The only appropriate way to celebrate the eve of the Met Gala (this year, it fell on Cinco de Mayo) is to sip custom Stella McCartney Casamigos shooters and dance to Mariachi music alongside Venus Williams and Hannah Waddingham. At L’Avenue at Saks Fifth Avenue, guests did just that. The fiesta, or “Stellabration”, honoured Saks and Stella McCartney’s partnership to launch an exclusive evening wear capsule collection.
Appropriately timed with the theme of the 2024 Met Gala: “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion”, the Saks x McCartney capsule collection revisits red carpet dresses from the British designer’s archive including the brand’s iconic Falabella bag and Elsa kitten heels. In true Stella McCartney environmentally-friendly fashion, all pieces of the collection were meticulously handmade using innovative sustainable and cruelty-free alternatives.
Post cocktail hour, underscored by the soundtrack of a live Mariachi band playing songs like “Bésame Mucho” (and wearing custom Stella x Saks bowties, no less), guests took their seats at an extravagantly long dining table. Think “The Last Supper,” which, on Met Gala Eve, feels apropos as a comparison.
Tracy Margolies, chief merchandising officer of Saks, gushed, “I am so excited to be here alongside the incredibly talented Stella McCartney to celebrate this evening wear capsule that revisits some of Stella’s most iconic red carpet dresses, which were recreated for Saks for this exclusive collaboration. We couldn’t imagine a better way to celebrate than here tonight in New York City ahead of fashion’s biggest red carpet at the Met Gala.”
McCartney herself took the floor to toast the collaboration, noting the powerful female presence at the table. She leaned over to her seatmate, Jeff Koons, joking, “Jeff Koons is the only guy in the room—he got so lucky. How did you manage that, Jeff?”
Dinner included divine vegetarian selections such as tangy pineapple carpaccio, spicy tomato pasta, and a dessert of churros and chocolate sauce to tie in the theme du jour. The table itself was a visual feast, with colorful décor including mini piñata name tags and maracas strewn across the center.
Ahead of the Met Gala, the energy was palpable as guests predicted potential red carpet looks and took moments to appreciate the all-encompassing theme of breathing new life into old archival fashion. It was a mix of meaningful activism and collective celebration that only a designer like McCartney could orchestrate.
Fashion lovers can join in on the “Stellabration” by visiting the legendary Fifth Avenue windows at Saks, which will display the collection and offer visual installations showcasing the capsule through May 18.