If the first Monday in May is reserved for the Met Gala, then the first Tuesday in May is reserved for wasting the first few hours of your workday scrolling through fashion slideshows and critiquing outfits that cost six months of your rent. But this morning, instead of asking “Who wore what?!” I’m curious about “Who wasn’t there!?!” There were a few notable absences from Anna Wintour’s $75,000 per person charity ball. The most glaring absence was the woman who makes the party worth scrolling through slideshows for: Rihanna. For those still waiting at the steps this morning hoping that she’s making an ultra-fashionably late entrance (last year she showed up to the red carpet at 10:15 p.m.), it’s time to pack it up and go home. Rihanna came down with the flu, according to People. Shocking to think such a pedestrian illness could come for the queen. But ultimately, she is a mom of two kids under two. Stars, they’re sick just like us! There was also speculation that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce would attend, having both received individual invitations. But Taylor kicks off her European Era’s Tour (Era-pean??) later this week and is probably still tired from her highly publicized flight from Tokyo to the Super Bowl in February. Unclear why Trav didn’t go without her—maybe Ms. Wintour rescinded his invite after he wore this to the Kentucky Derby over the weekend. No Barbie stars (other than director Greta Gerwig) graced the carpet. Katy Perry both was and was not at the event. The singer shared two AI-generated photos of herself in two different dresses on her Instagram, fooling even her own mom who didn’t realize they were not real. Both fake images looked more glam than her infamous burger dress. View this post on Instagram A post shared by KATY PERRY (@katyperry) And finally, the most important people to not attend last night’s dystopian escape from reality were pro-Palestinian protestors, who were hoping to disrupt the glitz and glam to bring attention to the ongoing genocide in Gaza but were blocked by the NYPD. No amount of "reawakening fashion" made the night feel less like a nightmarish fever dream against the backdrop of what's happening across the globe. Uhm, also chef Brooklyn Beckham attended solo sans Nicola Peltz Beckham! Proud of him! That's tough for a wife guy! [Us Weekly] Gisele Bündchen is not laughing!!! [Page Six] Completely forgot we lived through Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny dating. [ET] Jessica Biel completely dehydrated her body to fit into her dress on Monday night. [TikTok]
