NEW YORK — New York is done with dressing down: the splashy black-tie Met Gala returned Monday, with a cohort of Gen-Z's glitterati hosting the A-lister bash famed around the world for its over-the-top panache -- and, despite the pandemic, this year the fashion was so fierce one guest wielded a sword.
The crowd of some 400 actors, athletes, poets and performers -- all of whom were either vaccinated or had tested negative for COVID-19 -- was largely maskless, defying the global coronavirus pandemic that forced the cancellation of last year's event.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute relies on the Met Gala to fund its work, including exhibitions and acquisitions, and the cancellation of last year's event badly damaged its finances. — Video from Agence France-Presse
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