Even vogue royalty will be blindsided.
In a current interview on The New Yorker Radio Hour, Anna Wintour revealed what actually went via her thoughts when Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez arrived on the 2021 Met Gala within the robe that almost broke the web.
The ivory off-the-shoulder costume by Aurora James of Brother Vellies was comparatively inconspicuous from the entrance, with a neat row of suiting-style buttons and a flouncy hem. On the again, although, the phrases “Tax the Wealthy” had been emblazoned in vibrant crimson scrawl.
“I mentioned, ‘I simply love your costume.’ I’d solely seen her from the entrance,” the longtime Vogue editor, 75, recalled. “Luckily, I had an exquisite night.”
It wasn’t till the subsequent day, she admitted, that she absolutely registered the daring scarlet message splashed throughout the again.
The costume was arguably probably the most talked-about look of the evening — eclipsing even Kim Kardashian’s faceless Balenciaga ensemble.
The slogan wasn’t delicate, and neither was the response, a lot of which centered on the disconnect between the political slogan and its supply in a room the place tickets on the time price upwards of $35,000 (now $75,000) and robes price tens of 1000’s extra.
Donald Trump Jr. blasted the congresswoman as a “fraud” for hobnobbing with rich elites whereas calling for increased taxes. Republican Rep. Jim Banks labeled her “the reward that retains on giving.”
A separate wave of critiques got here from the left, the place progressives accused Ocasio-Cortez of theatrical posturing as a substitute of utilizing her political leverage to ship substantive wins.
Wintour, although, had a extra circumspect tackle the costume. “I feel everyone makes use of vogue in numerous methods, and, clearly, that was one thing that was vital to her,” she mentioned within the interview with the New Yorker editor in chief David Remnick.
The look has remained within the headlines. Earlier this yr, the Home Ethics Committee dominated Ocasio-Cortez underpaid for the customized robe and equipment, discovering she owed 1000’s in extra prices — although the panel mentioned her violations weren’t “figuring out and willful.”
Wintour, too, has been within the information these days. In June, she introduced that she was stepping down from her position as editor-in-chief of American Vogue, a place she’s held for 37 years.
She’ll stay the editorial director of all world Vogue editions and the chief content material officer of Condé Nast, however will go the reins on the journal to 39-year-old protégée Chloe Malle.
Talking with Remnick, she mentioned she felt it was the suitable time to plan for succession: “It appeared like a great second to usher in somebody with a unique perspective and a unique era, who may take a look at issues in a brand new means.”
