Last year’s Met Gala gave us a buffet of gossip about many different celebrities, plus it was the jumping off point for The Glorious Tiddlebanging, so the 2016 Met Gala will always have a place in my heart. The theme of the 2016 Met Gala was fashion and technology, and the future of fashion. Most people interpreted that as robotics, metallics, precision-machine-cut clothing, that kind of thing. Sarah Jessica Parker took it in a different direction, and she wore what looked like a deconstructed costume from Hamilton the musical. People were like “WTF?” and “Did she not understand the theme?” SJP heard those comments and she went a little bit crazy trying to defend her choice and her thought process behind it.
I bring up this piece of Met Gala gossip history because I think it’s the reason why SJP didn’t come to this year’s Met Gala. SJP was truly upset that people didn’t “get” her outfit last year, and she was so discouraged that she didn’t even both going to what is probably her favorite annual event.
If you can count on one person to take the Met Gala dress code seriously, it’s Sarah Jessica Parker. Every year she wears something that perfectly honors the exhibit (usually accented with a towering headpiece) because, as she puts, she’s a “stickler for the theme.” So with something as avant-garde as “Rei Kawakubo / Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between,” we had no doubt she’d respect the theme in her own creative way. But we waited and waited and waited for all the celeb red carpet arrivals only to discover SJP was nowhere to be found!
The actress usually arrives alongside her Met Gala buddy, Bravo’s Andy Cohen, but both were unusually absent from the notoriously long staircase. They both made no mention to the annual event on either of their social media pages all day, and according to a source, the actress decided to “skip to stay and work on her HBO series Divorce.”
Yeah, right, “work on her HBO series.” Please, she would move heaven and earth to attend the gala! Or, she would have before we sh-t all over her outfit last year. This is apparently the first time she’s skipped out on the gala since 2010. You know what makes me feel genuine sadness? SJP didn’t make a big song and dance about not going to the Met Gala this year. All of the Lena Dunhams, Amy Schumers and Gwyneth Paltrows get to sh-t all over the gala and they still turned up, even though they wanted to let everyone know that it is THE WORST and THEY DON’T WANT TO BE THERE. SJP never played that. She always wanted to be there. She always cared about the theme and she’s always cared so deeply about fashion as art. Now I feel like she’s still nursing a really big grudge about no one liking her outfit last year. Poor SJP. Come back next year, girl!
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Somehow, I doubt that SJP was holding a grudge. I’m sure she’s used to fashion criticism. I suspect she was left off to allow for younger invitees, cause the MET gala just seems to skew that way. But it’s too bad, as this years theme would have been perfect for SJP.
I wonder if maybe Comme des Garcons didn’t wanna dress her, so she stayed home? I could see that as another possible reason for absence.
SJP is used to fashion criticism, I’m sure. I agree the more likely reason is Anna left off the guest list older, more A-list stars in favor of Kardashians and instamodels. The MET Gala just isn’t the event it used to be.
i totally agree. It used to be A ++++ and now you have so many of the Insta famers and the event has been diluted. Very few adhere to the theme so it has become just another red carpet…
I can see SPJ not wanting to be part of it anymore, because it is not the event it was 10 years ago.
And this year was especially full of younger guests. It seemed that most of them very under 30 and from that group even under 25.
SJP chaired the event in 2014. There is no way she was left off the guest list. Given her fierce defense of the hot mess she wore last year, I definitely think she is nursing a grudge.
Last year’S outfit wasn’t a hot mess at all. It may not have been your cup of tea, but it was perfect for the Met Gala. But yeah, SJP isn’t left off the invite list.
Hey, Anna had to decide between Kylie Jenner and SJP and what can you do!? All kidding aside it was like an MTV awards show lineup. Anna trying to get younger vogue readers, I guess, but not very interesting.
Well I did see her in the city I work in on Monday morning. She was working on Divorce. My friend was an extra on set. Though that doesn’t mean that Sarah couldn’t have gotten off in time to attend. Though when I left Monday night they were still filming.
Out of topic, but does anyone really watch Divorce? I managed through the first episode and found it boring and her character to be a more annoying/less fashion version of Carrie Bradshaw.
I’ve never seen one episode of it and didn’t know she was on it until my friend was hired as an extra.
I somehow dragged myself through episode one, but … I just don’t think SJP is that great of an actress. I could not get emotionally attached to her character or her struggles.
I watched it thanks to Thomas Haden Church (Ned & Stacey forever!) and didn’t mind it. The good thing is as the series went on it showed that while they were both kind of terrible SJP was reeeeeeally terrible. It made up for all the fangirling of the equally terrible Carrie for me, like this is how she would have progressed after SATC ended.
That headpiece is amazing! People can criticize some of SJP fashion choices, but they can’t say she is boring! She always looks like she is having fun
SJP does not come across as small minded like that.
The woman’s has being subjected to cruel criticism about her looks and ‘sexiness’ for so long now that she probably knows how to deal with stuff like that. SJP is still winning having dated RDJ and JFK Jr!!
Anyway she was missed.
The presence of Kristen Callavari (sp), La La Anthony, et al at the MET, only emphasised her and a few others’ absence.
Honestly, I doubt it was her throwing a strop.
Love her or hate her, at least she tries to stick to the themes, same with Rhianna. The majority look like they couldn’t be arsed reading past their name on the invite. It’s turned into a Kardashian/that circle fest anyway. Its less and less the big deal it used to be. The biggest things in the last few years about it were Tiddlebanging in its earliest form, and Elevatorgate, or anything Beyonce does really.
Oh man I love her at the Met Gala I barely looked at pics this year but I was still keeping an eye out to see what she wore.
Do not tell me she wasn’t invited, there is no way.
