(regal string music) - I still feel so stressed. - [Alex] I'm sorry. - It's okay, it's only, hasn't even been a week since The Gala. Whew, okay. On the night of Monday,
September 13th, 2021 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, you might've seen me looking like this, (photographers shouting) But what you didn't see behind the scenes was me feeling a bit more like this. - [David] It looks perfect. - Does it, David? - I'm not even kidding you. - [Eugene] Ugh, no, no I feel terrible. I don't think I should go. (sighs pitifully) It was the most exhilarating and the most stressful
experience of my entire life. This is the story of
my very first Met Gala. I'm saying very first as if
I'm going to get invited back, who the fuck knows. (laughs) - [Emma] Get over here.
- [Attendee] Come over here. - [Emma] Wait, you look so amazing. Okay, so tell me about this. - Well, I was going to wear a dress, but it fell through three hours ago. So... Hold on. Let's not get ahead of ourselves just yet first some context, because I know not
everyone out there cares as much about fashion as I do. And you might not be
familiar with this event because it is actually so much more than just a star-studded party. And apologies, I'm about to sound vaguely
intelligent for a minute, which I know y'all aren't
necessarily here for, but please allow me this
before I share my many embarrassing emotional breakdowns. Like so incredibly
deliciously embarrassing. (inhales, sighs nervously) Let me be smart real quick. (clears throat importantly) Since 1948, The Gala was
established as a fundraiser for The Costume Institute at The Met, and heralds the opening for
each year's fashion exhibit. The soiree became a much
more glamorous occasion when Diana Vreeland
began consulting in 1972. And during her tenure, the idea of the annual
theme was introduced, where guests dressed according to the exhibition subject matter. Anna Wintour, the illustrious
editor in chief of Vogue, began to oversee everything
from the committees to the exclusive guest list in 1995, and public interest in The Gala only exploded since then,
particularly after 2015, when the internet laid eyes
on none other than Rihanna in that iconic Guo Pei gown. Now I had explored the costume Institute a few times before 2015, but I particularly remember the impact of connecting Rihanna in
that gorgeous yellow couture with my visit to "China: Through
the Looking Glass" exhibit, which is still the museum's
most visited fashion exhibition. The intrigue generated by the gala, both inspired more people
to learn about our history, while also bringing up some crucial and controversial questions about the subject matter. And that's what great art does, it creates a conversation that challenges our cultural perception. And my argument for The
Met Gala's relevance is that it makes millions
more people aware of the dialogue that typically
was reserved for the elite. Anyway, I'd recommend that, even if you're not into
the Gala side of all this, The Met side definitely
deserves your attention, should you ever be in New York. The idea of doing fashion through an artistic and historical lens is a relatively new concept
in the fine art world. And I think it's fascinating to consider that what we wear, and
the pieces we critique and make hilarious memes out of today will serve as important
markers of the times, just as much as any painting or sculpture. Okay, I know what some of
y'all might be thinking. I'm waxing poetic about
first-world issues. And I agree that there's
a distinct privilege I have to be so invested in fashion, let alone invited to such
a high profile event, let alone being able to have
this huge viral platform where I can share my
story with all of you. Like, Anna Wintour had to see me and say, "Yeah, whatever, he seems acceptable." which is such a crazy thought because I honestly never dreamed I'd be given this opportunity. But what I hope to make
relatable with my experience is that this is a universe
I'm very interested in, but have only dipped my toes into. And suddenly I had the chance
to dive into the deep end, and I took it. (exhales) So we need to take this back to the Tuesday before the event, because that is when I first got the call that I had been invited. That's right. I got ready for the met gala in six days. All of us were spiraling
when we first got invited - No we were.
- I'm still spiraling. - You're still spiraling?
