This year, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s signature gala welcomed a host of top hats, pinstripes and impeccable suiting (and a fashionably late, pregnant Rihanna) in celebration of the Costume Institute’s new exhibition about the history of Black dandy fashion.
But it’s the after-parties where politicians, athletes, celebrities and influencers, many of whom did not appear on the blue carpet, let loose.
On Monday night, as it continued to rain, celebrities dispersed across the city to toast martinis and mull over the moment. Here’s a sampling of who was out and what they wore.
Mayor Eric Adams arrived at Casa Cipriani, a private club in Lower Manhattan, for the nightlife impresario Richie Akiva’s annual Met Gala after-party, just before 1 a.m.
Mr. Adams, whose approval rating recently hit a record low, stood in a private section in front of a pole where a woman danced with several $20 bills tucked into the straps of her bikini.
As two more dancers appeared, Mr. Adams posed for photos and chatted with Jonathan Cheban, the reality television personality, while “Candy Shop” by 50 Cent played over the speakers.
In the back, Sam Smith, the British singer-songwriter, danced under the room’s pink LED lighting. The actor Leonardo DiCaprio slid in soon after. With his eyes concealed by a black baseball cap, he greeted Edward Enninful, the former editor in chief of British Vogue and a host of the party alongside Tyla, Doja Cat and Colman Domingo. The N.F.L. great Tom Brady chatted with guests and paid his respects to Mr. Enninful as well.
“There are so many icons in the building, but there’s one that I got to give a shout out to: Stevie Wonder,” Mr. Akiva bellowed into the mic from the stage as he welcomed people to the party. “Legend.”
As the celebrations continued, the actor Evan Mock took a break on an outside balcony overlooking the venue’s entrance, where a line of people waited in the rain, hopeful they could squeeze inside.
The party was packed, probably because, as Mr. Mock put it, “It’s not the official Met Gala after-party, but it’s the official one for the vibes, you know?”
Mr. Mock, who had been to the Met Gala before, was monitoring the looks of the night while getting his nails done, which were painted with letters that spelled “not invited.”
“I think Rocky looked fly, but Rocky always looks fly,” Mr. Mock said. “Lewis Hamilton — that’s actually my favorite fit I’ve seen. I think he crushed it. André 3000’s obviously a standout,” he added, referring to the piano on the musician’s back.
Inside, several couples gathered by a bar, including the musicians Young Thug and Mariah the Scientist, and the former quarterback Colin Kaepernick and his longtime partner, Nessa Diab.
“Mom and Dad are out for the night,” Ms. Diab said. The pair had collaborated with Mr. Enninful for their Met Gala debut in Moncler.
While Serena Williams and Simone Biles chatted, Ms. Biles’s husband, Jonathan Owens, was beside her, reflecting on his Met Gala debut.
“It was so amazing,” he said. “It was perfect.”
As night turned to morning, the singer Tyla, who was slated to perform, wove through the party and was escorted to Doja Cat’s table. They hugged and started dancing. — Sadiba Hasan
Oversize red roses were the theme at the Mark Hotel post-Met Gala: affixed to cowboy hats, flopping over lapels and flattened into appliqués.
A slow stream of A-listers floated between the stark white lights of the hotel lobby and the red-hued den of the party.
The performance artist and grown-up club kid Amanda Lepore arrived in an early wave of guests wearing a dress she made herself, sheer, sequined and corseted.
“Seems like ‘Casablanca’ or something,” she said of the vibe, over pulsing Latin pop.
As the stars trickled in, many bee-lined straight for the mirrored elevators (but not before blowing kisses for the cameras) to head up to their hotel rooms, including the K-pop star Lisa, and the actresses Jenna Ortega and Cynthia Erivo, who said she was feeling “magical.”
Those who were ready to keep the party going inside were treated to tastings of Don Julio tequila, served neat alongside slices of Cara Cara orange and grapefruit dipped in gold — real gold — flakes.
Jeremy Allen White slipped in from the tucked-away hotel staircase wearing Louis Vuitton (and smelling of mint gum and cigarettes) to many a back clap from admirers.
“I feel great,” he said. “I feel confident.”
As the fashion designer and party host Willy Chavarria made the rounds, the music shifted to a heavy bass remix of “Rhythm of the Night.”
The best part about the gala? “All of the brown and Black people,” he said.
Wearing Ferragamo, the actor LaKeith Stanfield made a dramatic entrance as the long, fringe-trimmed train of his white jacket trailed behind him. He managed to tuck it into the elevator just before the doors closed.
The designer Michael Kors arrived not long after in his signature aviator sunglasses, which remained on throughout the evening.
As the night wore on, partygoers chased after French fries and doughnuts, and happily chowed down on Jean-Georges hot dogs from a cart in the lobby, which had become the nucleus for socializing and stargazing.
Suddenly, a flurry of blond appeared. The singer Sabrina Carpenter was at the foot of the elevators. Was she coming? Was she going? Where did she come from! Holding a cigar to her lips, she strutted forward out of the hotel and into the night. — Rachel Sherman
Boom at the Top of the Standard
A ‘Paaaarty’ in the Village With Burna Boy
In the early morning hours, a crowd that included the singer Adam Lambert, the actor Darren Criss and the singer Natasha Bedingfield began to trickle into Boom, the club at the top of the Standard hotel in the West Village.
About 150 people, many of them wearing hats — berets, wide-brimmed fedoras, top hats, crystal-studded bucket hats — sipped cocktails while the South African D.J. Black Coffee and the Nigerian singer-songwriter Burna Boy, the party’s host, performed in front of floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Hudson River. The streets below were slick with rain and the views more foggy than picturesque, but inside, the room was buzzing.
Mr. Criss, the “Glee” star who was recently nominated for a Tony Award for his performance in the new Broadway musical “Maybe Happy Ending,” sat on a couch in a corner in a wide-brimmed hat and ascot, accepting congratulations from well-wishers.
Mr. Lambert, the former “American Idol” runner-up who recently wrapped a six-month run as the emcee in the Broadway musical “Cabaret,” held court in another corner, wearing a long, glittering, gray-and-red-checked overcoat, with a dozen earrings snaking in and out of his right ear. He was swaying side-to-side in time to the music, drink in hand.
“I love you,” he told various acquaintances who came up to greet him, at least four times in 10 minutes.
Across the room, Black Coffee, wearing a white T-shirt and square black glasses, spun a set as a crowd in sequined gowns, capes and voluminous floral skirts held their phones up and danced.
“We gonna paaaarty,” Burna Boy called out as he shared a stage with Black Coffee. Around 2 a.m., they performed an upbeat rendition of “Stand by Me.”
Shortly afterward, Mr. Lambert left the booth area, drink in hand, and posed for selfies.
“What a night,” he said as the flash went off. — Sarah Bahr
