Billy Porter and Vogue team up for Met Gala Challenge

Remember that time Billy Porter proved he's basically the most fabulous person on the planet when he made his grand entrance at the 2019 Met Gala in Sun-God gold, while being carried in by six shirtless attendants, before spreading his literal wings and made the world collectively gasp? It was pretty unforgettable, which makes him the perfect spokesperson to bring a little bit of the glitzy gala into living rooms everywhere—especially now that this year’s event has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.In a collaboration with Vogue, Porter took to Instagram to announce the #MetGalaChallenge. The magazine and Cinderella's fairy godmother are calling on fashion fans to recreate iconic Met Gala looks in the comfort of their own homes. “Hello Vogue, Billy Porter here. The time has come for the challenge to end all fashion challenges,” he says in the video, in which he jazzes up his staircase with a killer black leather ensemble. “Pick an iconic Met Gala look from years past and recreate it in your home. It could be Rihanna, it could be Gaga, it could be… me. But you BEST be creative.”

 

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With this year’s annual #MetGala (normally held on the First Monday in May) postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, we are mourning what is typically one of the glitziest red carpet events of the year. The star-studded affair was supposed to be held on May 4 this year and in the past, it has produced some iconic red carpet looks. For those still craving the glamour and extravagance that usually comes with the night, however, we are teaming up with @theebillyporter on a new Instagram challenge that pays tribute to the night’s peacocking spirit: Meet the #MetGalaChallenge. The task is simple: recreate your favorite red carpet look from a past #MetGala at home. Which ensemble you replicate, and what you use to make it, is entirely up to you—think outside of the box! Tap the link in our bio for all details on the challenge. Edited by @artdlrco Clothing by @theblondsny @mercuranyc

A post shared by Vogue (@voguemagazine) on Apr 22, 2020 at 12:51pm PDT

Fashion fans and creative self-isolators alike are welcome to submit their best looks until May 3, the day before the annual event was originally scheduled to take place. From there, Vogue and Porter will select the best looks and share them in a post on the magazine’s website. They’ll also share one selection to the publication’s official Instagram account. “You might just find yourself in Vogue, darling,” Porter purrs at the end of his video announcement.[video_embed id='1869425']RELATED: These were the best-dressed men at the Golden Globes[/video_embed]The post probably gave fans of the Pose star a mild case of déjà-vu. That’s because the challenge is inspired by Porter’s own viral quarantine fashion challenges on social media. The actor is a big proponent of people expressing their creativity while physical distancing, and in late March he called on fans to recreate his 2019 Met Gala look using only things from their own homes. The response to that virtual challenge was so great that the star then created a second one, in which he asked fans to show off their “fiercest runway walks” with their “chicest couch potato lewk.”

 

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Y'all, I'm blown away by the incredible response to my Quarantine Fashion Challenge! So many chic and fabulous lewks! It's time now for Challenge #2! Get off the couch and shoot a video of yourself giving me your fiercest runway walk in your chicest couch potato / #StayAtHome lewk! ?? Swipe for details! Can't wait to see those videos, hennies! ⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ Styling & Video @sammyratelle⁠⠀ Grooming by @heyannabee⁠⠀ Wearing Custom Couture by @gilesdeacon_⁠⠀ Jewels by @atelierswarovski⁠⠀ Custom boots by @jimmychoo designed by @sandrachoiofficial Clutch by @judithleiberny ? Love Yourself (Ralphi Rosario Ballroom Brawl Remix) - Billy Porter

A post shared by Billy Porter (@theebillyporter) on Apr 6, 2020 at 4:46pm PDT

For fans who are still looking to take part in the Met Gala in a less interactive way, the May issue of Vogue will still offer readers a glimpse into this year’s theme, About Time: Fashion and Duration. “Due to the unavoidable and responsible decision by the Metropolitan Museum to close its doors, About Time, and the opening night gala, will not take place on the date scheduled,” Anna Wintour announced on March 16. “In the meantime, we will give you a preview of this extraordinary exhibition in our forthcoming May issue.”As for Porter, he seems to be living his best life while in self-isolation. Before everyone in Los Angeles went under a stay-at-home order and before productions everywhere were put on hiatus, he had wrapped his part in the upcoming Camila Cabello-starring version of Cinderella, and he is one of the actors confirmed to star in the big-screen remake of Little Shop of Horrors (he’ll voice the famous man-eating plant).“When you’re an artist and you’re presenting yourself, people can smell a rat. You can smell inauthenticity when we’re not authentic. You can smell it,” Porter said on April 22 in an Instagram Live chat with Variety. “And I just think now I’m having this moment where the success happened because I chose myself. The success happened like this because I finally said, ‘I’m done. And if that means I don’t ever do anything again, I’m fine.’ But I’m done doing it like that. That’s no use for me. So it was taking myself out of the masculinity narrative and just being.”It's a move that's definitely paid off.[video_embed id='1944154']BEFORE YOU GO: Ansel Elgort strips down for a good cause[/video_embed]