- Still. - That spiraling consisted of a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts
that flooded my mind. For instance, could I
pull everything together with such short notice? And how would you
interpret this year's theme of American Fashion? What would Vogue and the fashion critics and the other celebrities think of you? I mean, this is the biggest
stage for style in the galaxy. Worse yet: What are the millions of people who don't know you going to say? I mean, can you mentally sustain that unprecedented amount of scrutiny? Even worse yet: What if you
disappoint those who do know you and fall short of their expectations? But this might be your
one and only chance. You shouldn't go, you don't deserve this. They're all going to
call you an influencer. But I work in film and
TV and I'm selling novels and run my own digital production company. (whispering) It doesn't matter. They don't know that. They're just going to write about you like you're a stupid,
nasty little influencer. But my friends and family
are so excited for me. You don't have any friends. (growling) Nobody likes you! (sighs) Ultimately I told
the nagging voice in my head that I'm not listening and went "Fuck it." You only live once and
you'll never look younger. So I accepted the invite and began the mad nerve racking scramble to figure out what the
hell was I going to wear? Hey, guess who's going to The Met Gala? (in silly voice) Guess
who's going to The Met Gala? I live in LA and had work I had to finish, so I booked a flight for that Friday. The first question at hand
was assembling a creative team who could collaborate with me. You might have gotten a
true semblance of that with other Met Gala preparation videos, which typically go something like this. Oh, hi guys, I wasn't expecting you. Come on in. I'm just getting ready for the event. (serene piano music) I'm a little nervous, but you know, really excited to finally show the world what me and my prolific designer have been working on for months. (laughs) But you know, it's just me right now, alone in my hotel room... with my entire team. That's not a read in any way. That's how everyone should
approach public events at this level. It's perfectly par for the course. I, on the other hand, looked
a little more like this. - [David] We need to see
if your ass fits in that. - Oh, I don't know. - It's fine. Regardless, I immediately
booked the talent I knew I couldn't move forward without: my hairstylist, makeup artist, nails. But for my wardrobe, I mean, this is the Super Bowl of fashion. So I knew that I could
directly work with the designer and with the invaluable help of Vogue, I was able to lock down
a vision and a game plan. The first thing that came out of my mouth was in line with how my
personal style has evolved. For my debut, I want to
unabashedly represent my and queer Asian identities, particularly considering
the American theme, with something striking and gender fluid. And I really under no circumstance see myself wearing a suit. (sighs) Just as a clarification, the wonderful people at Vogue and YouTube, and honestly, every
designer and their staff were beyond thoughtful and accommodating throughout this journey. They all really wanted to help me realize an authentic expression of myself. So out of respect for the designer, I won't be naming them because they are at zero fault
for what inevitably happened. I take full responsibility
for my own fashion emergency, and the first major
mistake I made in hindsight was arguably the most important
person on a styling team, who is the stylist themself Stylists are in a lot of ways, the real directors of a red carpet look and my amazing stylist, Roman Sipe, has helped shape many memorable
moments for me in the past. Like this red number, this K-pop look, this pink dream, this dark drama, and this, and this, and so on. He and I have worked together long enough where I know that he truly
understands my voice. However, he is out of
the country right now. And I didn't want to betray him with a new stylist for The Met Gala. So I banked on the designer
and went without my stylist, who's usually the one to make shit happen in moments of crisis. And so I kind of felt like
I entered this situation like a very accommodating hanger, because I was terrified
of coming off as naive or worse, demanding. Immense pressure brings out
your best and worst qualities. And for me, it's my insistence to put
on a brave friendly face and make others think that I'm confidently handling everything. (heavily breathing) Even when everything's (sighs) totally falling apart. Call it being Korean, or Capricorn, or that kid who volunteered
to lead every group project. But God damn, when you externally display
competence and grace, while you're internally freaking out, you're only setting yourself
up for an inevitable downfall. And boy, oh boy, did
I end up falling hard. By this time, I wasn't
totally losing my mind yet. Matt will attest that I
was cool as a cucumber. - This is the most stressed
out I've seen Eugene in my entire life. - No, I prefer to say
that I was doing a lot of intense soul-searching. (chuckles) Due to the pandemic, the
2020 Met Gala was canceled and this year's was
postponed to September, as it's famously held on
the first Monday of May. And this year's theme is "In
America: A Lexicon of Fashion." It's a bit of a conundrum because it raises a very
important line of questioning about what being American today means. So I hung out and talked
with designer, Prabal Gurung about his interpretation
of this year's theme. - When you think about America, right? We think about it, we've
been so conditioned to think Americana and American fashion, or like American style is one point, which is always from a colonial lens. What America is, in complete honesty it's black culture, Asian culture, Latino and mixed cultures. All of us together. The piece that I have there is from my 10 year anniversary collection "Who Gets to Be American?" because you know, part of my work has always enough about
