Broadway theater producer and fashion icon Jordan Roth made a big statement on the Met Gala red carpet Monday with a gray velvet look featuring a looming figure who grasped him from behind, essentially turning Roth into his own sculpture.
Roth, an eight-time attendee of the gala, is known for his provocative and fashionable outfits at Broadway opening nights as well as at the Met, including one year when he wore a floor-length Iris van Herpen cape that turned into a full view of a theater once his arms were raised. London-based Robert Wun designed the custom look this year for Roth as part of the Met Gala’s Costume Art theme.
“As soon as I knew the theme of this year’s exhibition and gala, I knew I wanted to explore the relationship between figures in classical sculpture, as well as a specific painting in the Met collection ‘Pygmalion and Galatea’ by Jean-Léon Gérôme in which the sculptor kisses his sculpture as it comes to life,” Roth said.
Roth, who brought his own fashion performance to the Louvre last summer and has leaned into more acting, with a role on Ryan Murphy’s upcoming show Shards, had worked with Wun on another prior piece, which inspired him to call up the designer again. Getting into the look took four hours for hair and makeup Monday plus an additional 45 minutes for dressing. He and his team did a test run Friday to determine the timing and figure out if everything would work. Once on, the hardest part was finding the placement for the sculpture.
“The sculpture is the centerpiece and getting the pose right took several iterations — how the body relates to mine, the gesture of the arms and each hand. And then carrying and balancing him on waist while we are dancing together,” he said.
Getting to the Met is always a challenge, but this year, Roth notes he was actually able to sit in a van, which is a rarity. It still involved him sitting sidewise in the van and balancing the sculpture behind him. He debuted the look on the red carpet, but once inside, the big sculpture piece came off.
“The sculpture would have needed his own seat at dinner, so we created a second sculpture of just arms across my chest, like a big sculpture necklace,” Roth said.
There were some hijinks on the red carpet, as in a moment where Roth’s sculpture playfully poked theater veteran Hugh Jackman in the eye. Roth also pointed to interactions with Katy Perry, Heidi Klum and Gwendolyn Christie as highlights.
“The first person I saw when we were waiting to hit the carpet was Katy Perry, except I didn’t know it was her until she opened her mirror mask. Then we had a fun chat! At cocktails, I talked statue-to-statue with Heidi Klum, but I had literally no idea it was her until I saw pictures later that identified her. Then at dinner I had the best table mate sitting next to Gwendolyn Christie, my new spirit animal!,” Roth said.
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