Celebs keep the faith at New York Met Gala
Celebrities turn up in Sunday best for New York Met Gala's religion-themed bash
Gold crosses, halo-inspired headdresses and angel wings filled the red carpet at New York's Met Gala on Monday, as some of the world's biggest celebrities embraced the religious theme of the so-called "Oscars of the East Coast".
From saints to sinners, guests took to heart the 2018 theme of Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute ball.
Although some commentators had feared the Catholic theme might yield the most controversial Met Gala ever, most of the attendees adhered to the dress code of "Sunday Best" and stayed on the right side of propriety in colours of red, white, gold and black.
Pop star Rihanna, one of this year's co-chairs, dressed like a pope, sporting a head-turning, jewel-encrusted mitre paired with a priestly-style cape designed by Maison Margiela.
Madonna, a key religious provocateur early in her career, turned demure in black Jean Paul Gaultier, with a golden crown studded with crucifixes on her head and shrouding her face in a black fishnet mantilla.
Singer Katy Perry wowed in enormous feathered white angel wings over a Versace gold mini-dress paired with thigh-high gold boots, singer Jennifer Lopez stepped out in a beaded and feathered Balmain gown with a giant mosaic crucifix on the front while actress Sarah Jessica Parker opted for a gold Dolce & Gabbana gown embroidered with sacred hearts and a towering nativity scene headpiece.
The invitation-only Met Gala is a fundraising benefit for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and also marks the opening of the Costume Institute's annual fashion exhibition.
The 2018 exhibit shows how Catholicism has influenced fashion and designers through the decades and features more than 50 vestments and other religious items direct from the Vatican.
Model Bella Hadid was among those opting for the darker side of religion, wearing a Chrome Hearts black latex and leather outfit with long black gloves and a black gold-embroidered veil trailing to the floor.
Actresses Olivia Munn, Zendaya and Priyanka Chopra went for Crusades-inspired chain-mail outfits, while Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman was among the few men going avant-garde in an ivory cape with gold beaded crosses, an embellished suit and gold shoes.
Headpieces, often halo-style, were in abundance, favoured by the likes of singer Rita Ora, actress Anne Hathaway and rapper Cardi B.
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. - REUTERS, AFP
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