Met Gala or the nepo baby coronation?

0:07This episode of Stylish is brought to you by Michael Hill. Celebrate all the mums in your life with 25 % off selected styles this Mother's Day at Michael Hill.

0:21This is Stylish, the podcast for all things fashion, brand, beauty and lifestyle. Although it feels like it's going to be very fashion orientated today. Solely Met Gala today. Absolutely. Nothing else. Don't expect anything else from us. Nothing. I am Madison Sullivan Thorpe. I am joined by Arnica. No, I'm not. No, you're not. No, I'm not. Do you know what? I'm top of mind because Annika has very kindly given us a swap. Yeah, so we can start with Annika's swap now. I'm joined by, in spirit, Annika Joshi-Smith, but in person, Joanna Fleming and my lovely bad gal, Riri, Rhiannon Joyce. Hello, hello.

0:57Hello. I am so excited for today's episode and I know that we are all chomping at the bit to talk Met Gala. But before we do, I would love to share a little what's in my algorithm with you all. Go for it. John Summit and the Ramoah. Now, there are a lot of people that I feel sorry for today, but I'm feeling a little bit sorry for the Ramoah PR team because John Summit, if you don't know, is a DJ in the US. He was actually previously an accountant. He was, yeah. LinkedIn have just done a great thing with him. But aside from that point, he is a staunch hater of his Ramoah suitcase, so much so that he's been beefing with this suitcase for like five years and actually took to setting it alight after it basically collapsed midair and like it was coming around the turnstile.

1:44Turnstile? I don't know. What do we call them? Baggage carousel. Baggage carousel. Baggage carousel. Thank you. And it was like all taped together, like clearly someone. It was kind of in a plastic bag. Like they had to put a plastic bag over it to stop the contents from spilling out. And a tub. It was in a tub. It wasn't chic, which is like also anyone who has a Ramoah, your intention is for your luggage to look chic. They are so expensive. They're bougie. I think they're really cool, but they get a lot of beef online. They get a lot of beef. And he literally, there is footage of him like pouring oil over it.

2:18And to put this into perspective, I think that these suitcases of that size retail from somewhere of like 1800 AUD North. Like just keep going up depending on materiality and what colors you're picking and whatnot. Like they're not cheap. And he wrote like German engineering my ass, like ending my five-year beef with my Ramola. and set it in flames. Like he kind of looked like an unhinged woman who'd been scorned like, and you know, when they're torching like ex-husband's undies. I really want to see what luggage brand he goes for next. Yeah. I bet July's already in there. You'd have to be in his DMs.

2:52Like immediately, if you worked for another luggage brand, you'd be like, we have to be the next ones. And we have to impress. Samsonite base, you know, July. Like it depends who it is. If I was Samsonite, I'd go, look, we're not the coolest kid on the blog. Mind you, they are probably one of the best luggage brands I know. I've had my Samsonite for over, I'm going to say almost 18 years now. They're durable. Yeah. And notoriously light. I've got the little black American Tourista one. My zip's broken on the inside, but that's fine. On the outside, it's all good. The other brand in the US that is similar to July is Away.

3:23Yes. I feel like they'll be all over this. I would be like, we are going to do a campaign that shows like we're fireproof or something. Anyway, I just wanted to share it because like it just goes to show that it takes one like formative figure online to make your week. In this case, I think we're rolling onto the second or third week of this. A living hell. Also, price point doesn't necessarily equal quality. I have heard rumors on the internet that ever since Ramoa was purchased by LVMH, the quality has dipped. Maddie's going down, down, down. I feel like the price is right. You know, we're like down, down, down.

3:59It's giving that calls out, down, down, prices are down. That doesn't happen anymore, though, because prices are up. Yeah. All right, let's get into the swap. Who wants to go first? Jo, you go first. Oh, really? Yeah. Okay, great. Well, I was on TikTok the other day and I got stuck on, and this is where I realized that my attention span is not a problem because I sat, I think this video had to be the 10-minute, is it still 10 minutes maximum on TikTok? I'm pretty sure it's 10 minutes. I think so. It was long, whatever it was, this video. So this creator, Eugenia McQuarrie on TikTok, whose dad is actually a famous filmmaker, she filmed this piece of content in her family friend's bedroom.

4:38This family friend is 72 years old. Her name is Kathy. She has the most phenomenal collection of vintage designer clothes I have ever seen. And she was just giving them away to Eugenia. She was just like, oh, you've got to try this. You've got to try that. and she would put these outfits on and it was like everything was made for her body. It was like honestly the best piece of content. I sat, I was glued just waiting for the next accessory. And then Kathy would come along with a brooch or a belt or a hat and she'd accessorize the whole look for her and then have her model it. It's honestly like, it's so heartwarming to also see the bond between like a more mature woman and a younger woman and sharing this love for style.

