Jordan Roth, the theater producer, actor and Broadway fashion icon, made a big statement on the red carpet at the Met Gala on Monday in a gray velvet look that featured a looming figure who grabbed him from behind, turning Roth into his own statue.
Roth, who has attended the gala eight times, is known for his provocative, fashionable costumes on Broadway opening nights as well as at the Met, including one year when he wore a floor-length Iris van Herpen gown that transformed into a full view of the stage simply by raising his arms. This year, London-based Robert Wone designed the custom look for Ruth as part of the Met Gala’s Fashion Arts theme.
“Once I knew the theme of this year’s exhibition and gala, I knew I wanted to explore the relationship between figures in classical sculpture, as well as a specific painting in the Metropolitan Collection ‘Pygmalion and Galatea’ by Jean-Léon Gérôme, in which the sculptor kisses his sculpture as it comes to life,” Roth said.
Roth previously brought his fashion show to the Louvre last summer, and is set to debut his next performance art work at a palazzo as part of the Venice Biennale on Thursday. He’s turned to more acting, with a role in the upcoming Ryan Murphy show Splinters. He had previously worked with Wun on another previous piece, which inspired him to call the designer back to attend the Met. Getting the look took four hours of hair and makeup on Monday plus an additional 45 minutes to get dressed. He and his team ran a test on Friday to determine the timing and see if everything would work. Once upon a time, the hardest part was finding the position of the statue.
“The statue is the centerpiece of the work, and getting the posture right took several iterations – how the body connected to my body, the gesture of the arms and each hand. Then holding it and balancing it on the waist as we danced together,” he said.
Getting to the Metropolitan Museum is always a challenge, but this year, Roth noted that he was actually able to sit in a truck, which is a rarity. It still involved him sitting sideways in the truck and balancing the statue behind him. He made his red carpet debut, but as soon as he was in, the large sculptural piece was out.
“The statue needed its own seat at dinner, so we created a second statue with just the arms on my chest, like a big sculptural pendant,” Roth said.
There were a few surprises on the red carpet, like the moment a statue of Roth stabbed theater veteran Hugh Jackman in the eye. Roth also cited interactions with Katy Perry, Heidi Klum and Gwendoline Christie as highlights.
“The first person I saw when we were waiting to hit the carpet was Katy Perry,” Roth said, “except I didn’t know it was her until I opened the mirror mask. Then we had a delightful conversation! At cocktails, I talked statue to statue with Heidi Klum, but I literally had no idea it was her until I later saw photos that identified her. Then at dinner I had my best tablemate sitting next to Gwendoline Christie, my new spirit animal!”
