Glitz and glamour at the Met Gala

Angel wings, halos and headdresses take centre stage at this year's fund-raising benefit for the New York museum

(Far left) Actress Sarah Jessica Parker (with talk show and radio host Andy Cohen) glitters in a metallic Dolce & Gabbana gown. (Centre) Actress Shailene Woodley pays homage to Joan of Arc in a custom Ralph Lauren dress. (Left) Model Kendall Jenner k
Pop singer Rihanna stands out from the crowd in an outfit by Maison Margiela. PHOTOS: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS, NYTIMES
(Far left) Actress Sarah Jessica Parker (with talk show and radio host Andy Cohen) glitters in a metallic Dolce & Gabbana gown. (Centre) Actress Shailene Woodley pays homage to Joan of Arc in a custom Ralph Lauren dress. (Left) Model Kendall Jenner k
Model Liu Wen looks stunning in a strapless red gown by Michael Kors. PHOTOS: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS, NYTIMES
(Far left) Actress Sarah Jessica Parker (with talk show and radio host Andy Cohen) glitters in a metallic Dolce & Gabbana gown. (Centre) Actress Shailene Woodley pays homage to Joan of Arc in a custom Ralph Lauren dress. (Left) Model Kendall Jenner k
Pop singer Katy Perry spreads her wings in a Versace gold mini-dress paired with thigh-high gold boots. PHOTOS: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS, NYTIMES
(Far left) Actress Sarah Jessica Parker (with talk show and radio host Andy Cohen) glitters in a metallic Dolce & Gabbana gown. (Centre) Actress Shailene Woodley pays homage to Joan of Arc in a custom Ralph Lauren dress. (Left) Model Kendall Jenner k
Actress Priyanka Chopra wore a deep burgundy velvet gown by Ralph Lauren and a golden hood, which took more than 250 hours to bead by hand. PHOTOS: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS, NYTIMES
(Far left) Actress Sarah Jessica Parker (with talk show and radio host Andy Cohen) glitters in a metallic Dolce & Gabbana gown. (Centre) Actress Shailene Woodley pays homage to Joan of Arc in a custom Ralph Lauren dress. (Left) Model Kendall Jenner k
Actor George Clooney with his wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, who wore a half-pants, half-dress ensemble by Richard Quinn. PHOTOS: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS, NYTIMES
(Far left) Actress Sarah Jessica Parker (with talk show and radio host Andy Cohen) glitters in a metallic Dolce & Gabbana gown. (Centre) Actress Shailene Woodley pays homage to Joan of Arc in a custom Ralph Lauren dress. (Left) Model Kendall Jenner k
Actress Sarah Jessica Parker (with talk show and radio host Andy Cohen) glitters in a metallic Dolce & Gabbana gown. PHOTOS: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS, NYTIMES
(Far left) Actress Sarah Jessica Parker (with talk show and radio host Andy Cohen) glitters in a metallic Dolce & Gabbana gown. (Centre) Actress Shailene Woodley pays homage to Joan of Arc in a custom Ralph Lauren dress. (Left) Model Kendall Jenner k
Actress Shailene Woodley pays homage to Joan of Arc in a custom Ralph Lauren dress. PHOTOS: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS, NYTIMES
(Far left) Actress Sarah Jessica Parker (with talk show and radio host Andy Cohen) glitters in a metallic Dolce & Gabbana gown. (Centre) Actress Shailene Woodley pays homage to Joan of Arc in a custom Ralph Lauren dress. (Left) Model Kendall Jenner k
Model Kendall Jenner keeps it simple with an Off-White jumpsuit. PHOTOS: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS, NYTIMES

NEW YORK • Everywhere, gold crosses, halo-inspired headdresses and angel wings filled the red carpet on Monday, as celebrities kept faith with the theme of Heavenly Bodies: Fashion And The Catholic Imagination at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute ball.

Pop singer Rihanna, one of the co-hosts, answered prayers from some journalists for at least one celebrity who dared to be different.

She wielded a jewel-encrusted mitre with matching mini-dress and priestly-style cape designed by Maison Margiela.

Singer Katy Perry caused a flutter with enormous, feathered white wings resembling an archangel over a Versace gold mini-dress paired with thigh-high gold boots.

The Met Gala is a fund-raising benefit for the New York museum. It also marks the opening of the Costume Institute's annual fashion exhibition.

This year, the exhibition details how Catholicism has influenced fashion and designers through the decades. It features more than 50 vestments and other religious items from the Vatican.

But on Monday, model Bella Hadid opted for the darker side of the religious-inspired theme. She wore a Chrome Hearts black latex and leather outfit with long black gloves, and a black gold-embroidered veil trailing to the floor.

Headpieces, often halo-style, were in abundance, favoured by the likes of singer Rita Ora, actress Anne Hathaway and rapper Cardi B, as were trains flowing for metres down the long museum steps.

Crosses were also ubiquitous, worn around necks, hands or belts by the likes of Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, actress Uma Thurman and actress Lily Collins.

The red carpet was followed by a sit-down dinner and a tour of the Heavenly Bodies exhibit.

But if the guests wanted morsels of trivia, there were plenty to chew on. United States President Donald Trump proposed to his wife, Melania, at the event in 2004.

Tickets cost US$30,000 (S$40,000), but you cannot just buy one - Wintour, one of the chairmen of the gala, approves attendees.

Some guests presumably shared stories of how they had gone the extra mile for the occasion.

"They had to sew me in on the way here," said actress Olivia Munn.

Her dress, by H&M, was inspired by Crusade-era chain mail.

Hadid said of her veil: "It's sewn into my head. The things we do, darling."

Others were ready to take the evening less seriously.

Where were his kids, actor George Clooney was asked. "They're under the dress," he said, waving towards an enormous train on the outfit worn by his wife, Amal, one of the event's chairmen.

But a feeling of religiosity did suffuse the evening.

"Yeah, I love God," said comedian Tiffany Haddish. "God loves me - look at my career."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS, NYTIMES

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 09, 2018, with the headline Glitz and glamour at the Met Gala. Subscribe