This is an episode of the Glossy Fashion Podcast, which features candid conversations about how today’s trends are shaping the future of the fashion industry. More from the series →
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On the Glossy Podcast, senior fashion reporter Danny Parisi and international reporter Zofia Zwieglinska break down some of the biggest fashion news of the week.
This week, we’re talking about the Met Gala, the increasingly dominant fundraising event where designers and stylists show off avant-garde looks. We also talk about the spate of fashion earnings reports this week, including results from Pandora, Puma, Warby Parker and more, and see how the industry is reacting to continued tariff chaos.
Later in the episode, Parisi speaks with powerhouse fashion stylist Jennifer Austin, who styled Angela Bassett’s look for the Gala this year. Austin gives an in-depth look at the behind-the-scenes process of styling a Met Gala look. Below are some highlights from the conversation, lightly edited for clarity.
The Met Gala timeline
“We had just over a month from finding out we were going to the actual day. I found out via text — I was in Costco, and I got a text from Angela [Bassett’s] publicist, Gilda Squire. She was invited to be a guest of Burberry. I just stopped, standing right by the dog food, and I was like, ‘It’s the Met!’”
“The process took about a month. Burberry sent sketches and a lookbook of ideas and what they were thinking. And then I came in with my ideas and the direction I thought we should go in. It was very collaborative. Their team was amazing to work with. So quick and patient. They got my vision right away. We started looking at colors and fabric swatches. I went back to them after the initial sketches with my ideas, and they sent back new sketches and made my ideas come to life. It’s a wonderful thing as a stylist when a brand is really open to your vision. At the end of the day, we all want the same thing, which is a beautiful look.”
On building a client relationship
“Working with Angela [Bassett] for the last 12 years has been great. She has unwavering faith in me. It also keeps me on my toes because I don’t want to disappoint her or her fans.”
Taking inspiration from Le Sape
“Le Sape is French slang relating to getting dressed up. And the Sapes are this subculture in the Congo of men, and more women recently, as well, and they dress in these exquisite suits and tailoring. They created this incredible movement in places that are often thought of as poorer countries. And they have these colorful, beautiful suits and canes and glasses. They show that you can engage in fine dressing no matter where you are in the world. If you think about the history of colonialism and how it fell upon the slaves, who often adopted the look and the culture of their masters, Le Sape took elements of tailoring and blossomed it into this amazing subculture. It really spoke to me.”