identity, politics, culture, and how, through passion,
we can make people who are always considered
invisible, visible. Met Gala is always
exciting to go, it's fun. You know, and oftentimes, you look at the pieces that's there and you look at the designers, you admire their work is there, you do wonder if your work
is ever going to be there. It's not the ultimate goal,
but when it happened this year, I realized they saw us. Not just me, our community. Met Gala is a pivotal
moment of New York City and New York City is the
absolute potential of America. - As you can see, Prabal
and other creatives, particularly those from
marginalized communities were proactively thinking about
how they'd make a statement regarding the reshaping
of stereotypical Americana to more accurately reflect ourselves. And the first thing I personally
recalled was my mother, who I owe my entire sense of style to. Many of you know that I was
born and raised in Texas in the 80s and 90s, and when my mother, who
already loved fashion while growing up in Seoul, realized that we were the
only Asian family in town, she instinctively
believed that we needed to dress to impress. Now, we didn't have the
means to buy anything from a place like Neiman Marcus. So she shopped at this
store called "lastcall", which aggregated the
discounted designer pieces that were even ignored on the sale rack, and slashed their prices
to make them affordable. Her reasoning for putting me in all these little suits and bow ties and Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren, was that she knew we were
at risk of being bullied. So we needed to projected
different type of strength. It was actually brilliant,
really, to consider that many others probably assumed that we didn't speak English when they saw us. But what was immediately communicated was that we dress really fucking well, so don't fuck with us. (laughs) And that first impression
gave us a baseline of respect. I remember when I told my
mom that I wanted to wear those, oversized "Dragon
Ball Z" shirts and JNCOs, she refused, saying, and I quote, "You can't look like an Asian nerd." because people would target me more. I was already getting pushed around. I didn't it at the time,
but I sort of do now, because even if you
don't want to admit it, the way you present yourself
through fashion speaks volumes before you even open your mouth. She would wear so much discount Chanel that everyone was convinced
that we were rich. But when they came to my house and saw it was only one
story and without a pool, they realized we were
just- stylish? (laughs) Because you know, where I come from, a two story house and a
pool meant you had money. Her philosophy would
greatly come into play as I began to own and project
my sexuality more comfortably. And it's really because of her, that my interest in fashion is
so much more than skin deep. Like the costume exhibit, what you wear reflects
so much about who you are at that time in your life. And my mom's story of an
immigrant using clothing and accessories as a tool to
overcome her circumstances and the negative perception about her is as distinctly American as you can get. That's the inspiration I carried with me coming into this year's theme. Also, I love my dad, but he couldn't give a flying
fuck about what he's wearing, so she dressed him too. (laughs) Yeah, my dad was like,
cargo shorts and polos. Every day, baby.
(Alex laughs) (dramatic string music) So on Friday, still feeling unprepared, but far more ecstatic about
the inconceivable fact that I was even invited
in the first place, I head out early in the morning
to get my ass to New York. Everything is about to close down, 'cause I'm only getting here
pretty late in the afternoon. By the time I arrived to the east coast, and as I communicated more closely with those who were helping
me organize my schedule, my second major mistake dawned on me. Although this was far more circumstantial. I had not prepared for the fact that this, even by "The Big Apple" standards, was an unnaturally, preposterously busy week
for the fashion world. - I'm Justin and this week
is New York Fashion Week, VMA and Met Gala, so we do have a lot of clients coming here to get prepped for these events. - You heard that correctly. I entered the lion's den
during New York Fashion Week. So all of my contacts were already stretched incredibly thin. On top of that, the
night before The Met Gala was "The MTV Video Music Awards". And considering that all of these were some of the first
huge events happening after a year and a half
of pandemic delays, the entire industry was under
an extreme amount of duress. And then there's little old me with less than a week of preparation for the biggest event of my life so far. There I was relying on the
good graces of awesome people who, in any other situation, would have dedicated
more focus on my needs (laughs) if they had any time to spare. But I knew, even then, that this is how the
world works sometimes: not in mysterious ways, but in ways that make you feel like everything is out of your control. And a large part of being an
adult is learning how to adapt and thrive without being
an asshole to others. So my instincts kicked in, and I knew that I had to
put my faith in the process and hope that everything would work out. However, coming terms with
how the real world works does not necessarily
quell your anxieties, so after several days of
very serious beauty prep where I didn't touch alcohol,
carbs or coffee (laughs) and try to get all my beauty
sleep because, you know, I was extremely worried
that my regular lifestyle would make me look puffy. Friday night, I broke, and I grabbed multiple cold brews. And then I went to a
drag show with my friends and drank my butt off because I needed a moment
to check out of this mayhem. And you know what, this turned
out to be a good decision, because I needed all the positive energy to get me through a truly exhilarating and harrowing weekend. No therapy like a drag show. (all cheering) - You should do a nail reveal.
