PHOTOS: Inside the Hottest Met Gala Afterparties

Ellen von Unwerth and CT Hidden at Baz Luhrmann’s Met Gala. Matteo Brandoni / BFA.com

if Ragtime musicThis morning Tony Award nominee Joshua Henry lit the fuse at the start of the Met Gala with his gospel-inspired rendition of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” and Jon Batiste (wearing a tribute to American portrait painter Barclay L. Hendricks in the main event) blew the roof off the Carlyle with his multi-instrumental group at the Cartier Met Gala. An after-party at the swanky Bemelmans Bar, accompanied by a symphony of sparkling martini glasses led by a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd. On the tables next to the panthère de Cartier trinket trays were one-night-only white linen cocktail napkins embroidered with “Behelmans Bar x Cartier” gold thread.

“The Art of Costume” was this year’s dress code for the prestigious gala, and Batiste wasn’t the only celebrity leaning into the living museum theme. There was Ben Platt in George Seurat’s shop Sunday in the park with George– Tanner Fletcher’s costume inspired by Madonna’s cosplay Leonora Carrington The Temptation of Saint Anthony. Part TwoHunter Schaeffer as Gustav Klimt Mada Primavisi And the downright terrifying Heidi Klum in a custom Mike Marino design inspired by the work of Giovanni Strazza The veiled virgin. Kendall Jenner and Yo Chi Lira Ko both had very different interpretations of the winged Victory of Samothrace, but our favorite look from the ceremony itself was Amy Sherald’s, inspired by Amy Sherald. Of course, voluminous gowns and towering accessories rarely make it to legendary parties (unless you’re Luke Evans, whose Tom of Finland look is made for dancing the night away).

This year’s after-party lineup was very similar to last year’s lineup. At The Mark, returning revelers (including Cardi B in a Marc Jacobs bubble dress, later replaced by a sheer lace dress) were greeted with KFC boxes. At a nearby Surrey hotel, guests including Stanley Tucci, Emily Blunt, Sarah Pidgeon and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson played a game of bellini before the party and hamachi crudo before returning to the party. Kendall Jenner, who removed her Greek goddess dress to reveal a nude model’s sheath, and Hailey Bieber, who looked like she was covered in toilet paper, were seen leaving together.

Downtown, where the parties don’t start until at least midnight, was pure chaos in the best way. At The Standard Hotel Boom after-party (a tradition that’s been going on for nearly 20 years, and this year hosted by Grace Gummer and Gabriela Hearst), Questlove DJ’ed while Janelle Monáe, Misty Copeland and Dustin Yellen watched singer Kelela get the crowd buzzing from above the bar. A$AP Rocky was there until he wasn’t there anymore. There was drag queen CT Hidden, sporting red crepe, fishnets and the Statue of Liberty, but again, he seemed to be everywhere, as he was also spotted alongside German photographer Ellen von Unwerth at Baz Luhrmann’s Met Gala at Monsieur — an event that also attracted Miranda Kerr, Thomas Hayue, Natalie DiBanco and Margot Robbie (in jeans, no less). Here’s what you missed: