Met Gala BTS: What It’s Like to Work the Red Carpet
An inside look at a very rainy first Monday in May.
On May 5, Allure social media manager Bianca Richards was in the trenches at the Met Gala. While most people were focused on the fashion moments, she had her eyes peeled for the little beauty details you might have missed. Below, I chat with her about what the view from the chaotic red carpet was really like.
Kara McGrath: OK, Bianca, I know who you are, but tell the Substack reader about yourself and what you do here at Allure.
Bianca Richards: I've been with the Allure brand for about three and a half years—started off as their Best of Beauty assistant and then slowly made my way onto their social team. The best part of my job is working with beauty experts to learn more about their artistry and craftsmanship as a means of creating a more inclusive, diverse, empowering community, because beauty is very personal to each and every one of us.
Prepping for the Carpet
Kara: And this is not your first time covering the Met Gala, but it is your first time attending right?
Bianca: Yes, the lead up to it was very nerve wracking, anxiety inducing, and stressful. I'm a Cancer and an overthinker, so I like to plan accordingly—and a part of that process is throwing my mind into chaos. I worked with our video team, art team, and our company's central social team to put together a cohesive strategy. I'm always preparing for the worst, because when it comes to tech or anything else out of my control, that's where I get really anxious. But once I got to the Met around three o'clock, I felt really confident and I went in with a positive mindset. It was really such a fun experience.
Kara: What was the vibe like when you got there?
Bianca: Well, they were still kind of setting up low key, which is usually the case with an event of this capacity. But you're kind of let in with every other member of the press team to get to your designated spot. Everyone was taking pictures on the steps, but I was like, let me just go to my spot, get myself situated first, and then I can think about pictures. I wanted to make sure my wifi worked, send over some practice images, test my mic, just because I was very anxious about the worst happening.
Kara: Since this was your first year on the Met carpet, what would you say was exactly like you expected it to be and what parts were a total surprise?
Bianca: I expected the chaos—and I say that with so much love and respect for everyone on the media side. As much as I'm a planner and I like structure, you can't really plan for being part of the press team for a major event like this because literally anything could happen. So I was really expecting a lot of chaos, but it was organized, calm chaos, if that makes sense. Honestly, I was really in my element there. When you work in Social, there are just so many moving parts to the role. You’re uploading video, editing cuts, and writing copy all in real time. I knew I had to be mentally prepared for an event like this.
In terms of the unexpected… This is no shade whatsoever, but when you’re there and you see some of the biggest stars in the world, they all look absolutely ethereal, they look beautiful, they look radiant. So I thought maybe I would be starstruck, but I ended up just looking at them as regular people. It was their moment to shine, and we were just there to report on it.
Kara: It’s so true. Red carpets are so chaotic, like you said. And the celebrities are just trying to get through the chaos just like you are. Everybody's there to do a job.
Bianca: I cannot imagine walking up the steps with like a million and one cameras and flashes going off. All eyes are on you.
On Theme
Kara: Let's talk a little bit about the theme. How did you see the theme manifest through the beauty looks?
Bianca: Before I came into this industry, I didn’t really understand the hype around the Met Gala. It wasn't until I did my first coverage online with our team where I kind of got a glimpse of what it is, and the cultural impact it has within pop culture. So for this year’s theme particularly, I was super excited because we're talking about highlighting Black Dandyism, but with the dress code of Tailored for You. It really allowed for everyone’s own interpretation. It provided the opportunity to bring each individual's cultural storytelling to the forefront. And for me, someone who is both Thai and Puerto Rican, born and raised in New York City, more specifically the Bronx, a lot of this is very much rooted in the cultural experiences that my grandparents and neighbors have been a part of.
To me, the beauty looks represented an act of resistance against norms and limitations that have been set upon us for years upon years. Beauty can be used as a tool to empower, shift, create, and really push innovation and storytelling forward.
Kara: Absolutely. And how did it feel to see Afro Latinidad represented as well?
