“A little bit of late ’90s grunge, a pinch of playful dystopian sci-fi, and just a sprinkle of romantic horror”—that’s how makeup artist Sandy Ganzer describes the otherworldly vision that was Hunter Schafer at the 2021 Met gala. The look was miles away from other interpretations of the evening’s American mood, including hits of denim and western wear along with classic codes of Hollywood glamour. But in this nation that has given us Alien and a bullet-dodging Keanu Reeves and the theoretical license to escape our known realities for the unknown (whether that’s Earth’s gravity by way of a billionaire space race or the constraints of gender)—well, it’s safe to say that Schafer was right on theme.
By Daria Kobayashi Ritch.
“She’s got an anime, sci-fi heart in her core—she’s that kind of person,” continues Ganzer, who has worked closely with the actor and artist since the lead-up to the 2019 Euphoria premiere. That aesthetic leaning materialized in a Matrix-era fashion moment: a two-piece silver look from Prada’s spring 1999 collection, as styled by Law Roach. The structured corset-inspired top, studded with square-cut jewels, had the protective feel of a warrior-princess shield; the floor-length skirt emphasized Schafer’s statuesque silhouette.
By Daria Kobayashi Ritch.
By Daria Kobayashi Ritch.
The fashion was only the beginning of a transformation that extended from fingertips to gaze. “That was a Hunter suggestion,” Ganzer explains of the hunt for the perfect reality-shifting contact lens. (A custom-ordered set didn’t look quite right, so they went up with ones that gave an eerie white-out effect.) But the showstopper was inarguably a white-gold brooch by Evangeline AdaLioryn, a ceramist whose foray into fine jewelry received a very splashy debut last night. Schafer, working with Ganzer, opted to wear it squarely across the bridge of her nose—recalling, at least for some ’90s kids, another of the decade’s cinema treasures, Arachnophobia. The makeup artist affixed it to Schafer’s face with special-effects glue; for good measure, hairstylist Lacy Redway worked her sleight-of-hand magic, using invisible fishing line to secure the brooch to hidden braids.
