After a long Wintour, the ice queen is finally melting.
Anna Wintour, the Vogue editor-in-chief famous for her steely and collected demeanor, let down her guard Monday morning as First Lady Michelle Obama dedicated the newly-refurbished $40 million Costume Center at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the editor’s honor.
The First Lady – wearing a forest-green floral embroidered frock by Indian-born American designer Naeem Khan – offered comfort to Wintour, who misted after Obama’s glowing tribute.
“I’m here today because of Anna,” Obama had said minutes earlier to a crowd of well-heeled fashion elite, including designers Oscar de la Renta, Alexander Wang, Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors, Carolina Herrera, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, and Prabal Gurung.
Wintour’s daughter, Bee Shaffer, was also at the opening, posting a picture to Instagram showing the new wing of the museum with her mother’s name penned above. “Now she’s a museum!? This is a lot to live up to,” the 26-year-old fashionista wrote.
Obama delivered her short speech in the sun-drenched Temple of Dendur in The Sackler Wing — and joked about the editor’s reputation for reclusiveness.
“I know Anna hates being the center of attention, so this is probably killing her,” the First Lady quipped.
But Obama quickly changed tone to focus on the significance and scope of the new institute, which took three years to complete, lauding the opportunity it provides for students and fashion enthusiasts to learn about masters such as mid-century designer Charles James, the subject of the first exhibit.
“This is for anyone curious about fashion,” she said, specifically addressing the students from Fashion Institute of Technology and the High School for Fashion Industries. “Fashion is a business and an art. You’re here because we want you to dream bigger.”
She added that they have full permission to “fail and fail and fail” until they succeed.
A who’s who of industry stars — including Sarah Jessica Parker, Diane Von Furstenberg, Tory Burch, Zac Posen, Ralph Lauren, and Donatella Versace — joined Obama to cheer the new institute.
“I think it’s amazing,” fashion photographer Nigel Barker told the News. He said James was the perfect choice for a first show: “It’s timeless, without a doubt.” The retrospective opens to the public Thursday.
Harold Koda, the institute’s curator, called Wintour an “extraordinary advocate” to the Metropolitan Museum and to the fashion industry at large.
“Today is really about Anna,” he said.
Obama will not be attending Monday night’s star-studded gala — opting for two Democratic Party events instead.
New York fashion fans will have to settle for such stars as Lupita Nyong’o, Zoe Saldana, Amanda Seyfried, Taylor Swift, Margot Robbie, Olivia Munn, Zooey Deschanel, Emmy Rossum, Jennifer Lawrence and Katie Holmes.
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