At a Met Gala for which the theme was “White Tie and Diamonds,” we weren’t surprised to see a lot of extremely haute gowns hitting the red carpet. And since with extremely haute gowns also comes a great deal of discomfort, which is why we also weren’t surprised to see many attendees changing into different looks for the afterparty (à la the Oscars). Of course, plenty of stars just changed into less cumbersome — but still super-glamorous — dresses (Diane Kruger, Reese Witherspoon and Rihanna come to mind), but the biggest trend this year was doing a total style 180° altogether and attending the afterparty in casual pants.
Getty (2); Splash News Online; Getty; Sipa/span>
From left, Joan Smalls, Anne Hathaway, Kristen Stewart, Rashida Jones and Claire Danes all swapped their couture finery for some seriously relaxed looks. (Cara Delevingne and Kristen Wiig, not pictured, also put pants on for the afterparty.) And it looks like Stewart isn’t the only one who can’t withstand heels for long — Jones and Hathaway joined her in the high-style sneakers club as well. Compare their afterparty outfits to the gowns below:
RELATED: Everything you need to know about the Met Gala in one place!
WireImage; Getty (3); Startraks
Not much has changed on the beauty front (Smalls even kept her purple lipstick, though Jones did brush out her faux bob) but their late-night looks couldn’t be any more different from the high-fashion dresses they were sporting to walk up those Met stairs. Smalls embraces the ’90s trend with a pair of exposed-waistband briefs peeking out from her jeans, while Danes pulls probably our favorite fashion move by leaving her Fred Leighton diamond pendant earrings on but swapping in leather leggings and a blazer for her ladylike Oscar de la Renta gown.
We’re all about comfort, but a little surprised that all these stars were going to an Anna Wintour-approved event and decided that super-low-key pants looks were the way to go — especially since they all have access to racks and racks of the fanciest designer couture around. Tell us: Do you love that all these ladies changed into jeans and leggings for the afterparty, or are you surprised they didn’t stay all dolled up?
–Alex Apatoff