(laughing) - I'm thinking like a coffin,
but like not too long, but like maybe about here.
- Ooh, nice. - So due to the aforementioned climate where the entire fashion
industry was tied up, I woke up on Saturday with
several pressing issues. One, I had yet to have a time set where I could be fitted in anything, as shows and other clients were holding the designer hostage. So it's two days before the gala, and I had yet to put the few
options I was planning for on my body, which was a cause for concern. (laughs) I admit I was very flattered that everyone who saw my
measurements commented that I could be fine because I
was "close to sample size". But that's not sufficient consolation, when I also had to
consider that I had to make executive decisions about
my nails, hair, and makeup, without knowing exactly which
pieces I would end up wearing. Also, I have a surprising
amount of heft in my trunk area. (chuckles) And some of these stunning,
very skinny male models, who were tailored into these garment, lacked my... (claps hands) assets. - [David] Oh no, the hips. - The hips. How much ass is like stuck? You're Madonna, from the VMAs. Nevertheless, I try to
push through the doubt and was so excited to be
able to work with Sojin Oh, an artist who is making a
huge splash in the nail world. - Oh, how do I get inspiration? I like watching nature documentaries, I go camping with friends, I look at nature photos online and that's how I inspired 'cause feel like nature is the best art. - So you're doing almost like, artistic interpretations
of nature through nail art. - Exactly.
- Yeah, that's really cool. This Met Gala, she did
original looks for Grimes, Hunter Schafer and Lil Nas X, and managed to squeeze me in as well. What's interesting is that although I had yet to finalize what my full ensemble would be, I was extremely adamant about one thing: I wanted the opportunity
to work with other talents who were queer, or of color, and especially artists of Asian descent, namely, because with
what little time I had, I knew that our perspectives in some way, organically aligned. We ended up deciding on a
freehand design she does called "Fungi" which she based off of microscopic closeups
of bacteria and viruses in Petri dishes. And you know, there's
a lot I wanted to say as an Asian American, this year. I consciously was drawn to
ideas that would highlight and subvert the ideas surrounding what
the past couple of years have been like for my community. Others might not notice or care for that attention to detail. But if I was still in flux
about my ultimate dress, I found some comfort knowing
that even a small nod, even with these nails, to a larger message regarding my identity was being interpreted. But the sun set and it
was one less day of prep, and I still hadn't been able
to get with the designer. Just know that I took this in stride. I slept peacefully like a baby. - Eugene had multiple breakdowns
when he was in New York. He called me almost
crying a couple of times. He just didn't want to let anyone down, and it made me feel really bad for him. - [Eugene] I never cried. - Yes you did. - [Eugene] (laughs) No I didn't. Don't tell people that.
- Yes you did. (laughs) - No, no, no, no lies. He's lying, I didn't cry at all. (laughs) In fact, I waited to cry so that it was in front of
a large group of people. (inspiring orchestral music) I had a couple of very inspiring items on my itinerary on
Sunday that distracted me from the pandemonium that was
wreaking havoc on my brain. The first of which was an
opportunity Vogue gave me to see Kenneth Nicholson's
spring 2022 show at Fashion Week. Now, Kenneth is making
a big name for himself since launching his label in 2016, integrating traditional
women's wear into men's wear in this romantic, forward thinking way. I really dig it. - I like making beautiful things, and I want to expand the
narrative for menswear, so I got into the industry
because I felt like there was a serious void. You know, I feel like
women have all these tools to emote different emotions. But I felt like as it relates
to the men's wardrobe, we just really lacked that. And so I wanted to
essentially just give tools, whether that was like
using new techniques, or whether it was creating clothes that actually have movement. - When did you get started?
Where are you from? - Originally from Texas. - Shut the front door
- Obviously. (chuckles) - I'm from Texas.
- Oh, really? - Yeah, born and bred.