Bianca: On the one hand it’s like, what took so long? And I feel like a lot of people expressed that same sentiment when we're talking about why the Met Gala decided to go with Black Dandyism after André Leon Talley passed away. But if the moment is going to be now, then you have to see it as an opportunity to push forward the ideas that you want to share, the experiences that you want to lift up. You have to build community around you in this present moment.
I recognize that my Puerto Rican heritage is shaped by not only Spanish and Indigenous ancestry, but also African roots. As a Caribeña with privilege, I embrace Afro Latinidad as an integral part of my identity and actively support those in my community who advocate for better representation as our mothers, grandmothers, and ancestors made their way through a lot of challenges and adversity to assimilate into American culture, to embrace the fact that they're Latinx in predominantly white spaces. So the time is now.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
Seeing Afro Latinidad on the red carpet felt empowering. I feel like we, as a community, can be really harsh on one another. From a beauty lens, the traditional Latin American beauty standard is still very much Eurocentric, so it was great to see stars like Zoe Saldaña, Cardi B, Janicza Bravo, and Colman Domingo on the red carpet and to see how their identities are pivotal to their sense of style. In my opinion, it's just only getting started.
Beauty Trends of the Night
Kara: What were some of the beauty trends you saw on the carpet?
Bianca: A lot of finger waves and kiss curls, styles that was really popularized in the 1920s and ‘30s and then in the 90s having a resurgence with the overlap of beauty and music in hip hop with stars, like Missy Elliot, Foxy Brown, Lil Kim, and Eve. And obviously, a lot of homages to Josephine Baker, one of the very first Black women to really be featured prominently on screen, and her Eton crop.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
Teyana Taylor, Angel Reese, Simone Biles, and Jodie Turner-Smith all developed their own interpretations of how you could wear these vintage styles, whether it was with a pixie cut or a slicked back hairdo. It was really, really pretty how people were able to kind of match it with their fits.
I also saw a lot of stars really embrace natural hair texture, which I feel is very important, both in terms of tying back to the theme, but also important to me. In the Latin community, there's this common term used, pelo malo, which means “bad hair.” A lot of individuals in our community are trying to shift away from traditional, negative stereotypes to empower individuals to embrace their natural hair texture.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
Seeing that on display on the Met Gala steps through Doechii’s hair, through Doja Cat's hair, Lauryn Hill, Diana Ross, and Angela Bassett too… I feel like those looks were really symbolizing active resistance against what the societal norm and expectation would be for Black hair.
Kara: And there were lots of braids, too. What were some of your favorites?
Bianca: Oh my goodness. I want to see an up close and personal video of Rihanna's braid—her looks are incredible, and her moment was special. She was showing off her baby bump, so that was the focal point. Coco Jones also had a really beautiful long braid.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
Kerry Washington didn't have a braid, per se, but she had a long bubble ponytail that was really pretty. Also, Megan Thee Stallion ponytail was beautiful as well.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
Another one that I thought was really cute was Miley Cyrus, because when I was growing up, my hair was always very long and my go-to look was like a slicked back, sleek, everyday pony with a braid. So she kind of styled hers like that, which I think is fitting for any occasion.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
Kara: Were there any looks that you think were even better in person, like the photos didn't do them justice?
Bianca: Not to be that girl and pair these two together, but Cardi B and Nicki Minaj?! I absolutely adore them both in their own way. Cardi B—as someone born and raised in the Bronx, really embracing that aspect of her identity and putting that at the forefront of everything that she does—is a hustler. She really, truly embodies what my ideal definition of beauty is.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
I absolutely loved her look. I love how, again, she was embracing natural texture with a puffy side-part style that looked like the result of brushing out your curls. If you got a closer look at her glam, she had a beautiful green eyeshadow, which I feel like she doesn't really play a lot with the color green. It looked absolutely stunning on her. And I feel like the videos I saw, the pictures I saw, she still looks amazing, but in person, that was just breathtaking.
