Within the week main as much as the Met Gala, tabloids volleyed predictions about Taylor Swift’s potential attendance: She could be there together with her soccer participant boyfriend, Travis Kelce! Truly, she wouldn’t! She would possibly go however go away Mr. Kelce at house!
On Monday evening, followers lastly bought their reply. The celebration of the yr must go on with out Ms. Swift.
Different notable absences from the purple carpet: Beyoncé, who had not been anticipated to attend, and Rihanna, who appeared poised to be the closing act of vogue’s annual parade of one-upmanship.
Final yr, each different visitor had walked the carpet — as had one uninvited cockroach — earlier than Rihanna arrived at 10:15 p.m., wrapped in Valentino camellias that she mentioned made her really feel “costly.”
Rihanna, 36, who swung from pop stardom right into a affluent second act as a lingerie and make-up mogul, advised Further TV earlier within the week that she had deliberate on attending the gala. Folks journal reported on Monday that the singer had come down with the flu.
The singer had turn into some of the hotly anticipated presences on the Met’s steps. Her flip as a miniskirted pope in 2018 touched off an web frenzy, and the 55-pound, daffodil yellow robe she wore in 2015 helped earn its designer a slot on the high fashion schedule in Paris.
The gala’s affect as a joint promoting alternative for manufacturers, sponsors and celebrities relies upon partially on the extent of star energy that’s keen to point out up. The gala nonetheless attracted boldface names this yr, together with Zendaya and Jennifer Lopez, however many followers on-line mentioned that the shortage of Rihanna had been a blow. (Some even circulated pictures of the singer hitting the carpet that appeared to have been created by synthetic intelligence.)
Rihanna has been a frequent presence on the gala in recent times, however Taylor Swift and Beyoncé haven’t attended since 2016.
Ms. Swift started attending the gala in 2008 and was a co-chair in 2016. Previously yr she has not precisely been hurting for the Met’s highlight: Her Eras Tour stimulated each financial and seismic exercise on its yearlong (and counting) romp world wide, and her current album, “The Tortured Poets Division,” overcame combined evaluations to turn into her 14th launch to hit attain No. 1 on the Billboard album chart.
Beyoncé attended the gala seven instances from 2008 to 2016, toying with silhouette in strapless Armani and mermaid-style Emilio Pucci robes. She has these days been main a high-fashion rodeo in wide-brimmed hats and western boots whereas selling her album “Cowboy Carter.”
Even with out exhibiting as much as the Met on the primary Monday in Could, Beyoncé wields immense energy within the vogue sphere, Vanessa Friedman, the chief vogue critic of The New York Occasions, just lately wrote: “She is virtually a Met Gala unto herself.”