5:20So I highly recommend you go and look at Eugenia's TikTok. There's like a few different videos of her doing these try on hauls with Cathy, but I just, I'm obsessed. Oh, 14 year old Ray would love that. It's giving like movie montage. Oh, it is. Yeah. Yeah. You have to see some of these outfits as well, like vintage 80s, 90s mostly, but things that you just would not be able to get now. I want a Cathy. Yeah. I'd love a Cathy. Everyone in the comments is like, how did you strike gold here? Like this is literally better than winning the lottery. I don't know if I, what do I want more? Do I want to be Cathy or do I want a Cathy?

5:55Like if this was future rate and people described me as Cathy, I'd be like, oh, I'm the coolest. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, in the wise words of the El De Paso ad plus Buenos Aires, please don't come for me for my mispronunciation. I thought you did quite well. Thank you so much. But I want to be both. I want to be Cathy and I want to be the lovely lady. Beneficiary of Cathy. Yeah, exactly. Mads, your swap. Go for it. My swap is actually a pair of underwear that were bought for me by my friend Inns after a few glasses of champagne. Don't ask how we got there, but the end result is a great pair of underwear.

6:27It is a US brand called Hanky Panky. It's a little bit like the Hunza G of underwear. And if you don't know what Hunza G is, it's kind of this one size fits all. So I think that they do underwear like in different sizing. And I think on the pack it was US size four to size US 16. So, like, they're like these little lazy Gs. Kind of stretches with you. Yeah, it moves with you. They are so comfy and they're kind of cute, like bit sexy. Hanky Panky. And what a great name. Hanky Panky. I feel like I need to look these up. Hanky Panky. I've never heard of them. Well, they came in three shades. So, Ian's was very generous and bought me three pairs.

7:01A black, a nude, and a little white. Classic. They're so comfy. And shipped to Australia. Yes. Looks like you can get them on Amazon as well. Okay. And Revolve. Fantastic. That's my swap. I love Hanky Panky. Great. I love an underwear recommendation for you. So do I. Who's going to ask me when I... Sorry, Rhi, go on. I was too busy looking at these undies. Jo's trying to buy underwear in real time. Beauty products for me. Oh, yay. I know. It's rare that I have a beauty rec. The Kosas Air Brow Clear Lifting Treatment Gel. I don't like to really mess around with a lot of brow products. I feel like I overdo it.

7:35I've already got thick brows as it is. Great brows. Just a classic gel. Pulls up all the little, you know, flyaway loose ones. So even when I don't have my brows done, I have them done at the moment. They're perfect. Just ask her. But when I'm getting close to my appointment and I'm like, oh, I just need to brush them up and give them that like bushy look. They're so good. And it holds really well. Fantastic. I'm still laughing at that. They're perfect. Humble queen. I've worked really hard. No. And honestly, you should recognize that. Thank you. We also have a swap from Annika today, which we are going to play now.

8:09I want to give a shout out to someone who I am truly inspired by at the moment. I'm lucky enough to call this person not only a colleague but also a friend. So Leah please don't get mad at me if I butcher your last name because I know I'm so going to but Leah Georgantis who owns Girls with Gems in Sydney and also is the founder of Sneaky Link which is her in-house label. She's just an all-round legend and now what I love about her is that she is unapologetically herself so if you follow her on socials if you don't you definitely need to her Instagram handle is Leah girls with gems girls with gems is definitely a place I would consider centered around inclusivity which in the fashion industry is pretty rare but Sneaky Link actually goes up to a size 4x out for a follow her style's fab her energy's amazing and she's just an all-round great person.

9:03I absolutely love that shout out. And also total side note, their TikTok is one of my favorites to follow because not only are they just sharing their great product, but their office. Their office. Yeah. It's so on my radar at the moment because famously we're moving into a new HQ and so many people DM me saying follow their office revamp journey. They've just moved as well. So enjoy the revamp, but also shout out to Daniel, the 20 year old in their team who they won't really say what he does. They keep saying it's a secret, but he must be protected at all costs. He is my favourite internet personality right now.

9:37Okay, we are going to be getting into all things Met Gala, but first, a word from today's sponsor.

