Vogue kicked off Met Gala weekend with its annual First Friday party at Madame Tussauds in Times Square. Hosted by Chloe Malle, Teyana Taylor, and Simone Ashley, the event drew designers, models, and celebrities amid wax figures of stars like Beyoncé and Rihanna. Guests embraced the 'Bodies, Bodies, Bodies' dress code tied to the Costume Institute's upcoming exhibit.
On Friday evening, crowds gathered outside Madame Tussauds on 42nd Street in Times Square, awaiting arrivals at Vogue’s First Friday cocktail party. Guests entered to encounters with lifelike wax figures, including a silver crown-clad Beyoncé, setting a surreal tone inside the waxwork museum. The event served as a novel visit to the kitschy attraction for many attendees, as first reported by Vogue on May 2, 2026. Michael Kors remarked in the elevator, “I’ve definitely never been here—I mean, have any of us.” Under the gaze of a faux Annie Leibovitz, designers, models, photographers, stylists, and editors mingled about their weekend plans. Baz Luhrmann photographed a friend with Leonardo DiCaprio’s wax doppelgänger, while Gabbriette and Sombr posed under Timothée Chalamet’s figure’s umbrella. Paloma Elsesser approached a Mariah Carey lookalike, with other replicas of Kris and Kendall Jenner, Brad Pitt, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, and Kim Kardashian looking on. The dress code nodded to the Costume Institute’s forthcoming exhibit on the human form in fashion. Nina Dobrev wore a fishnet knit Gabriela Hearst dress, Chloe Malle chose McQueen corsetry, Irina Shayk donned Issey Miyake, and Georgina Rodriguez sported Ludovic de Saint Sernin. Paloma Elsesser wore a Comme des Garçons piece from Spring 1997’s “lumps and bumps” collection, laughing, “I just had this in my closet; I didn’t even need to find anything.” Ciara Miller opted for a sheer look, and Sarah Hoover arrived in a hoop-skirted Tanner Fletcher dress, joking she needed three Ubers to fit it. Cocktails like Waisted Cosmos and Body Electric complemented the theme, alongside health-focused bites from trays. Guests explored a seventh-floor Google Try On activation using AI for archival couture try-ons. As the party ended, rumors of karaoke surfaced before attendees headed home ahead of the main Met Gala. The event was presented by Google and Uber Eats.
