So you’ve got your invitation to the Met Gala! Our heartfelt congratulations—but now what? How soon should you start planning your look? Should you ask who else is sitting at your table? Should you practice walking up those famous steps? Gala-goers’ minds will race with all sorts of scenarios to prepare for. (The only thing one wants more than an invite to the Met Gala, after all, is to be invited back again.)

To settle all these matters and more, Vogue’s Oh, Behave! column has called upon two of this year’s livestream hosts—and Met Gala veterans—La La Anthony and Gwendoline Christie. Anthony has been co-hosting the live stream for the past two years, while Christie is taking the mic for the first time—though she’s no stranger to the event.

Below, they explain how to act the part when attending the Met Gala.

How soon should you RSVP to the gala upon receiving your invitation?

Gwendoline: I’d say within 24 hours, simply so you can prove that the invitation was real and you can start telling everyone that you’re going.

La La: Within minutes? It’s the hottest ticket in town. It’s such an honor to be invited and to be a part of such an amazing night. I think you should RSVP as soon as you get the invitation.

How do you tell your friends you’re going without seeming like you’re boasting?

La La: You know, actually a lot of my friends attend as well, and those who don’t attend just love watching and seeing the fashion. So it’s exciting for all of them. For those who are going because we all get to hang, and for those who aren’t because it’s still a moment. Now, they get to watch me on the livestream too!

How soon do you start planning our outfit?

Gwendoline: Literally the day after the previous Met Gala. Quite honestly, I have had things made with the idea of them potentially being worn at the Met Gala for years. And no, I absolutely can’t be more specific, because they can pop out at any time. There are also pieces genuinely waiting in climate-controlled archives for the right theme at some point potentially in the future.

La La: About a month or two before—but it always seems like everyone’s scrambling right at the end, which is crazy, because we all know the date! But there’s always a mad dash right toward the end—even right before the actual day of the Met Gala. It’s like Christmas. The day before, everyone’s shopping like wild maniacs, even though it’s the same day every year.
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The colourist, the dancer and the chef

I’ve never really felt conventional. I’m naturally drawn to misfits; to outsiders,” Gwendoline Christie tells Bazaar. Today, we’re on set with the Emmy-nominated actress, who has been widely celebrated for her portrayal of complex, multi-faceted and nonconformist women, from Jan Stevens in Flux Gourmet to the formidable Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones. “As an artist, I’ve always been interested in what exists in the margins – the untold stories. It’s where I feel most at home.”

Christie, 44, has seen her fame catapult in recent years, following starring roles in Netflix’s Wednesday and The Sandman. While her talent and magnetism is undeniable – she’s articulate, charming and possesses a thunderous laugh – we’re meeting with the actress to explore the notion that behind every successful individual, there’s a team of supporters helping to raise them up, drive them forward and unlock their full potential. “That love you feel from your friends, and for the people that go out of their way to help you, can be transformative,” says Christie.

Bazaar is joining Christie as she embarks on a journey with Porsche to illustrate how together, we can go further – a concept the actress and luxury car brand believe in passionately. Along the way, we’re meeting three talented creatives who have played a significant role in the actress’s life, both personally and professionally.

The colourist

Christie met celebrity colourist Josh Wood in 2018, just after she’d filmed her final scenes for Game of Thrones. “I’d been an admirer of Josh’s work for many years. His name kept cropping up in so many fashion shoots I loved,” says Christie.

After being introduced by a mutual friend, the star remembers: “I was nervous to meet Josh because he’s iconic – a visionary – and someone I’d always wanted to work with. In reality, he’s incredibly kind and funny. He wants people to feel good. I never expected to have such a hoot in the chair with him.”
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A few months ago, in conversation with the punk performance artist Christeene in this very magazine, Gwendoline Christie explained how fashion has provided her with safe haven. “I believe it’s about offering up something else, an alternative to what a more limited human experience might be,” said the towering and eternally stylish Game of Thrones star. “I felt celebrated just for being a freak.” Last night, Christie got the chance to let her freak flag fly at her very first Met Gala, which she attended with longtime friend and Fendi artistic director Kim Jones, who she first met when the designer was a student at St. Martins. Before making her way to the lofty steps of the Costume Institute, Christie took five with Interview to talk about Karl Lagerfeld’s legacy, her ongoing relationship with Fendi, and her favorite looks from Mer Galas past.

JAKE NEVINS: Hey there, how are you?

GWENDOLINE CHRISTIE: Hello! I’m very well. How are you?

NEVINS: I’m doing well. Happy Met Gala day!

CHRISTIE: Thank you very much. You know this is my first.

NEVINS: How does that feel?

CHRISTIE: It’s exciting but nerve-wracking. I am very excited. The main reason is that I’m going with Fendi and Kim Jones, and Kim and I have known each other since I was 19 years old. He was at St. Martins and he was on the MA design, and I was assisting a student there. I actually was his fitting model once. And we’ve known one another over the years and I’ve seen him go on this extraordinary and very well-deserved trajectory where he is now. And obviously, I’ve been reading about the Met Gala in magazines since I was young, it seemed like this sort of distant, extraordinary way-off world that was sort of intoxicating. So after all those years of peering in from the outside and admiring this extraordinary event, it means a lot to me to be going, but also to be going to celebrate Karl Lagerfeld, who was one of the greatest designers that we’ve ever had. He was a true renaissance man, an intellectual who was fascinated by art, culture, street cultures, underground subcultures, literature, music. He had such a wide spectrum of taste, but was also such a master craftsman. So I’m thrilled to be going and celebrating that.
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