And Nicki is always experimental with all of her beauty looks. Obviously, she is such an icon of New York City culture and in Hip Hop. I think one of her biggest beauty eras was when she was doing her super sharp cat eye after doing her bold pink looks. It was a moment when she really leaned away from her traditional campy styles to something more natural. I feel like this look was a blend of both, which was nice to see. As someone who grew up listening to her music and loving all of her beauty moments—I bought all of her MAC collections—that was really cool to see in person.
The Man of the Hour
Kara: Now, can we talk about Bad Bunny? Your man. My man. We both love him so much. Tell me, what was it like to see him in person? I've never met him.
Bianca: Before the event, my friends were like, Listen, you're going to do well at the Met because you're going to see Bad Bunny in the flesh. And I'm like, You know what? That's going to be my main motivator because you're right. I'm going to see my husband in the flesh.
I've been listening to him since 2016, my senior year of college. Back then, he was just on SoundCloud trying to break through in the music industry. And I really admired how he embraced his own authentic approach to masculinity, because it's not just one-sided, right? Machismo culture is very prevalent in Latino culture. But ever since he's embarked on a career in music, he's really sat ten-toes-down in embracing himself authentically.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
For this event, I was really excited to see how he would tie his Puerto Rican heritage into the event. Last year, when he was co-chair, he held a Flor de Maga bouquet as a way to pay homage to the official national flower of Puerto Rico. This year, he partnered with Prada and wore a pava-inspired hat, which is a traditional straw hat that's warn by jíbaros in Puerto Rico.
Funny story: Bad Bunny went to get on line for the Vogue Live stream. While he was waiting, I called out his name, and he looked at me and I'm smiling and waving and cheesing really hard. And he has his shades on, so I can’t tell if he sees me, but then he smirks, smiles, and waves back. But I didn't get it on camera!!!
Kara: Oh no! That's okay. It's a memory just for you.
Bianca: That’s exactly what [Allure’s associate director of video programming] Logan said too. They were like, it's okay. You didn't get it on camera, because it just exists in your world, and that's what makes it extra special. That moment was probably the highlight of my night.
What the Cameras Didn’t Capture
Kara: Did you see any red carpet mishaps?
Bianca: OK, so, there were a lot of hats. And hats can be a little bit tricky, especially the style people were wearing at the gala.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
It seemed like Kim Kardashian's hat was kind of tilted a little too far down, so she couldn't really see. Homegirl was like this [mimes holding her head high but looking down at the floor] the entire time to look down, so I think she tripped a little bit. I mean, she still looked good. Kim, you look amazing always.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
Honestly, everyone looked amazing. I was surprised at how much I liked Kylie Jenner's look too. I feel like you get a little bit of her personality in the red carpet footage we captured, which was really cute because you would think that she would have kind of a stoic kind of demeanor to her. But she was very fun, very playful, and seemed excited to be there.
Kara: I also loved Spike Lee's outfit, and I bet he was so mad that he missed that Knicks game. It was so close. They won by two or three points in overtime.
Bianca: Spike Lee is such a New York City icon, really championing Black voices in media and in sports. He stays true to his brand, and I respect that level of commitment. I love when stars are able to put a lot of aspects of their identity at the forefront of their sense of style.
Kara: I do think the Met Gala is one of those events—especially with this year’s theme—where celebrities really can let their personality shine. And so when someone wears a boring outfit, I'm like… oh, so you're boring in real life too?
Bianca: True. Although, I would say I thought Kendall Jenner’s look was a little bit boring, but then I did research. She worked with an up-and-coming Black fashion designer, Torishéju Dumi, so then I was like, OK, I get it. You're putting yourself in a position to really uplift someone who could use brand awareness, who could use a lot of your influence to really push them forward in the industry.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
I didn’t see Hailey Bieber in person, but her look didn't really stand out for me much. I just wanted to see her Rhode glow, because I do stand by her ceramide buttercream. I bought three bottles of it. I can’t live without it. But really, I think for the most part, everyone came out really looking good. But then again, I'm also a Cancer, so I think everyone does a great job.