- I didn't know that. - What I love about the
connection we made is that here we were, black and
Asian queer men from Texas, about to represent
ourselves at The Met Gala. (gentle piano music)
It was kind of wonderful and poetic to recognize how the faces we associate with occupying the spotlight in these spaces were slowly, but surely changing in this time. I can't really explain
it except for, you know, there's a lot of upsetting, but important, critical thoughts surrounding identity, that's constantly applied
to the businesses we're in. Yada yada, yada, but you know, it was just really nice to
see someone else succeeding That evening, I was able to finally meet a couple of other recognizable faces, who I love to see succeeding
in the digital space. And they are the one and only, Nikkie De Jager and Jackie Aina, who I met at a cocktail reception held by YouTube's Head
of Fashion and Beauty, Derek Blasberg. Remember Derek because he
comes into very important play later in my story. I'll let Nikkie and Jackie tell you where their heads were at the night before the big event. - I honestly, I feel good I feel probably 10 times more confident than I did four days ago. The dress, beautiful. The dress is good, I just
picked up my bag today. So every detail that
needs to be worked out as of today, has been perfected. - And you? - I feel bad. (all laugh) - No, I know what you're preparing, and it's going to be iconic. - I can't wait for the moment where, well where I walk up to the
photographers and they're like: (mimics camera shutter) "Thank you." You're like- (all laugh loudly) - I know exactly what you're
talking about. (laughing) "Okay, you got it? Thanks." "And Jennifer Aniston
is coming, gotta go." - When y'all go up there, and you have your "click, click, clicks", I'm going to scream from the side. - Thank you, yes.
- I'm gonna be like "Yes!" - Oh my god.
- Yes! - We'll hype each other up.
- Silent nail clicks! (Jackie laughs)
- Yes, yes, yes, yes. - Let me tell y'all, after bonding with them
over our shared nerves, and excitement, and denouncing the
rampant imposter syndrome that we all felt, I have to proclaim that I absolutely love these two women with my entire heart and soul. - No I actually feel
like, so much better now. I genuinely do. I hope you guys do, too. - Here's to us. And here's to a wonderful,
unforgettable night tomorrow. - Yes, and cheers to Anna. - Cheers to Anna.
- Shout out to Anna. - I know many people will
argue, over the next few years, about the so-called validity of people who came from the digital space being allowed at events like The Met Gala. And I'm not here to dissect that because we are so uniquely
fortunate to have these platforms where we can speak with you. But what I will fight you on conclusively is the fact that Nikkie, and Jackie have tirelessly
represented their viewers and underserved demographics with authenticity and grace for years. I fucking love to see people like that shining on a global stage. Also, Nikkie asked if I was hungry, so she and her manager, Wes,
and I went out for a bite and I started suggesting
something hip in New York before she stopped me to say "No." they had to find a Chipotle. (laughs) Apparently they always
get Cheesecake Factory and Chipotle when they visit the States because they don't have them
in The Netherlands, apparently. I guess in an alternate timeline, Nikkie and I would have
dressed as a Chipotle burrito and a Cheesecake Factory
slice for the theme, because what's more American than that. And so, full of my extra guac, I went to bed full of new friendships, but devoid and empty of confidence for what was coming the next day, because I still haven't
tried on my outfit. (ominous string music) So I wake up, it's the day of The Gala, and I am surprisingly calm. - Eugene was not calm. - You hear a lot about
what you might expect at this once in a lifetime event, and I'd gotten some insight
from designer, Phillip Lim, a couple of days before. Can you tell us what
it's actually like there? Like, what can I expect? - Triggering, traumatizing.
(all laughing) Some fashion. But, you know at the end of the day, it's about your guests
and that they feel good. And you walk that insane carpet and hopefully it's an aesthetic explosion. (fun dance music) - And so, I head to Barber Surgeon's Guild in order to meet Justin Kafando, who I'd already met before
from our shaving video. Isn't that cute? (chuckles) And where I'd also get my hair, makeup, and accessories completed, all the while anxiously awaiting when I might be able to find time with the designer, who was absolutely slammed that day. - (laughs) Specifically we
shut the whole place down just for Eugene to get ready for his Met Gala. - [Eugene] Oh, thank you!
- All right. - One of my best dearest friends and hairstylists, David Dang, joined me alongside Van Khai Truong, an incredible makeup artist in New York, to complete the look for, (sighs) well, the look
I had yet to put on. So, (sighs) maybe I should
just go off script now. I mean, you keep asking me about it. And I haven't been able
to tell you anything as we've been so busy, like I got off the plane and
what we went straight into "Without a Recipe",
filming our cooking show. - Welcome back to "Without
a Recipe" holiday season. - I just got back from The
Met Gala and I'm exhausted. - [Keith] That why your eyes are all red? - (slurring) Yep, this is
a choice now, this make up. All right, what are we
cooking? I don't even know. - Cinnamon rolls!
(Eugene laughs) - (sighs) Hi
- Hi. So?
