Getting Ready for the Met Gala with Zanna Roberts Rassi

Two Sundays ago, Zanna Roberts Rassi sent her friend Michelle Ochs a quick text. The editor turned E! correspondent wanted to see if the Et Ochs designer might be up to the challenge of fashioning her a custom look for this year’s Met Gala—then just a casual two weeks away. Within minutes, Ochs replied with a design concept.

“Gilded Glamour is the theme of this year’s Met Gala and the Costume Institute’s exhibit: “In America: An Anthology of Fashion.” That is not at all how one would describe Ochs’ sleek modern collections. Yet, somehow, the two gleaned inspiration from John Singer Sargent’s "Madame X" (which fittingly hangs in The Met) to marry the two unlikely poles. The portrait depicts an unnamed socialite in a scandalous (for the time) black gown that Ochs reimagined for Roberts Rassi’s look.

Roberts Rassi’s job is different from the typical attendee. As a correspondent, she focuses on the ensembles of those around her and must attempt the most arduous task: sitting down for hours, on camera. Their modern reinterpretation includes a double-layered power stretch viscose (an Et Ochs core fabric) to prioritize comfort and diminish the costume-y aspect.

From there, the two got creative, adding pearl embellishments, sheer opera-length gloves, and a duvet scarf (the weather on this first Monday in May is chilly and wet). Continue scrolling to hear more about the preparation, how the final look came together, and what their day-of rituals entail.