Posts in category: Life Style

Luhrmann is there, holding court in a private room with his wife, Catherine Martin. People are having a blast on the dance floor.

But I’m unsettled. I just got a text from a friend who is over in Meatpacking, where Pharrell is hosting an Uno tournament at The Crane Club. They’re handing out prizes—Rolexes, he heard. Laurence grabs my hand to dance, but I pull it away.

“Let’s leave,” I say.

“You sure?” He asks back.

“Yes. I want to go to Pharrell’s party.”

So back into the SUV we go.

Party Five: A$AP Rocky at Jean’s

A$AP Rocky’s after-party at Jean’s—which was advertised as a “space of his own design” on the invitation—is on the way from Monsieur to The Crane Club. So we decided to do a quick pit stop. We walk in and frankly, it’s pretty empty.

It’s past 3 a.m. at this point. Logic would have it that this party is emptying out because people are, well, going to bed. But instead it just fuels me with a delusion that it’s because everyone must be at Pharrell’s. So after one quick and unmemorable lap, we’re back in the car.

Party Six and Seven: Savannah James and Pharrell at The Crane Club

Technically, Crane Club is hosting two parties: one by Savannah James upstairs and another by Pharrell downstairs. But that’s really semantics because I was incorrect: everyone wasn’t at Pharrell’s. In fact, as a kind PR person told me, the Uno tournament ended about 15 minutes ago. I assure her that I will acknowledge this in my write-up. So here’s me staying true to my word.

Party Eight: Walton Goggins (Allegedly) at The Mulberry

When I got my invitation to Walton Goggins’s after-party at The Mulberry Bar, its start time was 2 a.m. If there was any place that was the late-night party, I figured, it had to be this one.

Laurence and I walk in… and don’t recognize a single soul. I squint at someone in the bathroom line. “I think maybe that is an actor from The Summer I Turned Pretty?” Then I look closer. “Actually, I’m not sure.”

We get a drink and sit in the booth. Maybe, I think, people will trickle in.

Next, Hughes advises applying some concealer on the back of your hand, picking up a small (and she means small) amount with the brush, and going in. She takes the concealer on the brush and sweeps it up against her eyelid, avoiding the middle part of the eyelid where the skin would naturally crease. There, she presses a small amount of concealer in with her fingertip instead. “If I went straight in there with the bulk of product that’s on my brush, I’m going to get creasing—just the same as if I have nasolabial folds and put concealer right there,” she says.

So, you want to avoid loading product onto your area of concern. Hughes demonstrates this more delicate and sparing technique with a gentle tapping motion on and underneath her eyes, as well as on blemishes—immediately, you see purple veins and reddish marks evening out. “You can see there’s not much on the brush, but it is transferring.” Need to colour in a bit more? Pick up a little bit more concealer from the back of your hand and build it up—tap, tap, tap lightly again.

Lessons learned? Use a small brush for precision, the appropriate amount of pressure, and technique. Don’t apply concealer directly to the area you want to cover, and build up product softly. “If you’re an over-user [on your] complexion…challenge yourself,” Hughes says, “to use brushes like this. It will teach you a heck of a lot about application, product, and pressure. You will learn how much you really need.”

Put even more simply? “Consider yourself a painter,” says Hughes. Hughes likens your face and concealer product to a blank wall and paint—you wouldn’t slap the paint directly on your wall, would you? Nope—you use a tray, you get your product going, you have the right tools. Now go forth, the Bob Ross of flawless faces.

This article first appeared on Vogue.com

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Cosmic tip: To create what no one else sees, you must learn to trust yourself.

On the one hand you are longing to stand up for yourself, on your own, in all your power, and on the other you may also be wishing that whatever is imbalanced, and that you are not yet ready to let go of, is healed. Scorpio, the only thing you must remember at this crucial juncture in your life is that nothing can ever be perfect, so how can you choose to see the efforts that are being put in instead of solely being focussed on the results. Yes, the results matter, but the way to get to them feels easier if you are willing to move from being cemented with a certain stance in your life to exploring all the varied ways in which changes may be occurring, even if they don’t really happen in your desired way.

Cosmic tip: Clear the slate to rewrite a new story.

