Michael's World

MAGIC AT THE MET

Fashion’s most glamorous night takes place on the first Monday in May, and this year, as always, Michael Kors was front and center. Celebrating the Costume Institute’s new exhibition, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,” this year’s Met Gala featured the dress code “The Garden of Time,” borrowed from English writer J.G. Ballard’s 1962 short story of the same name. Michael arrived arm-in-arm with his date for the evening—iconic actress Meg Ryan—having also crafted dazzling custom looks for Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Kelsea Ballerini and actor Chase Stokes. Other luminaries dressed in couture Michael Kors Collection were multihyphenate actresses Gabrielle Union-Wade, Rachel Zegler and Allison Williams, as well as Williams’ fiancé, actor Alexander Dreymon. Shimmering recycled sequins, ornate floral appliqués and ethereal tulle nodded to the garden theme, as Michael crafted the couture designs with timelessness in mind.

Photography by Emilio Madrid

meg ryan at the met
black silk-and-wool-mikado gown with a tulle bodice

MEG RYAN

Artisans spent over 800 hours creating the shadow floral hand-embroidery on Meg Ryan’s couture black silk-and-wool-mikado gown with a tulle bodice. It featured 1,120 sequin flowers that appear to wrap around the gown like a vine, each one made up of dozens of recycled sequins in seven different shapes and sizes.

metallic ombré tulle mock-neck mermaid gown
GABRIELLE UNION-WADE at the met gala

GABRIELLE UNION-WADE

Requiring 12 artisans and over 9,500 hours to hand-embroider, Gabrielle Union-Wade’s metallic ombré tulle mock-neck mermaid gown featured thousands of sequins in five colors and varying sizes that together created a spectacular, one-of-a-kind scaled effect. 

rachel zegler at the met gala
pale blue tulle plunging halter gown and matching taffeta-and-tulle opera coat

RACHEL ZEGLER

Rachel Zegler’s pale blue tulle plunging halter gown and matching taffeta-and-tulle opera coat took artisans over 450 hours to hand-embroider and featured iridescent sequins in five different sizes to create a sky-like effect. 

black-and-white floral chiné jacquard drop-waist gown
allison williams at the met gala

ALLISON WILLIAMS

It took artisans 2,110 hours to hand-embroider the thousands of sequins that covered Allison Williams’s black-and-white floral chiné jacquard drop-waist gown. The sequins were artfully overlapped to lend the dress an allover iridescence. 

Kelsea Ballerini at the met gala
Kelsea Ballerini’s suntan tulle gown

KELSEA BALLERINI

It took eight artisans over 3,550 hours to hand-sew the floral appliqués onto Kelsea Ballerini’s suntan tulle gown, and another 2,880 hours to hand-sew the appliqués onto the coordinating clutch jacket. The flowers, scattered across the dress in three different sizes and shades, were each individually hand-dyed and laser-cut to achieve a life-like appearance.

custom black georgette jacket and matching trousers
chase stokes at the met gala

CHASE STOKES

Chase Stokes wore a custom black georgette jacket and matching trousers covered in tens of thousands of liquid-like sequins.