Even before Daisy Edgar-Jones set foot on the carpet at last night’s Met Gala, she understood the event’s biggest draw: the cast of characters who fill the Metropolitan Museum of Art with their expressive fashions and vibrant personalities. “I think I’m most looking forward to the people watching,” Edgar-Jones shared while getting ready at the Peninsula Hotel. “It’s my favorite pastime [and] I think this will be the Olympics of people watching.”
Edgar-Jones has a knack for observation. The 23-year-old star disappears into her roles, and whether she’s pulling off an authentic Midwestern accent in her Hulu mini-series Under the Banner of Heaven or embodying adolescent ennui in the adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel Normal People, she gets the details right. That quality came through in Edgar-Jones’ Met look, which perfectly executed the night’s theme. Her shimmering shift dress designed by Oscar de la Renta’s Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim featured layers of crystal fringe.
Modern and youthful, while still calling to mind the flapper gowns of the 1920s, the dress was intended to capture Edgar-Jones’ sparkling personality. “When designing a Met Gala look—and most specifically, someone’s very first Met Gala look, you are trying to make a stamp that represents the person you are that year, that moment,” says Garcia. “Daisy always has a very content, appreciative, joyous energy to her, and because of this, I knew a relaxed glamour approach was right. This two-piece crystal look that is layered on top of each other feels perfect for her as it is gilded glamour through the medium of Daisy.”
Garcia and Kim’s distinctive fringe also serves as a preview of their next runway show. “We were developing these beautiful crystal tendril pieces for our upcoming collection. During the development process, I sent them to Nicky [Yates], Daisy’s stylist, and explained how effortlessly cool they felt, which is very much the energy Daisy has always exuded,” Garcia explains. Though the embellishment was impossible to ignore, Garcia wanted the look to feel understated. “The simplicity was essential for me when thinking of who Daisy is at this time as she is a very fresh talent, full of possibilities,” he says. “Keeping it cool and effortless while still playing into the gilded glamour through the draped crystals is what felt right for this year. Everyone has a different stage in their life they come to us in, and it is our job to listen as ‘fashion therapists’ and find a way to best communicate this to the world.”
With her hair coiffed by George Northwood, an emerald green smoky eye courtesy of makeup artist Vincent Oquendo, and piles of Tiffany & Co. jewels, Jones looked like a million bucks. Describing the total look as “wicked,” she hit the carpet then enjoyed a night of revelry alongside pals like co-star Paul Mescal. Even with all the excitement of a magical night on the town, Edgar-Jones admits she’s looking forward to enjoying some simpler pleasures the moment things calm down. “The last year has been pretty nonstop [and] I spent a huge amount of 2021 away from work,” she says. “Now I’m enjoying being able to spend a little more time at home this year.”