Stylist: Erica Cloud assisted by Maddie Louviere
Outfit: bespoke Loewe by Jonathan Anderson
Tailor: Jessica Yuen
Groomer: Laila Hayani using La Mer and American Crew
Esthetician: Joanna Vargas
Jewelry: Cartier
Dan Levy‘s outfit for this year’s MET Gala may be a bit difficult to understand but we are here to satisfy your curiosity and to put things in perspective.
Inspired by the Costume Institute‘s ”In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” exhibit and the gala’s theme, Levy worked with Jonathan Anderson (creative director of Loewe) to create an ensemble that celebrated the resilience and the love and the joy of the LGBTQ+ community, reflecting the artist’s themes of celebrating “queer love and queer visibility” while also sending a reminder that “there’s a lot more that needs to be done.”
Levy wanted to collaborate with Anderson, a designer he watched closely for many years as he revealed to Vanity Fair : “I had asked Jonathan if he would be into dressing me just because… I just love his perspective on fashion and thought that he’d be a really great person to collaborate with on this. He’s so thoughtful, unexpected, and artful in his approach to what he wants to say with the clothes that he designs… Fortunately, he said yes, and fortunately he did have some great ideas.”
The inspiration for the look was drawn from American artist and AIDS activist David Wojnarowicz, whose work confronted the systematic oppression of gays, while shedding a light on the abandonment the community experienced during the peak of the AIDS crisis.
Anderson adapted two of Wojnarowicz‘s works, Fuck You F–got Fucker, 1984, and Untitled (One Day This Kid…), 1990–91, for Levy‘s look.
During the Vanity Fair interview, Levy also talked about the inspiration for the boots: “The shoes that I’m wearing are sort of a replica of a boot that Jonathan had made in one of his early, early JW collections way back in the 2010s. We had dinner recently, and he said to me: ‘I have known your name for such a long time because you were one of the first people to buy those boots’. Of course Anderson‘s company was smaller in the beginning, so it goes without saying that he knew all the names of his recurring customers.
Dan did not spare words while expressing his admiration for the designer: “When we were talking about putting this look together, we were discussing what to do for the footwear. And I had proposed what if we remake your boots as kind of a personal connection between the two of us. They were such good boots, and I think the younger fashion crowd needs to know just how significant he’s been for such a long time. So there’s kind of like a wink and a nod to a history that we have had together. It’s amazing to have been a fan for so long and now to get to work with him in this capacity.”
The concept of the ensemble was to imagine what a “gay superhero” might wear (the artworks were courtesy of the P·P·O·W Gallery which represents the Estate of David Wojnarowicz).
According to the brand: “The Loewe bespoke polo and trousers depict two men kissing, from a 1984 artwork that deftly reappropriates a homophobic cartoon to instead celebrate same-sex love. Photos of Wojnarowicz and his friends surround the couple, amid a background of world maps, indicating the arbitrary borders and divisions the queer community faced.”
“The Loewe T-Pouch clutch illustrates a portrait of the artist as a child, with surrounding texts predicting his future; deemed an outcast by society, as a gay man. The work asserts visibility for queer people—exposing the hatred and bias experienced daily, while celebrating love and joy.
To honour the collaboration, LOEWE has made a donation to Visual AIDS, an organization Wojnarowicz supported, that continues to promote AIDS awareness and education.”
Levy accessorized the look with Cartier jewelry: two gold Juste un Clou rings, a silver Juste un Clou ring, the famed Crash watch, a Santos Chain Link bracelet in 18k yellow gold and a Tennis Line diamond white gold necklace.
As always, the great groomer Laila Hayani shared Dan‘s secrets for that glowy and fabulous skin, here they are:
SKIN PREP
– La Mer – The Treatment Lotion;
– La Mer – The Moisturizing Cool Gel Cream;
– La Mer – The Perfecting Primer.
In a press statement for American Crew and BarberEVO Magazine, the groomer stated: “Dan‘s entire look for the Met Gala is a true statement of art so he decided we needed to take his hair into a direction that complemented and solidified his look as a whole. In order to do so, we decided on a sleek and slicked-back look with an ultra-shine effect. This gave us the opportunity to try something new and to also highlight Dan‘s features.”
HAIR:
“- Laila started with clean, wet hair and applied a pea size of the American Crew Fiber Grooming Foam as a primer which also added volume.
– She then applied a spritz of American Crew Prep & Prime Tonic to allow the hair to take to gel and to work it into the hair. The hero products for this look are American Crew Superglue and the American Crew Firm Hold Styling Cream.
– She mixed the two together and applied a generous amount through the hair to give it the wet look. Once shaped, Laila continued to apply American Crew Prep & Prime Tonic to continue to comb through it and manipulate the shape before setting the style.
– She finished by using a diffuser to apply heat and dry the look and to ensure it set into place. Lastly, she spritzed American Crew Alternator for shine and to officially top the look.”
