Expensive ITG,
It felt completely surreal to be invited to the Met Gala. I’ve at all times been anyone who’s very further, 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 imagined to be a bit low key about it—you already know, chill—however I’ve actually by no means been extra enthusiastic about something.
The “Sleeping Beauties” costume exhibit theme and the “Backyard of Time” costume code made it the right first Met Gala to attend—not only for me, but additionally on behalf of Hill Home, my trend and residential model. Fairly quickly after realizing I used to be truly invited, I made a decision to create a costume 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 girl within the portray regarded like me. She would actually level on the reproductions and be like, ‘That’s my Nellie.’ I’ve essentially the most superb recollections of being a tiny little individual and listening to her say that.
The portray itself additionally has an enchanting historical past. It was principally 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 mentioned, ‘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 worth. It’s type of had this renaissance and are available again into trend over the previous couple of many years. It got here to the Tate Trendy in London in 2008—I grew up in London, and I noticed it there. It’s simply such a stupendous, attractive portray to take a look at.
The girl within the portray is completely bare apart from some gauze, so the very first thing my thoughts went to for my Met costume was a unadorned moist look. Then I remembered who I’m, so as an alternative, I took the colour inspiration and a number of the Grecian components. Michael, who’s the dressmaker for Hill Home, bought a costume kind and draped it one million totally different instances to see how the material might lay on the physique. It was actually necessary 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 a bit little bit of a snatched waist however nonetheless really feel snug; personally, I at all times really feel higher if I’ve a waist second. Then we needed to attach the florals ultimately, and particularly after studying concerning the impermanence of the gadgets within the exhibit, I actually needed to include contemporary 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 contemporary flowers would die by the top of the evening, so the costume would look this manner for one evening solely. After I modified final evening, the flowers had been a bit bit stepped on, had petals lacking, and the colours of the flowers had stained the costume in a extremely stunning manner. It is going to really by no means look the best way it initially regarded once more.
Main as much as the Met, I positively 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 at all times has such a lightweight contact and is aware of precisely what I would like. That’s simply my typical, however about three to 4 weeks forward of the Gala, I got here in for a bit contact up. I additionally see Lia Trojansky at Dr. Gross. She does lasers and chemical peels. Final summer time, I had zits for the primary time—whilst a young person I didn’t have zits—and she or he type of saved me. She would at all times say I ought to attempt microneedling, so a few months earlier than the Met, I attempted it. I had perhaps three or 4 days of a brilliant, tremendous purple face, however I positively seen a distinction by way of pore dimension and the final well being and tone of my pores and skin. She additionally had me do yet another Laser Genesis, which I’ve been getting from her unrelated to the Met, with a bit peel on Friday.
On Sunday afternoon, I noticed Elizabeth Grace Hand, the founding father of Stallë Studios. Initially, it was essentially 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 needed to include a number of the Pre-Raphaelite cornerstones, like rosy cheeks and pale pores and skin, which isn’t onerous for me. [Laughs] Actually, the look wasn’t too dissimilar to my typical 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 needed to really feel like myself. General, I simply needed to really feel contemporary 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 Gentle 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 typical black liner, we did a softer heat brown with a bit 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 usually put on my hair in pure waves, however I needed to raise it with extra peak on the crown for a smooth, easy look. I had flowers tied by hand in my hair, too. Really, these flowers, and those on my costume, had been my fragrance for the night. There have been a whole bunch of them, so you would actually odor them.
Ami Vega did my nails the morning of. I’ve labored along 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 palms, and I often hold them tremendous, tremendous brief. Persons are at all times shocked as a result of every 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 character when I’ve them on.
I did lymphatic drainage at Ricari Studios 3 times final week—anyone who goes to the Met on a regular basis advised me to go. It made me really feel so wholesome. I’ve had three children, so I maintain lots of bloat in my abdomen and I positively 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 understand beforehand is that you simply get to spend time within the precise exhibit. I’m such a museum individual, and I had a extremely early name time, which was superb. Being principally alone within the exhibit in your robe, proper after going by way of the purple carpet, was an enormous spotlight—and it didn’t damage that Matt Damon was standing proper there it, too.
Love,
Nell Diamond
—As advised to Daise Bedolla
Photographed by Emma Craft at The Mark Lodge on Might 6, 2024. Pink carpet images by way of Getty Photos.