- Yeah. - I've been dying to know everything. Where did you leave off? Okay, so, I'm at The
Barber Surgeon's Guild, That's where I have David and Van, who were starting to
work on hair and makeup. And I'm making the decisions about what this should look like, without even knowing which
final look will be approved. - Well, you're setting my hair, right? What does that mean? Is it like baking? - Yeah it's basically baking. No, what we did was, I had to clean your hair so we wouldn't waste too much time, because we're waiting for all of the elements to come together. And what I'm doing now is
I'm gonna set your hair and get it ready for makeup. - Okay, so how did you make that decision? - You know, David spent
a lot of time setting it and then essentially I wanted it to feel like it was sort of
slicked, but also curly. And with that, it was sort of like this idea of waves through my hair, With the makeup, I was actually really
inspired by Chinese opera. I wanted to feel very Asian inspired. So that plus sort of like this feeling of being slightly, like bloody looking, it was sort of- the idea was, I wanted it to be very dramatic, but also like a little dark. It was all hopefully going to work with the top two to three different looks that I was told that I could eventually be able to wear for the gala. - Okay, so you're matching
your hair, makeup and nails to these maybe two or three looks. - Yes. They were pretty confident
that I would at least get to have access particularly to this one dress that I was really interested in. We also had the jewelers
from Erickson Beamon, who Vogue hooked me up with,
come so that I could pick several different pieces that could go with
three different outfits. So we were styling me to potentially look like it was appropriate for these looks that I had never put on my body. You know, we have to
leave for The Met Gala, from the final location at 6:30 sharp, by the time I'm complete, it's like already 4:30 PM. - [Eugene] Van was amazing,
obviously, Viet-namazing. - [David] Viet-namazing.
- We're now heading over to, Derek's place, where it's supposed to be the pre-Met cocktails, but that is where they're
sending my actual pieces. So I'm going to be trying on my Gala look within the next 2 hours. - 10 minutes before you get
on the red carpet, I think. - And we also have to
pick what I'm wearing. And this is basically because
the designer got slammed, there's another client
that needed attention. And so, I mean, I'm going to have to pull a rabbit trick out of hat. We might not even have as
many options as I think we do because of the fit. The designer was able to get me seven available pieces waiting for me. I tried them on. And the only option that felt
okay was this shirt dress that really didn't read as glamorous or elevated as I wanted. - A little more casual.
- A little more casual and not quite- it just didn't feel right. And I think one of the
biggest things for me was, as I debated this, I was saying, "I don't feel good in this." And the one thing about fashion is you should feel great
in what you're wearing, especially in such a high-profile
place like The Met Gala. And so I was kind of
stuck with this idea of, "Do I just go for it and
wear these designer pieces that I don't feel a hundred percent in?" And in that moment we
bring back Derek Blasberg, he's the head of YouTube
Fashion and Beauty. He sees my fashion emergency while he's dealing with all
the other people getting ready and catering, and he has two new, beautiful infants. - Oh my gosh.
- And he's like, "Eugene, tell me what's happening." And I say, "I am dying inside." And Nikkie's standing next to me, and Jackie, they're like
patting me on the back. And it's that moment where I actually have to tilt my head back
(somber music playing) and stop the tears from falling 'cause I didn't want to
ruin the amazing makeup that Van had. And I said, "I think that I can't wear these options. And it'll probably be best if I don't go." - Oh, Eugene.
- Yeah, That was the moment where
I completely broke down. Basically cried in front of (getting quieter) some very
important wonderful people, and (normal volume) in a split
second, Derek was on his toes and he said, "Hey, let's see if you fit
into any of my suits." So he gives me all these pieces
and we immediately noticed, "Okay, we're different sizes. This isn't necessarily gonna work." He then says, "You know, my partner, Nick," Nick Brown, thank you so much. "he has maybe something
more in your size." And praise be to the fashion Gods, Nick had a vintage Dior Homme tuxedo. So this is like probably the nicest thing I've
actually ever put on my body. And it fits me... like a glove. (sunny dance music) You know, in the Vogue interview
video with Emma Chamberlain, I said, "I decided this
three hours before." I was going to wear a
dress, but it fell through three hours ago. I lied, it was 30 minutes before. And then on top of that, one pair of red Jimmy Choos, those were almost
impossible to get as well. We had to courier it across the city from downtown uptown. They were- they came last minute. - So, you almost didn't
have shoes to wear. - I almost didn't have shoes to wear. And Derek's looking me
in the eye, he says, "Hey, I think you look great.