Kara: Well, I'm an Aquarius and I don't really know what that means, but I also thought that most people looked good. There were very few true like, “Oh, no…” moments.
Bianca: Yeah, I mean, I did see someone on the carpet with Hokas, but I don't know who that man is.
Kara: Maybe he just has bad knees, which I understand.
Bianca: Oh…He did have a cane, so lemme stop.
Lessons Learned
Kara: Last, but not least, tell me about your look last night. What did you wear?
Bianca: I originally had a vision of doing a Bianca Jagger inspired-suit, because, fun fact, my mom did name me after Bianca Jagger. I feel like she's such a fashion and beauty icon, but then the date snuck up on me so fast! So I just wore a regular House of CB dress. It had a corset with a black slip bottom.
I didn't want to wear anything too uncomfortable, especially when you're standing for a long period of time surrounded by other people. It's a tight space and I was working with two different cameras and a mic, but I was able to move around a lot. My only mistake was that it was raining all day and my dress was long, so my feet were soaked. You know how when you're in a bath for a long time, and you get wrinkles on your hands?
Kara: Oh yes.
Bianca: That was my feet. I wasn't prepared for that. I was in kitten heels for so long that my feet went numb. And, of course, as I’m switching out into my sneakers, Rihanna comes. I have one sneaker on and one heel on and she shows up.
Kara: That's amazing. What time did Rihanna show up last night?
Bianca: It was about 9:40pm.
Kara: She's done worse.
Bianca: She's definitely done worse. And because we were at the top of the carpet, we were getting insider timing intel from the Met Gala production crew, and we're like, okay, so we got to be prepared. We didn’t realize that she was doing her baby bump announcement until maybe halfway into the show when she confirmed she was actually going to show up.
Kara: So exciting!
Bianca: Everything just happened so fast that I didn't even have time to change into my sneakers until the very last minute. So that was a lesson for me. For next year, I do not care: I'm just going to wear sneakers and that's it.
Kara: What about hair and makeup? Your lip combo is your signature thing, right?
Bianca: Yeah, I did my own glam. I feel most comfortable in my signature everyday look, but I did a little more blush using the Patrick Ta blush in one of their bright pink shades. It was just to give me a different color on the cheeks, because I typically go for a coraly color.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
For my lip combo, I used the MAC Cork Lip Liner. That's my go-to. I feel like it's a classic staple for that beautiful ‘90s brown lip. And then for the gloss, I used the Tarte Maracuja Juicy Lip Plump in the shade White Peach. I'm not much of a plumper girl, but it does give me a nice tingle that's not too stark on the lips. And I just think that color really plays well with that soft brown from Cork.
Bianca: For hair, I was inspired by the ‘90s effortless updo. Again, because it was raining, I didn't want to do too much. So I did my own hair—used a lot of hairspray and referenced a lot of TikTok videos. That’s what I love that app for. I found some really great tutorials for people with long hair. It took me about six tries to get the perfect effortless updo, so I’m glad that it stood in place all night. It also fought back against the humidity, which is a plus.
Kara: What hairspray did you use?
Bianca: It was the Tresemmé Extra Hold.
Kara: Love that—a drugstore option.
Bianca: Yeah, it's a classic one. And I am not one to use a hairspray either. I feel like it gets too tacky. Growing up when my mom used to take me to the hair salon and they'd put rollers in my hair to make it curly—they put so much hairspray, and I just hate that crunch and that sleek shininess. So I rarely use hairspray, but for an event like this, I was like, no, it has to stay. If I’m going to see Bad Bunny in the flesh, it has to stay.
Hope you enjoyed this special edition of The Beauty Chat. Have other questions for Bianca? Leave them in the comments. Want more Met Gala? Read our full coverage on Allure.com.