Walking through the hallways of the Metropolitan Museum of Art on his way to cocktails, James Corden comically spread his arms as if he owned the place. “If you want me to talk to you about any of this, let me know,” he said, pointing to the priceless art on the walls, joking with Jeff Bezos and his partner Lauren Sanchez, who followed him. Were staying.

It was all in fun, but Corden, like many celebrities, is a met gal Regular.

Then there are the first-time visitors. These guests, no matter how famous in their field, are often somewhat surprised by the concentration of celebrities around them, and even somewhat nervous, as if at a new school. The coming child.

For example: street children. The K-pop band arrived for their first group concert, all eight wearing various red, navy and white outfits by designer Tommy Hilfiger. Entering the museum he climbed the grand interior staircase, hit the receiving line, and then headed to cocktails, where, he said, he slowly began to relax.

Tayla poses at the Met Gala Photo Credit: Andrew Kelly

“We were nervous at first.” Band number bang chan said. Bandmate Felix said, “We didn’t know what to expect, who we’d meet.” But he was settling in well, and had already talked to Chris Hemsworth, Steven Yeun and Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons.

then there was Ayo EdebiriThe “The Bear” star, who has been a multiple-time winner on the awards circuit this year, was attending her first ceremony. He almost took his breath away after greeting hosts Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, Hemsworth and Anna Wintour at the top of the stairs.

Ayo Edebiri | Photo Credit: Evan Agostini

“I’m really excited to be here,” he said. “That’s another really beautiful thing that I’ll try my best to remember.”

Some other memorable moments and scenes from inside the ceremony:

However, the festival’s accompanying exhibition was named “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,” It wasn’t really about Princess Aurora from our fairy tales. Rather, it was about highlighting and illuminating the delicate textiles from the museum’s collection that were now being “awakened” to the world. Still, it’s safe to say that the museum was a total fairy tale.

Rebecca Ferguson poses at the Met Gala. Photo Credit: Andrew Kelly

Entering the Great Hall, guests passed a massive centerpiece, 32 feet high, which represented a “whimsical tree”. Huge green flowers made of cloth grew on a forest-like bush with twisted branches, looking exactly like the leaf that Sleeping Beauty’s prince had to pluck in order to give her true love’s kiss. The guests then walked through the forest accompanied by a live string orchestra and a tableau of performers dressed in tunics and tights dressed as forest creatures.

Given the choice of seeing the exhibit or heading straight for cocktails, most guests chose the latter option. But few people went to the show, a multi-sensory fashion experience that included not only sight but also sound, smell and touch. Lena Waithe spent time alone inspecting the clothes, and said that “she was stunned by the work I was seeing.”

Lana Del Rey posing at the Met Gala Photo Credit: Carlos Barria

The actor/producer said that like many people, she often finds fashion to be fun and light. “But then I come here and I remember it’s an art form,” she said. And he recalled the speech Meryl Streep, as a character like Wintour, gave to Anne Hathaway in “The Devil Wears Prada,” that the clothes we wear are chosen for us. “I think we need to be reminded, that our style is influenced by people who are long gone,” Waithe said.

Late-night host Meyers, who was attending the event with his wife, said it was a nice break to have an evening away from caring for the kids. But he also jokingly asked why his young children, ages 8, 6 and 2, were not invited. Meyers quipped, “I think it’s very rude that Vogue didn’t invite him.” “It’s very kid-friendly here. And they’re very good at staying away from things.”

Meyers said what she enjoyed most about the show was that “there are so many people on the show that I’m a fan of or that I’ve interviewed.” But as far as fashion goes, he likes to play it straight, saying: ”Nobody wants a guy like me to make a big splash. I stay in my lane.”

Josh O’Connor | Photo Credit: Evan Agostini

The Met Gala always has a strong Broadway contingent, as Wintour is a big fan of the theater. At the ceremony, fresh from a Tony nomination for “Merrily We Roll Along,” Jonathan Groff shared a laugh with his good friend and fellow “Glee” alum (and “Funny Girl” star) Lea Michele, who is returning for her second Was expecting a baby and was fabulous. Baby Blue Rodarte reminisced about prior Met Galas she attended, including a show called “Hair”, and another in 2016 where guest Beyoncé released “Lemonade” about a week earlier, she recalled. “Was epic.”

One table away was another Broadway star, J. Harrison Ghee was sitting. Ghee attended his first ceremony last year, about a month before he won the Tony Award for best actor in “Some Like It Hot.” Ghee wore a dramatic feathered look by designer Howie B. Inspired, she said, by a caddis worm — matching perfectly with the nature theme of the evening. The night was proof that fashion is an important and expressive art, Ghee said. And he further said that “I would have been very happy as a small child. I check in with them all the time – would they be proud? They will.”

Doja Cat | Photo Credit: Evan Agostini

As Sanchez and Bezos toured the exhibit, her distinctive dress made an equally distinctive noise as it scattered across the floor. “We won’t lose you,” Bezos joked. Sanchez said she cried when she first tried on Oscar de la Renta’s Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim eye-popping designs. The voluminous skirt featured pearl and mirror embellishments and was intended to highlight Tiffany glass. Sanchez quipped, “If you need a mirror just use my dress.” She said she felt the dress symbolized life – where everything is a little broken, and it depends on what you do with the pieces. And her eyes welled up when she described trying on the dress for Bezos: “He told me I’d never looked so beautiful,” she said.

Fun fact: Sanchez said Garcia told her she needed an item to fix the dress, and she ordered it on Amazon.

Kendall Jenner | Photo Credit: Andrew Kelly

How do you get hundreds of talking celebrities to hang out at a museum for dinner? The organizers have tried many methods. One year, it was a team of buglers. Another year, Jon Batiste and his melodica led a band through the crowd. Last year David Byrne had received this honour. On Monday, a huge choir emerged, singing original music titled “Future of Us” along with the dancers. Just then a bell rang, and the cast called out: “To dinner!” And the crowd slowly moved towards the Temple of Dendur, where the fairy tale theme continued with tables featuring “enchanted candelabras with floral decorations.”

It is still fashionable to arrive late; Some guests were still arriving at 9 pm or much later. But for those who made it to dinner, here’s what was on the menu: a main course of filet of beef, pea tortellini, morels and spring vegetables, followed by a dessert of petits fours inspired by the Brothers Grimm tale , yes, “Sleeping Beauty” – with sweets “in the shape of a bespoke hat.”