And then we have this little scrumptious expose to gnaw our teeties on courtesy of Mr Christopher London of christopherlondonblog who had this to say in his cryptic but nevertheless entertaining dissertation- The Met Costume Institute Ball: “Let them eat cake.”
The annual gathering of the uber-fashionable elite, at what has been called ‘The Oscars of the East Coast’, in the media capital of the world, New York City has turned the once fabled Museum of Art, already labeled a relative ‘Rogue’s Gallery’ into a den of narcissism for the already over glorified and media obsessed charlatans of American “culture.” We may some day remember this period in American history as the one where the gluttonous, but nevertheless thin, gathered in the media capital of the world to dine then binge and purge on numerous servings of flash bulbs, praise and air kisses as they fawned over each other’s greatness. Yes on Monday night, the “Let them Eat Cake” crowd gathered at the storied Met Museum and the only thing missing was Marie Antoinette blowing air kisses from the top steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, styled in Alexander McQueen or more appropriately Chanel crowing to the fashionably subservient “let them eat cake” before entering to worship at the proverbial Golden Calf.
Kids- one day, when I too make it as a celebrity or a sufficiently bribed journalist or ass kisser (whichever comes first) I will proudly take my place amongst the appropriate elite of the east coast, spill my dirty martini on the floor whilst air kissing Anna Wintour with my pursed lips and just as the camera man’s flash bulb is about to capture that moment where my lips careen with the air space surrounding Anna Wintour’s cheeks I will think this sudden thought: ” Only in America can someone be so fake and yet so happy and loaded on Kool Aid.”
The media may now kiss the adulterated…
Scallywag: Michael Gross’ book Rogue’s Gallery is a compelling read for anyone who wishes to understand the machinations of the elite in this town. That someone at that level of access dissected this crowd so accurately and somehow not only lived to tell about it but himself still is able to walk into so many of the better parties in NYC without being assaulted is magnificent. Yet, I can also validate the essence of what you are saying in your post. The party was not even over and I received press suggestions to run by fashion publicists to the stars about running coverage from their clients, celebs and dress designers.
This uber insider party of the world’s so called fashionable elite as so deemed by HRH Fashion Priestess Anna of Wintour has only become an even more crass and belligerent assault on the senses of thinking people, and the non-celebrity obsessed since Gross first wrote his book. You do not have to wait for Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino to walk the Red Carpet at this event before recognizing that it has already jumped the shark.
On a personal aside when I first started documenting philanthropy in this town, it was rather interesting, business, community leaders and philanthropists welcomed me with open arms but the fashionable elite looked at me in my Banana Republic, Brooks Brothers and LL Bean clothes like I was some social outcast and too low rent to document them, despite having an education and intellect that far surpassed the clowns I had to negotiate with. Having nice expensive clothes is a luxury that not everyone can afford and yet dressing nice is an aspect of going out. The fashionista’s take fashion to a level that is literally obscene. This event is literally about glorifying the most soul less people in our society in a truly profane manner. So much so that were I ever to gain access I would feel like Moses coming down from the mountain top discovering his chosen people were worshipping a Golden Calf and would have no choice but to throw two stone tablets at them all before walking out of the room and flipping the bird to Anna Wintour.
While many legitimate photo-journalists are regularly denied access or even a view of this event that places a tent on public property, teams of Vogue photographers work that room from two or three agencies at most and then anyone who decides to write about this event gets a secondary view to Vogue and has to write second hand from what they might have seen on their nightly news cast or a You Tube Video. Yes Propaganda is what it truly all is so much so that I expect Anna Wintour to say pull my finger and have her fart couture.
Christopher London
Link: http://christopherlondonblog.com/2011/05/04/the-met-costume-institute-ball-let-them-eat-cake/