winning lead in Broadway’s hit show Kinky Boots, cleared the entire red carpet when he arrived at the 2019 Met Gala. He was carried in, reclining regally, on a velvet-draped litter hoisted by a team of six bare-chested attendants in golden pants and face and chest hardware. Porter himself wore an elaborate golden costume and headdress, reminiscent at first glance of a pharaoh. When he deigned to descend to the red — or, rather, pink — carpet, it turned out that Porter’s costume also included sweeping golden wings, making his look more akin to that of Isis, an Ancient Egyptian goddess. Porter is known for his bold red carpet moments: at the 2019 Oscars, he appeared in a sweeping black tuxedo gown that wowed fashion critics and onlookers; before that, he had donned a pink cape for the Golden Globes. At the Oscars, he explained his fashion ethos to Vogue: “My goal is to be a walking piece of political art every time I show up. To challenge expectations. What is masculinity? What does that mean?” Looks like he lived up to that goal at the camp-themed Met Gala this year. Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now. Please enter a valid email address. * The request timed out and you did not successfully sign up. Please attempt to sign up again. Sign Up Now An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. Please try again later. Check the box if you do not wish to receive promotional offers via email from TIME. You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Thank you! For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder. Write to Raisa Bruner at raisa.bruner@time.com.<doc-sep>
The one and only Billy Porter just arrived at the Met Gala in a one-of-a-kind look that is sure to be one of the highlight’s of the night! Pose, and pose, and pose. Billy Porter just arrived to the Met Gala, and if you didn’t think he could one-up his Oscars look, well, think again. The Broadway star was carried in on a platform by six shirtless men, who happen to each be in Broadway shows, covered in gold. Billy, himself, was covered by his arms, that only showed the intricate beading of his gold and black look, designed by The Blonds. Billy sat erect on the platform like absolute Egyptian royalty. The Pose actor was placed on the ground by his six men and sent off to climb the Met stairs. Billy turned to photographers before embarking up the pink carpet, and opened up what turned out to be golden wings on his arms. The “Sun God” ensemble is made up of a bejeweled catsuit outfitted with 10-foot wings, a 24-karat gold headpiece, as well as custom gold-leaf Giuseppe Zanotti shoes and fine jewels by Andreoli and Oscar Heyman! It was an absolute show-stopping moment. Ryan Murphy‘s Pose highlights the Ball culture in Harlem, which is often a major part of Susan Sontag’s ‘CAMP’ definition. “Ball culture is the campiest of Camp, it’s the idea of using fashion to emerge from the margins of society and to be seen,” Elaine Welteroth said on E! “This is a big moment for people from the queer community.” Andrew Bolton, the curator of the Institute, added to this commentary in an interview with the New York Times, saying, “Whether it’s pop camp, queer camp, high camp or political camp — Trump is a very camp figure — I think it’s very timely.” Billy Porter also spoke to Vogue ahead of the big night, telling the mag, “What I love about having it at the Met Gala, and contextualizing camp, is it brings honor to a word and genre that can be discounted very often, or thought of as cheesy. When it’s done properly, it’s one of the highest forms of fashion and art.” His look was inspired by Diana Ross in 1975’s Mahogany, and also Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra and Bob Mackie’s iconic costumes for Cher. The Blonds designers Phillipe Blond and David Blond were inspired by Pepper LaBeija, a fixture from the balls Elaine referred to earlier.