Pastrami and Lamé: Inside Vogue’s American Hustle-Themed Pre Met Party at Katz Deli

The highlights of the fashion calendar are fairly well established. You can likely guess what they are: Oscars, Cannes, Fashion Week, and the Met Gala. But a fledgling event is now becoming an annual It party: Vogue’s Pre Met Party, which precedes The First Monday in May, also known as The Met Gala.

The Pre Met party offers a playful twist on the Costume Institute's exhibition and Met Gala dress code. On Monday, guests will be clad in Gilded Glamor but last night the theme was decidedly funkier, taking cues from the 1970s for its American Hustle-inspired soiree.

Chioma Nnadi, editor of Vogue.com, and Mark Guiducci, Vogue’s Creative Editorial Director, co-hosted the event at New York’s iconic Katz’s Deli. The space was transformed—the fluorescent lights were replaced with disco balls—but the pastrami happily remained. Guiducci was dressed in a velvet Kenneth Nicholson jacket, Sidney Garber jewelry, and a fresh white peony and his co-host Nnadi shimmered in a wore faux snakeskin jacket. In attendance was a slew of friends and fashion folk—a well-rounded group of the coolest cool kids: Phoebe Dynevor, Shalom Harlow, Paloma Elsesser, Teyana Taylor, Iman Shumpert, and Precious Lee. And it wouldn’t be a Vogue party without fashion designers galore—including Christopher John Rogers, Batsheva Hay, Alexandra O’Neill, Wes Gordon, Christopher Kane, Jack McCollough, Hillary Taymour, and more.

At the DJ booth, Kitty Ca$h spun disco tunes and encouraged all the shimmering gold lamé-wrapped guests to bring it on the dance floor. Interpretations of the dress code took many forms: sharp collared suit jackets over barely-there slip dresses (or, for the especially daring, just lingerie). There were also aviator glasses with lenses tinted in sepia shades, open shirts, and a lot of fur-trimmed coats.

In a silvery-shell-like top, Harlow was one of the first on the dance floor. Ivy Getty arrived with her husband in tow, giddy to join the crowd. Elsesser posed for picks with her model gang including Precious Lee and Alva Claire. Vogue staffers wandered with polaroids and disposable cameras, documenting the night. And Evan Mock and Aquaria held onto their Motorola Razrs—sponsors of the night.

Midway through, the hosts took to the stage to welcome their guests and introduce the performance of the night. Symone, of RuPaul's Drag Race fame, arrived, only tonight, she was in character. “Give it up for Diana Ross!” announced Guiducci. Symone immediately leaped to the danced and lip-synched to the diva’s greatest hits, beginning with “I’m Coming Out.” As she performed, you could say the response was unanimous: “I'll have what she’s having!”