Venus Williams Prepares for the Met Gala as a Co-Chair, With a Look Drawn From Her Own Portrait
Vogue
Venus Williams spent the day of the Met Gala in New York getting ready for what she called "a big night." She was a co-chair of the event that year and described herself as "a lucky girl" for it. Throughout the preparations, she and her team talked about the pressure of getting the look right and the message she wanted her outfit to carry. The video also covers what the evening is actually like for attendees and the part played by Harry, her dog.
Starting the Day Calmly
The video opens with a small gift. Someone calls her "my love" and gives her something because she is "sparkling so much today." Williams guesses it is made of Swarovski crystals and jokes that she won't share it and will wear it all day.
She explains that she wanted to start the day "with a calm mind, calm body." She describes the Mark Hotel on gala day as full of energy, with celebrities, designers, photographers, fans and paparazzi. She planned to spend some time there before the event but to keep that "at a minimum."
Interpreting the Theme
Williams says the theme seemed "perfect" to her as soon as she heard it. As she puts it, it is about costume art and also about "representing all bodies," and she connected it to her own career: "My body of work uses my body."
She says this year felt different from earlier galas. Before, when she attended with designers, she tried to embrace the design and style they brought to her. This time she felt much more pressure to get the dress and every other detail exactly right. She also didn't want to take the theme too literally: "Even though the theme is costume, I don't want to be too costume."
The Portrait Behind the Look
The main inspiration was her portrait at the National Portrait Gallery, which she made with the artist Robert (credited as Robert Pruitt in the video's image credits) a few years earlier. The team took elements from that work, especially the "massive exaggerated necklace" she wore in it, and adapted those cues so they would be "red carpet worthy."
Later in the video, someone involved in making the piece describes the idea further. They speak of "fashion is art" and of Williams appearing in the portrait, and they call the result "the double Venus": one Venus is the figure in the portrait wearing a version of the necklace, and the other is Williams wearing a new interpretation of it. That speaker says the necklace carries meaning tied to her father and her origins.
The designer of the jewelry says they made the piece "with Venus in mind" because she is "a woman who contains multitudes" and is always evolving. In their design, the stones represent her strength, and the crystals cascade downward in a way they describe as almost elusive. They say Swarovski sent the crystals and they worked with them.
Williams thanks Giovanna, who she says accepted her feedback when she "could have been like, 'No.'" In her words, a look "starts with a dream," but it takes someone talented to "actually work."
The 6% Message
Williams also used the outfit to make a point about research funding. She says that only 6% of research in sports and sciences goes to women, calling this "a real shocker." She hopes the evening will make many more people aware of the figure and help raise it so that women are equally represented in sports science research. Later she mentions "all of our 6% jewelry" that the group would put on before leaving.
Hair: Following the Dress
Her hair team explains that they "followed the direction of the dress." Because they didn't want anything hanging down and covering the neck, they chose an updo with added volume. They also planned a small braid detail and possibly Swarovski crystals, depending on what Williams wanted.
Their guiding idea was that the hair should complement the dress and have its own "wow moment" without being "so wow that it's too wow." They also add that the red carpet is the one place where going "wow, wow, wow" is acceptable.
Makeup: A Timeless Smokey Eye
Williams calls herself "a timeless girl." She likes to experiment but wants a look that will still be "amazing 100 years from now." Her makeup artist responds with "What's more timeless than a smokey eye?"
The makeup artist says Williams will "look like the diamond that she is." For that reason they included sparkle but kept it to the inner corner of the eye rather than spreading it everywhere. They finished with a little highlight for extra impact. They also note how high the stakes are, calling the gala "the prime time moment in fashion," where you want to be "in the right hands."
The Work Behind It
When asked about her favorite part of getting ready, Williams answers: "when it's all done." She says that once it's finished, "it's all worth it." What she was looking forward to most was "just partying." She explains that she had spent more than eight hours on hair, makeup and fittings over the previous few days, so at some point she just wanted to have fun.
She also thanks her stylist, Ron, who she says was "grinding it out every single day." He replies that the look is a tribute to her and that he is "here to serve."
What the Night Is Actually Like
Williams describes the evening from a guest's point of view. First comes the red carpet. If you arrive on time, you can see the exhibition, but she says most people don't, and she admits that she usually doesn't either. Next is a cocktail hour, where she suggests eating "as many yummy treats as you can." After that, guests walk to their tables, and she warns that the walk is long enough that "if you wear the most uncomfortable shoes, you will be dying." Dinner includes speeches and surprise performers.
She says the evening is hectic. Each guest has a different red carpet arrival time and usually sits at the table of the designer hosting them, so friends tend to meet up at the after-parties. She also mentions star spotting. The year before, she saw Diana Ross, whom she calls a legend. She says she didn't want to bother her and only said, "Oh my gosh, I love you."
Harry's First Met Gala
The video ends with Harry, Williams's dog, attending his first Met Gala. He wears an outfit matching hers and her husband's. Williams calls him a Body of Science ambassador and says he wears his own "6% charm." Harry has his own "last look," with a short countdown photo moment. Williams adds that he doesn't usually like wearing clothes. The video closes as the group heads off to get dressed at the Mark.
Since you are sparkling so much today, my love.
That's so sweet.
Of course. Happy Met Gala.
I'm assuming they're Swarovski crystals. I'm not sharing this with anybody. I'll be wearing this around all day today.
Today we're in New York City and we are getting ready for the Met Gala. I am fortunate enough to be a co-chair this year, so I'm feeling like a lucky girl. I've got the best team around me making me look perfect. It's going to be a big night.
It's a lot of energy at the Mark. All the celebrities, all the designers, photographers, fans, paparazzi, you name it. Wanted to go into it with a calm mind, calm body. We'll go experience the energy of the Mark soon, but we'll keep that at a minimum.
When I heard the theme, I thought, "Wow, this is perfect." Not only is it costume art, it's also about representing all bodies. My body of work uses my body.
When I came with designers before, I just tried to embrace the design and the style that they brought, but this time I felt like it was a lot more pressure to get the design and the dress, everything exactly right. Even though the theme is costume, I don't want to be too costume. The inspiration is my portrait at the National Portrait Gallery. Robert and I worked on that project together a few years ago. We took elements from that, including the massive exaggerated necklace that I wore. So, taking little cues from that and making it red carpet worthy.
This year, my wardrobe is also highlighting women and the fact that only 6% of research in sports and sciences go to women, which is a real shocker, folks. But I'm hoping that after tonight, lots of people will know about it and that we boost those numbers up, and that women are equally represented in sports science research.
I think we kind of followed the direction of the dress. The dress is so beautiful. We don't want to have anything hanging down and hiding the neck. We're doing an updo, adding some volume to the hair because I felt like it complements the dress, and then we're doing a little bit of a braid detail around, and then we might do some Swarovski crystal depending on if she wants to or not. I am going in here right now.
The hair has to complement the dress, have its own wow moment, but not so wow that it's too wow. But also if you want to go wow, wow, wow on the carpet, then that is the place to do it. I'm kind of a timeless girl. I like to experiment, but I want it to be amazing 100 years from now.
What's more timeless than a smoky eye? She is going to look like the diamond that she is, and that's also why I wanted to incorporate that sparkle, not all over the place. We kept it in that inner corner. I also want to add a little bit of highlight just to keep that ba ba boom.
You definitely want to be in the right hands. This is the prime time moment in fashion.
I created this. I created with Venus in mind because she's a woman who contains multitudes. She's constantly evolving, and I wanted the stones to kind of represent strength, which she has, and then the crystals kind of cascade down and almost like it's this effort, elusive. We wanted to just enhance the full look of what she's going for today. Swarovski crystals, they sent these in, and I went with it.
My favorite part of the preparation process is when it's all done. The look is great. Keep it real. But when it's done, it's all worth it. What am I looking forward to the most? Just partying. Yeah.
There's a lot of work that goes into this. I've been doing over 8 hours of hair fittings and makeup over the last few days. So at some point you just want to have fun.
In the beginning, you go up the carpet. After that, you hopefully, if you got there in time and weren't running late, which is pretty much every... Most people don't get there in time. I mean, I haven't. I don't want to put that on anybody else, but usually I don't get there in enough time to see the exhibit. There's a cocktail hour, and you eat as many yummy treats as you can. After that, you are ushered to your table, but it's quite a long walk. So, if you wear the most uncomfortable shoes, you will be dying. You enjoy the dinner and the speeches and the surprise guest artists.
There's a lot of star spotting, too. Last year, I saw Diana Ross, and I'm a huge fan. She's such a legend. And I didn't want to bother. I just said, "Oh my gosh, I love you."
It's very hectic because you have a red carpet arrival time, so everyone's arrival time is a little bit different. You're at a different table because you usually sit at the table of the designer who's hosting you, but usually afterwards we meet up and have a good time at the parties.
Some little bling never hurt nobody. Nothing too crazy. Just some...
Oh, she's being so good today. Normally, she's like, "Ah, no."
Yeah, I'm thinking, "Ah." We have all of our 6% jewelry that we're going to put on. We're all done here. We're going to go to the Mark and get dressed.
Your hair and the job look...
Come on, let everybody know you did a great job. Wow. I can't even look at you. I have to make sure... makeup... I'm crying. It's going to be like...
Fashion is art, and then she's in portrait, National Portrait Gallery, of course. The double Venus, one of the Venus wearing a version of this necklace, and then we started from making the glorious interpretation of the fabulous necklace that has all this wonderful meaning about your father, your origin, and all of that.
I'm just grateful that Giovanna was able to take some of my feedback because she's great. So, she could have been like, "No." It starts with a dream, but then it starts with someone as talented and amazing as her making it actually work. Ron, too, is over there. He was grinding it out every single day. Talk about Ron right there. He was like, "Can you just take a picture?"
Of course, it's a tribute to you. As I told you yesterday, I'm here to serve.
Thank you. Not tiny.
Just close.
I was like, "You're serving the best job."
This is Harry's first Met Gala, and he has a matching outfit, yeah, as mom and dad. But he's a Body of Science ambassador also. So, he has his 6% charm. Now, Harry got ready with me. This is Harry's last look. Harry, give us something. 3, 2, 1.
What? Oh my God. Beautiful look here. That's beautiful, you guys.
He doesn't like to wear clothes.
Spit it out.
Miss Wintour.
Please look right here.
He did.
Please look right here.
You're so...
You're so...
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