9:47The word mum means different things to different people. You might think of your actual mum and all she has done for you over the course of your life. Or you might have a one-of-a-kind connection to an older sister, stepmum or grandma. And for some, it might be the perfect word to describe a best friend or your chosen family. Mother's Day is coming up this Sunday, May 10th, and it's so much more than yet another holiday on the calendar. It's your opportunity to celebrate, thank and spoil mothers and women in your life. We can all agree that nothing beats Tori when it comes to Mother's Day gifting.

10:22It's meaningful, foolproof and something she can treasure forever, especially so if it's from Michael Hill. This year, Michael Hill is celebrating all kinds of mums with all kinds of fine jewellery. Think matching mum and baby bracelets for the new mum, bespoke tennis jewellery for the chic mum and new coloured bracelets for the creative mum. And then there's the pendant bar, where you can create a personalised gift with birthstones, initials and symbolic charms. Best of all, you can spoil mum even more this year with 25 % off selected styles for a limited time only. Shop in store or online at Michael Hill.

10:58And thank you so much to Michael Hill for making this episode of Stylish possible. Well, only the biggest night in fashion is upon us, the Met Gala. Rae just like absolutely got so excited. Then like she just like set up the platform and was like. I was like, come on. Well, I think it goes to show how excited we are given that we've changed our recording day. We normally record on a Monday night and we're here on Tuesday at lunchtime so that we could watch the live stream of the red carpet this morning, which I think we all were doing in our respective homes and workplaces. And it's a monumental moment for us because it's also Stylish's second birthday.

11:43So we didn't woo for the best guy. Thank you. I was like, it's the second or third? Aren't we two? No, we're two. We're two. We just feel like we've been around forever. I feel like I've been coming here. Around the block. We've been around the block. No, every time I think of the Met Gala, you know, everyone thinks Anna Wintour, Bogue. I think Stylish's birthday. Of course, because it was our first episode. It was our first episode. So if you want a little bit more background on the Met Gala and the history of the Met Gala, our first ever episode was Anna Wintour. Anna Wintour only knows. Anna Wintour only knows.

12:18Look, don't judge. You guys have come so far. You weren't even on it. You wasn't even on it. Wow. You've got to start somewhere. And you guys were amazing talent when you started, but look how far you've come as well. I won't be listening to it. I mean, Joe, if anyone else wants to though, feel free. The content is great. Perhaps we're not. That's right. You've got to start somewhere. Mads, give us a quick run sheet for those who don't want to go back and listen to you guys in the OG days. What is the Met Gala? So it might be easy to forget this, but the Met Gala is actually a charity fundraiser event.

12:47So I feel like that's lost in transition quite often. Especially this year. Well, famously. but it is in collaboration with the Metropolitan Museum of Art. And every year there is a theme that centres around it that is in celebration of fashion and the stories. And I think a lot of the time fashion is considered to be a frivolous thing, a vain thing, but I do really love and respect what the Met Gala represents in that it is spotlighting designers. It is heroing, you know, it kind of is this intersection of media and celebrity and costume and fashion. And it is. It is a massive moment. And you can dwindle it down and make it sound small and vain for wanting to have it up on your third screen on your laptop at work.

13:29Or you can acknowledge it for what it is, is that it is a performance and a celebration of an incredible industry that hires so many and lifts up so much. It also does raise serious cash. Like we're talking huge numbers. So last year alone in 2025, they raised the biggest amount yet, 31 million USD. And from what I've seen online, although there's been a lot of controversy around who's been backing this year's Met Gala and the guest list and the involvement the tech industry has altogether, it's rumored that they're going to absolutely smash that number. Yeah. And look, we're in a different climate than where we have been and and the Met Gala has been running for many years now and we're seeing you know I would say it's getting bigger and bigger but this is sort of the first year it feels I mean controversy has always surrounded it just based on the exclusivity of the guest list and previously we've had controversy about I feel like the first wave was like um reality tv stars being invited so like the Kardashians being there was like a really big like oh we've lost it then we moved into YouTubers we moved into the TikTokers now it appears that this year's controversy is very much centered around, I would say, the technology players and maybe some controversial sort of billionaire figures with the likes of Jeff Bezos' wife, Lauren Sanchez, being on the committee and them buying tables and things like that.

14:46I would say it feels the most commercial it's ever been. It feels less about the culture and the art and more about what this is as a moment to make money and also to position Jeff Bezos' business Amazon front and center. And it hasn't come without backlash. I believe a lot of protests have been displayed at the front this year. There's been a lot of noise online. People were really annoyed by Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez Bezos being involved this year. They don't like it. Do you know what? I can't help but string the bow together as well that The Devil Wears Prada 2 having come out last week.

