How Baz Luhrmann Helped Dream Up An Opera’s Worth of Met Gala Beauty Looks

Karl Lagerfeld was known for evenings spent ballroom dancing with friends, as his muse Amanda Harlech recently shared on The Run-Through with Vogue. And indeed, last night’s surprise performance by Lizzo kept the designer's sensibility in mind: The show began with a stunning tribute to Lagerfeld’s love of a waltz arrived in an orchestra of meticulously curated beauty looks. “The inspiration was The Magic Flute with Lizzo as the queen of the night, and to honor Karl’s love for opera,” says Vogue contributing fashion editor Max Ortega, who styled the moment to reference ideas that director Baz Luhrmann dreamed up “months in advance.” 

First, the tone was set. “Orchestra members are the first people guests see when they arrive,” Ortega explains of conjuring instant drama with their artfully masked gazes and “Karl-inspired” black caps. “Too Faced’s products worked perfectly for the two-in-one look of a smokey eye under a silver’ eye mask,’” he notes of the effect created by makeup artist Raisa Flowers, who also worked with Ortega on last year’s Met Gala. “It’s mysterious but magical at the same time,” says Flowers of the trompe l’oeil masks she drew on by hand. Her essential tool was a black Too Faced Killer Liner, smudged at the edges and made all the more piercing against luminous complexions enhanced with Born This Way Healthy Glow Skin Tint Foundation and understated swipes of Cocoa Bold Lipstick. “I wanted to do something more classic, but with a twist,” says Flowers. “It’s edgy, but classy.”

Then, there were the sparkling pin curls hairstylist Joey George spent days prepping for woodwind players and flutists announcing the main performance. “The idea was to invite everyone to the ‘opera’ moment,” says Ortega. Beaded capes were cut from diaphanous fabric that let George’s meticulously sculpted 40s-era hairpieces shine through. “Under their capes, the flutists called showtime,” Ortega explains of needing a face-framing look that glistened through the sheer hoods. “The glittery, starry pin curls created with Bumble and Bumble products were the perfect way to do that.” For both the sleek knots tucked under black bowed caps and elaborate theatrical wigs, George relied on Bumble and Bumble’s BB.Gel—which also doubled as a mixing medium for silver biodegradable glitters. “I wanted to bring a crafting element to it,” says George, who styled the woodwind players and flutists seen on stage with Lizzo as well as her dancers and backup singers, misting Thickening Dryspun Texture Spray on some for “big textured hair that was electric on stage!” he enthuses. 

Ultimately, it all fed into the Met Gala fantasy that Luhrmann helped envision for both the audience and the artists. “I feel like I’ve transformed into a new character for the occasion,” says violinist Katie Jacoby. “This was on my vision board,” adds flutist Scotty Quirk. And George, who worked on 50 of the 71 performers Ortega styled for the evening, references his “small town” Oxford, Pennsylvania roots after seeing the night come to life. “To come here where there’s so much diversity and so much play, it’s a dream.”