Even fashion royals become blind.
In a recent interview on New Yorker’s Radio Hour, Anna Wintour revealed that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez really made it through her mind when she arrived at the 2021 Met Gala in the gown, which nearly broke the internet.
The ivory off-shoulder dress by brother Very Aurora James was relatively inconspicuous from the front, with suit-style buttons and shaggy hem. But behind, the words “tax the rich” were decorated with bright red scribbles.
“I said, ‘I love your dress,’ I just looked at her from the front,” recalled the longtime Vogue editor, 75. “Fortunately, I had a great night.”
She admitted that until the next day she had fully registered her bold scar-colored messages that had splashed over her back.
The dress was undoubtedly the most talked about look of the night – even covering Kim Kardashian’s faceless Balenciaga ensemble.
The slogan was not subtle and there was no response. Much of it focused on cutting off between political slogans and delivery in rooms where tickets at the time (now $75,000) and gown costs tens of thousands or more.
Donald Trump Jr. blows up House members as a hobnobbing “scam” with wealthy elites, seeking higher taxes. Republican Rep. Jim Banks named her “a gift that will continue to give.”
Another wave of criticism emerged from the left. There, Progressive denounced the theatrical stance as Ocasio-Cortez, rather than using her political leverage to bring about substantial victory.
However, Wintour has taken on the dress more carefully. “I think everyone uses fashion in a variety of ways. Obviously, that was important to her,” she said in an interview with Prime Minister David Remnick’s editor of New Yorker.
The appearance remains in the headline. Earlier this year, the House Ethics Committee determined that Ocasio-Cortez, a custom gown and accessories, paid a low wage and realized that she was owed thousands at additional costs.
Wintour has also been featured in the news recently. In June, she announced that she had resigned from her role as editor-in-chief of America Vogue, which she held for 37 years.
She remains editorial director of all Global Vogue Editions and editor-in-chief of Condé Nast, but gives the magazine’s reins to the 39-year-old Protégé Chloemul.
Speaking to Remnick, she said she felt it was a fitting time to plan her succession.