15:19So hotly speculated. They must be pissed. Oh, it's just also the fact that Vogue had collaborated with The Devil Wears Prada to obviously have that incredible cover with Meryl Streep and it's on the nose yeah it's almost comical I can't help but like smile at it because it is so reminiscent of what happens in the movie and for Anna to have so openly supported that movie knowing what the context was I was about to say it's kind of but I don't think I can say Can we beat that out? You said what you said. It's a little beep sound effect on that one, Kate. Yeah, I mean, there's a big difference this year.

16:00I mean, if we looked back 10 years ago, there were tables being bought by the likes of Topshop, you know, and they would always sort of have a guest collaborator there. You know, we had the likes of Zach Poison and Stella McCartney. It was very much brands buying tables. And when I say brands, I mean fashion houses or, you know, name brands. Now we're seeing like OpenAI buy a table. Well, fashion journalist Amy O'Dell shared a post on Instagram last week and she titled it, the Met Gala is now the Tech Gala. She also said individual tickets were 75 ,000 last year. They're now 100 ,000. That's a big jump.

16:31I mean, inflation, it's undeniable. But that's a huge jump. Yeah. I do wonder what's going to be in the goodie bags this year. That always comes out after. Let's keep an eye on that. I am going to keep an eye on it because I feel like they are going to be fucked this year. Well, I always look forward to the bathroom photos. Kendall Jenner's usually going around with a little Polaroid, not a Polaroid, a film camera. I always like a little behind the scenes. But my personal favourite is the unauthorised videos of them all dancing at the after party that really gets me going. Less we forget Taylor Swift and Tom Hiddleswift.

17:06Was that his name? Hiddleswift. What was his name? Tom Hiddleston. I think that's their names combined. It's their couple names. But I just remember them dancing. I don't hate that. You do see unlikely pairings, people coming out, a little bit tipsy, holding hands, getting papped on the way to the car. Let's watch De Moi to see who's been papped. De Moi. De Moi. Okay, let's get into who we liked. Obvious place to start. Not even who we liked. Who do we love? Can I go back 30 seconds? Sure. Can you give me what this year's theme was before you tell me who you loved so that I've got a little springboard.

17:44I think we've got to set that up. Okay. Yeah. Well, set it up. I'll tell you. Costume art is the name and the theme of the new exhibition that is at the Met. And according to Vogue, the exhibition will consider depictions of the dressed body from across the Met's curatorial departments, pairing garments with art objects spanning some 5 ,000 years. So in line with that, the dress code for this year's Met Gala was fashion is art, which I actually think, look, this could be controversial, but I think that's the best and easiest theme ever in years. That's a walk in the park compared to the previous years.

18:16Oh, absolutely. I don't know how you couldn't nail that theme if you were invited. Well, apparently. Yeah, well, apparently it is my first time on television. Vogue says the dress code encourages attendees to consider the many ways that designers use the body as their blank canvas, which I think we can say definitely played out. Definitely played out. Having seen it. The co-chairs this year are Beyonce, who I think was meant to arrive last. that Rihanna and hates her. She said, check bank. Seriously. I mean, famously, Rihanna does always arrive last. And Beyonce, this is the first time Beyonce's attended the Met Gala in 10 years.

18:53So she was like, here's my moment. I'm going to put him in that because I've got more to add later. But Rihanna went, uh-uh-uh. 10 p.m., look who's arriving. This is my event. I thought that was quite funny. Nicole Kidman is also a co-chair, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour. There's also a host committee. And Zoe Kravitz and Anthony Baccarello are chairs of that as well. There's a whole bunch of names on the rest of the committee. We've got people like Sabrina Carpenter and Doja Cat, Lena Dunham as well, who we saw on the red carpet too. But the list is too long. It's too long, guys. It's just an A++ list.

19:26It's a quick Google, I think, after this. All right. I know I tried to jump the gun early and say that we were going to get into who we loved, but that will be right after a word from today's sponsor. Mother's Day is one of those occasions that sounds simple in theory. until you try to buy a gift. It feels almost impossible to wrap up decades of support, strength and unconditional love in one box. But after doing our own research, we found the most meaningful gift in Burberry Goddess Alderparfum. It's a scent inspired by confidence and kindness, celebrating the lioness in all of us, but especially our mums and the women who've shaped us.

