Pricey ITG,
It felt completely surreal to be invited to the Met Gala. I’ve all the time been any individual who’s very additional, so the concept that I might attend an occasion like this, the place the style is so unbelievable, was a complete dream. I feel you’re alleged to be just a little low key about it—you understand, chill—however I’ve actually by no means been extra enthusiastic about something.
The “Sleeping Beauties” costume exhibit theme and the “Backyard of Time” gown code made it the proper first Met Gala to attend—not only for me, but in addition on behalf of Hill Home, my vogue and residential model. Fairly quickly after realizing I used to be really invited, I made a decision to create a gown impressed by Sir Frederic Leighton’s 1895 portray Flaming June. My mother is the one who launched it to me. She was obsessive about it as a result of she thought the lady within the portray appeared like me. She would actually level on the reproductions and be like, ‘That’s my Nellie.’ I’ve probably the most wonderful reminiscences of being a tiny little particular person and listening to her say that.
The portray itself additionally has an enchanting historical past. It was mainly misplaced from the artwork world for a really very long time. It was sitting in an vintage store and Andrew Lloyd Weber, the true Andrew Lloyd Weber, virtually purchased it for some insane quantity, like $10, however his mother stated, ‘No extra Victorian work.’ It was in Puerto Rico eternally as a result of Luis A. Ferré, the previous governor of Puerto Rico, beloved the portray and received it at an public sale for an extremely low value. It’s type of had this renaissance and are available again into vogue over the previous couple of many years. It got here to the Tate Fashionable in London in 2008—I grew up in London, and I noticed it there. It’s simply such a stupendous, beautiful portray to take a look at.
The lady within the portray is completely bare apart from some gauze, so the very first thing my thoughts went to for my Met gown was a unadorned moist look. Then I remembered who I’m, so as an alternative, I took the colour inspiration and among the Grecian components. Michael, who’s the dressmaker for Hill Home, bought a gown type and draped it 1,000,000 completely different instances to see how the material might lay on the physique. It was actually essential to me to have a waist second as a result of one of many causes I used to be into our nap attire was as a result of the smocking allowed you to have just a little little bit of a snatched waist however nonetheless really feel snug; personally, I all the time really feel higher if I’ve a waist second. Then we wished to attach the florals not directly, and particularly after studying concerning the impermanence of the objects within the exhibit, I actually wished to include recent flowers, which had been sewn in by hand, together with within the van main as much as the steps of the Met. I beloved the concept that the recent flowers would die by the tip of the evening, so the gown would look this fashion for one evening solely. After I modified final evening, the flowers had been just a little bit stepped on, had petals lacking, and the colours of the flowers had stained the gown in a very stunning approach. It’s going to really by no means look the way in which it initially appeared once more.
Main as much as the Met, I undoubtedly went overboard to prep my pores and skin. I began out with Dr. Dennis Gross, who I’ve been seeing since I used to be 22. I do Botox with him on my brow and eyes, and he all the time has such a light-weight contact and is aware of precisely what I want. That’s simply my traditional, however about three to 4 weeks forward of the Gala, I got here in for just a little contact up. I additionally see Lia Trojansky at Dr. Gross. She does lasers and chemical peels. Final summer time, I had pimples for the primary time—at the same time as a young person I didn’t have pimples—and she or he type of saved me. She would all the time say I ought to strive microneedling, so a few months earlier than the Met, I attempted it. I had perhaps three or 4 days of an excellent, tremendous purple face, however I undoubtedly observed a distinction when it comes to pore dimension and the final well being and tone of my pores and skin. She additionally had me do another Laser Genesis, which I’ve been getting from her unrelated to the Met, with just a little peel on Friday.
On Sunday afternoon, I noticed Elizabeth Grace Hand, the founding father of Stallë Studios. To start with, it was probably the most stress-free facial I’ve ever gotten. It took two hours, which included a CO2 masks, microcurrent, and Lyma Laser, however nothing harsh like extractions. I couldn’t advocate it extra earlier than an enormous occasion.
For my magnificence look, I wished to include among the Pre-Raphaelite cornerstones, like rosy cheeks and pale pores and skin, which isn’t laborious for me. [Laughs] Actually, the look wasn’t too dissimilar to my traditional make-up look. I had much less eyeliner on than I often do, however I nonetheless had a winged eyeliner, which is my signature, as a result of I nonetheless wished to really feel like myself. Total, I simply wished to really feel recent and dewy, really like I emerged from the riverbank. Isabel Rosado did my make-up utilizing Chanel Magnificence. She prepped my pores and skin with the Sublimage La Crème first. For the rosy cheeks, she used the Le Blanc Rosy Mild Drops, a mixture of two Joues Contraste powder blushes—Rose Preliminary and Quintessence, and the Lumière de L’Ocean illuminating powder. We used three merchandise for my lips: Rouge Coco Flash in Ferveur, Rouge Attract Ink in Amoureux, and Le Crayon lip pencil in Rose Poudré. As a substitute of my traditional black liner, we did a softer heat brown with just a little gold fleck utilizing Stylo Ombre et Contour eyeshadow liner in Electrical Brown and Nude Éclat.
Rosibel Del Jesus did my hair utilizing a mixture of R+Co merchandise and T3 instruments. I typically put on my hair in pure waves, however I wished to raise it with extra peak on the crown for a modern, easy look. I had flowers tied by hand in my hair, too. Truly, these flowers, and those on my gown, had been my fragrance for the night. There have been tons of of them, so you possibly can actually scent them.
Ami Vega did my nails the morning of. I’ve labored together with her earlier than for Hill Home, and she or he is fabulous. She used Base 02 and 03 from the Kokoist x Nail Ideas collab. I by no means put on nail polish on my fingers, and I often preserve them tremendous, tremendous brief. Individuals are all the time stunned as a result of every little thing else I do is so excessive upkeep, however I’ve a tough time typing with nails and with my children it’s only a lot. However I like an excuse to have lengthy nails. I really feel like I’ve a brand new persona when I’ve them on.
I did lymphatic drainage at Ricari Studios 3 times final week—any individual who goes to the Met on a regular basis instructed me to go. It made me really feel so wholesome. I’ve had three children, so I maintain a whole lot of bloat in my abdomen and I undoubtedly felt much less bloated there. Doing pilates at Forma actually helped, too. It’s the toughest class ever, however it’s so good.
One of many coolest issues that I didn’t notice beforehand is that you just get to spend time within the precise exhibit. I’m such a museum particular person, and I had a very early name time, which was wonderful. Being mainly alone within the exhibit in your robe, proper after going by means of the purple carpet, was an enormous spotlight—and it didn’t harm that Matt Damon was standing proper there taking a look at it, too.
Love,
Nell Diamond
—As instructed to Daise Bedolla
Photographed by Emma Craft at The Mark Resort on Might 6, 2024. Crimson carpet images by way of Getty Pictures.