You gotta make a decision." And he's like, "I really
think you should go." And I kept imagining, you know, people like Anna Wintour seeing me walk by and I knew that at the very least a designer black tux was not
going to set off her alarm. And so it was in that moment,
I said, "Okay, fuck it." I got my cry out. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. If I don't suck it up and figure it out, then I've already given up, "Put your game face on, It's going to be a black tux moment, and I'm going to try to own it." (dramatic string music) The drive up is... crazy because blocks
of people are waiting, just spectators, just trying
to see into people's vans. And people are chanting,
"Roll down your window!" - [Jackie] Oh my god,
look at all those people. (crowd screaming echoes) And so that already was overwhelming. We get out, we get to the carpet, and immediately I'm standing
next to Karlie Kloss, AOC, like people are just
surrounding me that I'm like, "Wow, if I turn, there's just another person
who I definitely know." The entire first 30 minutes of just walking up that staircase and doing the photos (angelic chorus singing) is almost like having your wedding. That moment of walking down the aisle, in front of all of those photographers, where they're yelling names and you have to jump to 10
different locations on the steps is surreal. I just tried to shut out everything that I've described so far leading up to that moment, and try to deliver confidence. (dramatic orchestral music)
(photographers shouting) And so hopefully the photos
and videos reflect that because I know that's what lives forever. You know, doing this vlog and
this recap of what happened is giving more insight into
my emotional experience. But the only thing that
the internet will remember is what I look like in those photos. - Yeah, no one could tell
that there is chaos happening 30 minutes before (laughs) - The only time you could
potentially tell that I was in a very strange mindset. There's this video that The
Metropolitan Museum of Art filmed on the red carpet for social media. It's the only time someone
grabbed me to ask me questions. She just goes, "Who are
your fashion icons?" and puts the phone in my face. And you can actually watch my
brain implode in real time. You know, my brain went
immediately to Zendaya, who is one of my fashion icons right now. And for some reason, because
I just watched "Space Jam 2", (Alex laughs)
I fucking said Lola Bunny. I said to The Met, the museum, their Instagram, on the red carpet of the Met Gala that my fashion icon is a sexy rabbit who plays basketball.
- And has like, two outfits. - And has two outfits. You know, last time I
wore basketball uniform was the one year I played
basketball in seventh grade where I was so bad at it, I told people not to pass the ball to me. - Oh, I used to do that too.
- Yeah. And then to like basically try to save it, I said the first thing that came to mind, I said "and, anything from an anime." Who says that? Who says that at The Met Gala? You can see the stress. It was like the moment where
everything kind of broke the dam burst. Ask me this now, ask me like
"Who's your fashion icon?" - Who are your fashion icons?
- I would say Rihanna, I'd say Zendaya, I'd say David
Bowie, Prince, Lady Gaga. And if I was gonna name anime, I'd say, "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure". I wouldn't say anime in general. (sighs) And so I was very happy
to eventually escape that and enter the actual museum. And it is the shift from night to day. It's like suddenly everyone's relaxed. The sort of stress of appearing
in front those cameras, like washes away. And everyone is generally calm and friendly and having a good time. And that's where I had a lot
of different conversations. And I know that's kind
of the first question, both you and most people
out there are asking me. - So what celebrities did you meet? - Hey it's me.
- What's up? - We're here, it's your
first time too, right? - It's my first time, your first time? - I don't know if we're supposed
to have our phones here. - We're definitely not. - We don't have time for
every person that I talked to, but I'll tell you three
very distinct instances. One was Lil Nas X: we're standing next to the other, and I turned to him and I'm like, "Hey, I can't tell you
how much you are doing for the culture right now. Especially for young black queer men, you are changing the game." And he looks at me and he
goes, "I fucking love you," - Aw!
- "I watched you growing up." - Oh my gosh.
- Which then I thought, "He is so young, and I'm so old." (laughs) And then he asked me for a selfie. - [Alex] That's so cool. - And outside of that, there was a slew of women especially, that I just like very quick exchanges with where I was just like, "I don't think you understand how gorgeous and stunning you are." Then there was basically dinner. They served vegan food.
- Oh, it was all vegan? - Mm-hmm.