20:00Bold, feminine and so beautiful, find Burberry Goddess Alderparfum at Maya in time for Mother's Day this Sunday. A huge thank you to Burberry Beauty for making this episode of Stylish possible. Finally, the moment has come. I'm really, really excited. Highlight reel up top. Mads, who did you love? Okay, three, Chase Infinity. I absolutely loved in Tom Brown. And this would have been very easy to not know it was Tom Brown because I think naturally with Tom Brown, we look for the signature suiting and stripes. But this was absolutely phenomenal. Like I saw it and it like took my breath away. the other one that I love was Jeremy Pope in Vivian Westwood so unbelievable like this incredible like jacketing and suiting and I do love the men like coming to play there is something in it and then one thing I love about the Met Gala is I kind of sometimes think it'll be like a rebrand opportunity for a celebrity or for them to sort of step out in something that is different and I know that a lot of people will eye roll at both of these names but I do think that every year Kylie Jenner has continued to push and push and I really love when she's not in just the sequin keyhole scaparelli like I know she loved that dress and she's worn that I think we've seen her play it really safe with Timothee Chalamet on the red carpet but I thought she looked absolutely spectacular and the glam it was just like very transformative and I loved it she looked amazing her and Kendall did look very similar me and I were talking about this off mic and I was like Like they both got the bare tit and so did Kim.

21:33So did Kim. But I loved the idea that what I loved about Kylie's is it kind of looked like it was her body and the dress like midway through getting undressed or dressed. Sorry, we moved too quickly away from the bare tit. I just want to come back to that because the bare tit was everywhere. And obviously I actually felt that was on theme. It was very sculptural. There was a lot of nods to like Greek mythology and Hailey Bieber as well in St. Laurent. She had like that gold sculptural sort of fitted. I mean, she looked great as well. but I think very much in that family. Yeah, lots of bad tips.

22:02My thought process with that though is surely if you were a designer or a stylist, you would go, everyone's going to be doing that. Like that was a common theme. It was a common theme. But so the ones that I liked were different to that because it wasn't as obvious. Who did you like? I really liked Isha Ambani. I know the Kardashians went to that wedding. You remember the Ambani wedding? I think we talked about it on this podcast actually. So she was wearing custom Gaurav Gupta and she mentioned she did an interview with Ashley Graham and Cara Delevingne on the red carpet. And she was saying that, you know, what she was wearing, which was, you know, a sari and it had beautiful jewels all over it.

22:38And she said that it felt like celebrating her culture's art form. And she had some of her mother's jewelry in the bodice section of that. It was a really sentimental look. She had this steel like mango in a little bag as well, which was also created by an Indian artist too. And I just thought the way that she brought that to life and brought her own culture in as well was just really unique incredible interpretation yeah i just loved it i loved drie hemingway do you guys know who that is yes yes love story daryl hannah she played daryl hannah yeah amazing she was so ethereal really cool very very just like had presence and her outfit was like a it felt like art yeah i loved her she was really cool was there anyone that you were like oh that's surprising i don't want to do a worst dress list it's not that it's just like who did you see and go like That's interesting.

23:27So I would say surprising. Sabrina Carpenter. I know a lot of people loved her. She was in Dior. She had a very literal sense with like little film tape. Yeah. Her makeup was amazing. It was very Gatsby vibes and I liked her accessories. I just didn't love the whole look. Yeah. See, I was the opposite to that. I didn't like the accessories, but I liked the theme of it being film related. And it was those, what are they called? It's literally like when you go to. Film tape. Yeah. It's like a strip of film. Yes. The proof sheet. Yeah. From film. So I really liked that she did that because it was from the Sabrina movie.

24:02Bit too literal for me. Sorry. I just, yeah, I liked more subtle nods or, you know, Emma Chamberlain obviously was one of the best dressed by far. She was like so incredible. Do you know that was hand painted? I did. I did. I actually watched the little YouTube video of her dress fitting. And in that she actually said, I feel like I'm in a Van Gogh painting. Like you could see that inspiration and that interpretation come through without it feeling so obvious. That's what I loved. And there was so much texture to it as well, which I think really played into that theme of art too. Do you know what were two surprising fun facts for me?

24:31One was that Kendall Jenner was wearing Gap by Zach Pozen. I know. And Stevie Nicks, who I actually just felt chills. She's just the queen of my heart. She was wearing our first look at Zara by John Galliano. Really? That's my tidbit for today. I love that. Let's talk about the beauty for a second because the beauty always gets overlooked. A lot of bleached brows, which I did like. Kylie Jenner had the bleach brow. So yes, her outfit maybe wouldn't have been the most, you know, you wouldn't describe it as the most spectacular, obvious interpretation. Well, actually, Jory thinks it was the obvious interpretation of the thing, but I do love a bleach brow.