Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
UPPER EAST SIDE, Manhattan -- The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
Lopez went for silver leaves in a second-skin goddess gown and Zendaya was all vamp and fantasy in a rare double appearance on the steps of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Both were co-chairs of the annual fundraiser at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, along with Chris Hemsworth and Bad Bunny.
The museum's exhibition this year was "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion," which officials say involves pieces from their archives, some so delicate they'll be laid out in glass coffins like "Sleeping Beauty."
Guests for the night were told to follow a dress code and the theme is "The Garden of Time," inspired by J.G. Ballard's 1962 short story of the same name.
Lopez (in Schiaparelli) was all va-va-voom in a near-naked gown that hugged like a second skin. She's got the Meta Gala down: It's her 14th. Zendaya put on her fashion face in hues of blue and green, with a head piece to match and leaf accents.
It's been five years since Zendaya last attended the Met Gala. Her look, in peacock colors, was by Maison Margiela.
Lopez went with Tiffany & Co. diamonds, including a stunning bird motif necklace with a diamond of over 20 carats at its center.
Mindy Kaling is sure to make the best-dressed lists in sand-colored swirls that towered over her head at the back. No worries about dinner. The back was removable. Her look is by Indian couturier Gaurav Gupta.
Usher held a single red rose in a dark and eery black suit can cap, a wide-brim black hat on his head and a black brooch on one lapel.
Gigi Hadid brought the drama in a look by the drama king himself, Thom Browne. Her white look was adorned with 2.8 million microbeads with yellow flowers and green thorns. She was high glam in a wavy bob and crimson lips.
Serena Williams took metallic gold to another level in a shining one-shoulder statement look. Ariana Grande was all Glinda the Good Witch, making the most of her pale-colored strapless look with 3D eyelashes at the side of each eye. She arrived with her "Wicked" co-star Cynthia Erivo, dressed in black with pink blooms in a darker, edgy look.
Demi Moore stuck to the garden in a Harris Reed look with huge wings encircled by arrows and handpainted with pink and white blooms. Lily Gladstone went for black.
A pregnant Lea Michele wore Rodarte, inspired by the brand's 2012 spring/summer collection.
Meanwhile, Met Gala mastermind Anna Wintour wore a black coat adorned with multicolored flowers. Her fellow co-chair Bad Bunny donned all black.
The gala helps to raise money for the Met's Costume Institute, the only department at the museum required to pay for itself. Last year, it raised about $22 million.
This year's exhibit included 250 items from The Costume Institute's permanent collection, including some garments very rarely seen in public.
Curators wanted to engage all the senses, including that of smell. They worked with a "smell artist." And there's a garment that actually grows. Part of the idea is to pay tribute to the natural world. T
"Fashion is about ephemerality, it's about impermanence, about transience but slow about renewal and rebirth and cycles," said curator Andrew Bolton. "The intention behind the exhibition is, how can we reawaken these costumes in our collection that are in slumber."
The exhibit opens to the public Friday and runs through Sept. 2.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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