Go Behind the Scenes as Teen Vogue Staffers Get Ready for the Met Ball
While you're busy with prom and graduation, the fashion industry has been focused on its own special event: the Costume Institute Gala at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. This year, the celebration honored all things punk—and Teen Vogue's junior staffers got to turn it out in designer dresses with edgy accents to lend a hand at the ball.
Click through to see their glam transformations!
1/23See how our assistants prepped for fashion's biggest night.
2/23The first step to becoming the belle of the ball? Hair and makeup, of course! Nars’s Niko Lopez gave accessories market assistant Samantha Greenspan a smoky bronze eye by using three different shadows: Kalahari, Sophia, and Coconut Grove.
3/23The girls' dresses were color-coordinated to ethereal effect.
4/23Dig subtle volume like assistant photo editor Mary Fletcher’s? "We referenced Patti Smith for tonight’s punk theme since Mary has a long bob," says hairstylist Jeb Stuart Johnston of Wonderland Beauty Parlor. "We really wanted to utilize her natural texture, so I prepped Mary with Oribe’s foundation mist in Maximista. Then I used a medium styling rod and set the look with Oribe’s dry texture spray and Après Beach, which is a shine and wave spray."
5/23Beachy but polished waves were on the menu for fashion news assistant Media Brecher. To achieve the look, Wonderland’s Siobhán Quilan used Oribe’s soft lacquer to set the ’do: "When sprayed before using an iron, it helps curls last all night!"
6/23So many shades to choose from...
7/23Accessories assistant Kirby Marzec donned a dramatic lip for the big night. "We decided to go goth-glam," explains Nars lead makeup artist Jenny Smith. "We perfected the edge of her lips with a matching liner—you can use an actual lip liner or try a dark brown or black eyeliner to add more depth to the color." Jenny’s pick for a powerful punk lip? Nars’s velvet matte lip pencil in Train Bleu.
8/23Nars's Caitlin Monahan had a vision for assistant fashion news editor Victoria Lewis's makeup: "Modern Cleopatra meets iconic punk rock queen."
9/23Fashion friends! Alyssa Reeder, assistant to Teen Vogue editor-in-chief Amy Astley, snaps a selfie with Media.
10/23What's red and patent and spiked all over? These lust-worthy Christian Louboutin heels, of course.
11/23Up next for Media is a creative cat-eye. "I brushed Media’s brows up for an instant opening effect," says Smith. "It’s not just the liner that gives a cat look, it’s also the shadow applied in a catty shape that’s blended along the lash line." Smith suggests using an eye shadow pencil along the lashline and winging out, setting it with shadow, and then lining with liquid along the lashes.
12/23Tools of the trade!
13/23"I’m using dry texture spray and some hair spray to help Alyssa’s curls hold," says Quinlan.
14/23Samantha's dress is from Dsquared, and she picked a Joomi Lim necklace with studs to "amp up the punk vibe." She topped off her look with vintage cocktail ring and her mom's Nancy Gonzalez evening clutch."
15/23Mary wears an embellished Jenny Packham dress, Chanel earrings, and "a whole mess of tiny stacking rings." She calls her look "a bit '70s, a little classic, and all sorts of awesome. The dress is definitely a change of pace from my usual style, which is a bit boyish and obviously more relad, but it's still quirky so it felt right. Plus the fashion girls said it looked really good!"
16/23"I love all the extremes of punk culture—the music, the fashion, and of course, the hair," says entertainment assistant Liana Weston. "I chose a silver sequined Etro dress because it felt like a toned-down couture version of something Sid Vicious would wear (if he were a girl attending the Met Ball!). The knee-length cut is perfect for working an event, and I couldn't resist the pockets! I'm also wearing a Uterque bag, Boaz Sade for Item NY earrings, a Bernard Delettrez bracelet, a Pamela Love ring, and Vera Wang shoes."
17/23Victoria chose a gray Marchesa gown and sky-high Brian Atwood heels: "The dress is beautiful, but it has a long train so I need all the height I can get! I was really excited to see how all of the guests interpreted the punk theme. It's the chicest version of a costume party I could imagine!"
18/23Alyssa is wearing a White Vera Wang dress, Proenza Schouler heels, and a Chanel belt. "I'm also accessorizing with rings by Saint Vintage and Sooihn Kim, a bracelet by Iko Ino, and Bing Bang earrings," she says. "I'm excited to see who else is wearing what, and I'm really excited to play dress up with all of these girls!"
19/23Kirby chose her Pamella Roland gown because "it's the perfect balance of elegant and edgy." She's accessorizing with Casadei shoes, a Chanel bag, an Erickson Beamon belt, Michael Spirito earrings, and rings by Iosselliani, Maria Francesca Pepe, and Soo Ihn Kim."
20/23Media's peplum gown is from Misha Nonoo: "I love the elegance and simplicity of my dress, and am slightly obsessed with the little peplum. Most importantly though, I chose it because it makes me feel great!" She finished off her ensemble with Zara heels, her mom's vintage clutch, and silver jewelry from Pamela Love, Isabel Marant, Aurelie Bidermann, and Kenneth Jay Lane mid with vintage pieces."
21/23Kirby and Alyssa hang out before heading to the museum.
22/23Say cheese!
23/23Kirby, Media, Alyssa, Liana, Victoria, Mary, and Samantha ready to rock the Met Ball!