- Oh, that's cool. - Anna Wintour was walking
around saying hi to everyone. I was really sad, cause
Derek was introducing table, but I was too busy
talking to Lili Reinhart, about astrology, because you know, she was
like "It's my birthday today." And I said, "Oh my God, happy birthday." And I was like, "Oh my
God, you're a Virgo." And she goes, "Yes, what
do you know about that?" And I was like, "I'm with a Virgo, and I know everything about y'all and I ranked you number
one in my astrology video." Lorde was passing by and I
had to tap her on the shoulder and tell her that, "Thank you for getting all
my friends high this summer." And obviously, running up to Lorde, I don't think she prefers that, but she laughed and she said, "That is such a nice compliment." And then we also have
the co-chairs this year, which were the youngest in history, Naomi Osaka, Timothée Chalamet, Billie Eilish and Amanda Gorman. You know, this was the
smallest Met Gala ever, and also the youngest overall,
and the most first timers. So you could feel that energy in the room, everyone was just really,
- Really excited? happy and excited to be there. And I was very happy in the end that I had some wonderful people around me who helped me realize that missing an opportunity like
this was not worth the regret. I'm happy I did it. And I kept my calm the
entire time, right, Matt? - [Matt] Sure.
(Alex laughs) - I'd like to thank
some stellar individuals who helped me immensely
through this entire journey. Michael Philouze and
Justin Fernandez at Vogue for their guidance, Derek Blasberg and Nick
Brown for saving my evening with their gorgeous tuxedo, Erickson Beamon for jewelry, and Jimmy Choo for the heels, Barber Surgeons Guild for their space, YouTube, and the other table
guests who were so kind to me throughout this entire process. And most especially to my creative team; David, Van and Sojin. Fashion isn't about the
person modeling the look, but really more about the astoundingly talented people who work their asses
off to make magic happen behind the scenes. Without them, I'd be nothing. And I'm so grateful that they entrust me to represent their work. - Your visibility on that carpet, is extremely crucial for little me when I
was back home in Nepal. You know, and there are
so many of them out there. Like, you know, I didn't see
anyone who looked like me. And if anyone looked like me, we had to be within the white proximity. And you divide everything about that. We're very excited to see you there. - What's funny is that the
day after the met gala, I had done a shoot- an article
for Vogue Man Hong Kong. And while I would say that,
perhaps my styling here more closely represents what
I originally was going for, I think both versions, whether it be the last minute
tuxedo I had to throw on, or this highly stylized
gender fluid vision, they're valid. I think that in the end, perhaps my pulling myself
up by the bootstraps and going for it instead of giving up when a disaster struck is maybe the most idealized, American thing I could've ever done. It's what my mom taught me about fashion make do with what you have and own it. Although I wasn't able
to achieve my dream look, I do have a nightmarish story that I think is far more valuable as I continue on in my career. Because I've learned so
much from this experience and without regret, hopefully one day get
invited to another Met Gala, where I can truly show the
world what I'm all about. (gentle violin) (upbeat rock music) And you better know
that if I'm going again, I'm paying for an entire
team of like 60 people to go with me. (laughs) And that I will need
several months to prepare.
Going into this I honestly wasn't really sure how much I'd care about this (not a fashion person, etc) but what a good story! Eugene is a fantastic story teller, I should know better than to doubt.
Also Lil Nas X is a Try Guys fan lol
I'm glad Eugene was able to accomplish a major dream by going to the Met, and I really loved hearing all the inspiration and meaning behind his accessories.
It would be super cool if he and Roman and David were able to get together and do a dream Met look now, w/o all the stress and time constraints.
I feel sad for him that it was such a last-minute decision by YouTube to invite him and that he didn't get the time to plan out his outfit in advance. I think that the timelines really hurt him from being able to do exactly what he wanted and, given how much he cares about fashion, that really sucks.
I still think he looked great and hope we get a redoux sometime in the future where he can execute a look to his satisfaction as well. I LOVE the pink suit that he showed in the montage of looks his own stylist did for him.
Matt being the narrator of truth was a great touch
I loved the little chime ins from Matt
Love love LOVED this video. My husband isn't big into fashion but Eugene is so captivating when telling a story, it gets in your emotions. I'm so happy he was able to go and I'm so happy he still liked what he was wearing. He looked amazing. I hope we get to see him again at another in an outfit he's really proud of!!!
Honestly give me a weekly episode of stories with Eugene and I'd be happy. Love his storytelling 🤣 but I think all the Try Guys have a real flair for storytelling.
Oh my god, the moment he said Lola Bunny and anything from anime was his fashion icon to the MET Gala interviewer had me in tears. That was so funny.
I wonder if they invited so many influencers this year because they’re trying to market the MET Gala to young people. Good luck lol
eugene is PHENOMENAL at storytelling. this had me on the edge of my seat all 40 min. i loved the whole story and i love how he told it and the choices he made about blurring our designers and not mentioning names and how he acknowledges a lot