I feel petty af for saying this but SJP should be glad to distance herself from the gilded peasants who’ve been attending lately. She was truly the Babe Paley of the Met Gala.
SJP is many things, but she is no Babe Paley.
You’re right, I wasn’t clear. Paley is my forever icon but what I meant is SJP takes fashion seriously and treats it as a true beaux arte in contrast to celebrities who lack the style intuition to be little more than human clothes hangers.
Well, she did flip out on a random Instagram commentener, which seemed wildly out of character for her. So, this theory may be correct.
That is surprising.
I love her and her fashion and she was definitely missed by many, but maybe she just decided to sit this one out. I highly doubt she was left of the list. Maybe she just wasn’t feeling the theme this year, it was a bit wacky in my opinion.
I kind of think she was pissed about the comments to last year. She wrote friggin essay about it! Makes sense that she’d be more willing to skip out and work.
I love her. She’s my favourite and always makes an interesting choice based on the theme. Not like the other princessy snoozefests. Disappointed that she didn’t attend and there were no photos of her.
Her absence created a void that cannot be filled with mere Instagram models. She doesn’t strike me as the type who nurses a grudge. Maybe she had to work. Or maybe she felt like skipping it this year. I can see where one might need a break from that circus.
Agreed. The fact that her absence was felt so acutely speaks volumes. Maybe that was the point.
I think she just had to work. Her show isn’t doing great, and she doesn’t have the kind of pull she did back in peak SATC days. Her costing HBO money by going to the gala instead of working could have been the nail in Divorce’s coffin. Given it’s not doing well with audiences nor lighting critics on fire I doubt there’s much lee-way in their budget.
OT- is it me or are her eyes getting lighter as she gets older? Or maybe she’s just wearing darker eye makeup all the time so it makes them seem lighter? I’ve been watching her for years and her eyes just seem freakishly light to me.
I want to her to lay off the thick black eyeliner so badly. Yes, her eyes are small, but that black mess just makes them look weird. (Same goes for Melania, but there are worse things about her. Much, much worse.)
Me too. She looks so much fresher and younger when she keeps her eye makeup light.
It sounds like she was making a statement in her own way.
For me, seeing the photos of all the reality celebrities and models in the bathroom smoking and taking selfies really made it seem like it’s becoming a shallow affair.
If she genuinely had to work, don’t you think she would’ve posted something in IG re that? By not posting anything, it seems a bit suspect, like she is butt hurt. And wasn’t Cohen there? What’s his story?
The K Klan took the event way dooownn. It is a tacky fest now. Gwyneth made a mistake going back. IMO SJP has great intelligence combined with groundednesd, grace and kindness. Why should she go. Wintour sold her soul to the devil, as usual.
Yeah. Did you see the selfie from the toilet? Like wth was that or the insta videos from that toilet when people were smoking….I think SJP made the best decision ever not to go.
Next year, there will be a lot less people from the A List and perhaps the event will either be completely re-designed or scrapped altogether.
Maybe, it was a choice of conscience?….political affiliation. For Wintour apologizing to and meeting with the POS-in-chief? For Wintour acknowledging she’d have Mrs. POS on the cover? Ugh….I don’t care.
Frankly, the event has so downgraded itself with all this social media star crap, it’s not worthy of her.
The theme wasn’t technology. It was “manus y machina” – literally interpreted, “hand and machine”. It was about different ways of making fashion over the years, so technology only in the sense of there have been technologies over time, and the evolution of handmade vs machine made. Not “the future” not “robots”. SJP wasn’t off-theme, she interpreted it beautifully. And likely the fashion people loved it.
But I’m going with work. Not to mention, I’ve gotten the impression of strain on her for a while.
I looked her defence of her last years outfit that she wrote and she had a styling army to make her outfit and had put more thought on her outfit than many in their wedding dresses or their jobs. So while that was a bit ridiculous I guess it can make her take criticism more seriously than she should. It’s just hard to see her just not deciding to attend if she cares so much.
Oh pls.
This is so juvenile. She is a lovely woman and so above that nonsense. I bet she was really busy. You are being weirdly petty and vindictive, and your tone is extremely condescending. This is a perfectly harmless and kind woman who has a genuine interest in fashion beyond wanting to look ‘hot’ and ‘f-able’, unlike the likes of Rihanna.
If the gloriously and always fabulous SJP has decided to skip this year, then it can only be because she just doesn’t have the stomach for having to pose and smile alongside the seriously mindless, brain-draining vapidity of whatthefuckness that this really pleasurable event has deteriorated into.
I missed her
If I were SJP, I would have skipped too. This year’s Met Gala was just embarrassing. There was no glamor or prestige. I’m a pretty conservative dresser, but I have always thought the Met Gala was the one event of the year where designers needed to be artists first. It’s been sliding for years, but this year was just bland. It’s now just one more red-carpet for all of these instal-models and reality stars to put on a pretty dress and smile. It means nothing.
To me, it’s one more sign that it’s time for Anna Wintour to go. Really, SJP should take over the Met Gala. I feel like she’d have more discerning taste.
The last couple of themes have had the potential to be really incredible showcases for art, and I’ve been surprised at how much designers chose to just do their usual. It’s disappointing!
Spot on.
The quality just isn’t there anymore.
there’s lack of imagination and all dresses are either too revealing or look like something you’d wear to another gala during the year.
Anna Wintour has completely damaged her brand by now. She’s forgotten completely about prestige and class.
Almost naked models get invited to her events and reality nobodies who only show fakeness and this is the exact opposite to class.
How is it possible that the reason why Kim Kardashian was ever invited to Met Gala was only because of Kayne and this year he didn’t come and yet she came by herself? I always thought that she was his plus one to Met.