Mix it up, Sag. If you’re tired of being all love and light, remember that effective boundaries are equally essential. And if you’ve been all rigid and boxed in lately – in any regard – remember that agility assures survival and staying alive. Your higher heart activations may be underway – simply put – your cup may feel like it is ready to overflow with love and healing, while also you may be wailing your way through tough emotions and memories that you know were not fair but are haunting you. Allow this phase to bring to light what needs healing and what is out of balance. Receive but also give – things, resources, love, the benefit of doubt, understanding and space.

Cosmic tip: You get to choose to remain fragmented or become a sum of all the parts you have experienced.

Things are unfolding, Capricorn, so allow them to unfurl at their own pace. You came here to experience this life not merely to work your way through it, but instead to love your way through it. And if this sounds all too fluffy for you, let’s break it down. When you were a child, you held wild dreams that probably others felt were impossible, and so you accepted that life is meant to be a limited experience and guess what, you also hardwired the fact that if you dont keep working you won’t receive aunty goodness in life. But observe carefully, don’t the indulgent things in life make you feel excited and looked after? Don’t you feel absolutely fantastic after that salon visit or that tiny investment in your health? Then why o’ why, would you not want life to feel this way more often? You don’t need to deserve the good things, you simply need to claim them with all your integrity and heart.

For the dress code ‘Tailored for You’, Chopra made a statement in custom Balmain by Olivier Rousteing, merging the sharp lines of traditional menswear with high-octane feminine glamour. The white halter-neck gown, speckled with black polka dots, was cinched at the waist with a slim belt and fastened with a line of black buttons—tailored, striking, and utterly fresh. Adding to the look’s structure, she layered a matching polka-dot blazer, tailored to perfection with a nipped-in waist and an elongated, sweeping hem.

Styled by Mimi Cuttrell, the look nodded to the elegance of dandyism. A wide-brimmed black hat and matching gloves added a formal edge, evoking mid-century sophistication with just the right amount of theatrical flair.

But the real drama came from the jewellery. Chopra wore Bvlgari’s Magnus Emerald Necklace, part of the brand’s new Polychroma collection. The centrepiece was a whooping 241.06-carat faceted emerald—the largest ever set by Bvlgari—surrounded by a galaxy of shimmering diamonds. Bulgari diamond earrings and an emerald ring finished the look.

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As we roll our suitcases out of the terminal and pause for a customary group selfie, I sense the air outside for the first time in twelve hours. Hanoi is hot and sticky. On the drive to our hotel in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, I gaze at the grey, nondescript landscape. Nothing feels ‘foreign’ yet. The only striking feature is the absurdly thin buildings—a clever workaround implemented to evade taxes during French rule. I cannot decide if they are charming or claustrophobic.

The hotel room is not ready so we leave our bags behind and step out to find lunch. My mouth stinks and there is film on my teeth but this isn’t the occasion to be picky about dental hygiene. The streets are narrow and almost closed to the sky. Every inch of space has been claimed by food stalls with low plastic stools, scooters and cyclos, temples and heritage homes. In the middle of this madness, the green Hoàn Kiếm Lake breathes quietly.

Hoàn Kiếm Lake. Getty Images

Travelling to Vietnam has been on my bucket list for years, and willing it into existence has been in the works for months. An MS Word document with a schedule and costs was circulated well in advance. ‘Don’t go to Vietnam before watching this’ videos were consumed diligently. No part of the holiday was left to chance. But now that the holiday has officially begun, I feel spent. The strain of sleepless travel, the delay that almost made us miss our connecting flight and the mini-heart attack my brother caused by getting his wife’s initials wrong on the ticket are making themselves known. I want rest and relaxation but what I have is a watertight itinerary and the feeling that I must not falter.

After lunch, we walk to an old cafe for egg coffee. Three ingredients that should never coalesce are poured into the same cup: egg yolk, condensed milk and coffee. Only my brother drinks it. The rest of us quickly drop the pretence of being open-minded and adventurous.

Dua Lipa has delivered some memorable Met Gala moments over the years: there was the purple psychedelic dress by Atelier Versace that she wore to the 2019 Camp-themed edition; the archival Chanel haute couture gown from autumn/winter 1992, originally worn by Claudia Schiffer down the runway, which she chose to honour Karl Lagerfeld in 2023; and the boudoir-inspired Marc Jacobs number that she sported for the Sleeping Beauties theme in 2024.

Dua Lipa wearing Chanel at the 2025 Met Gala.

John Shearer

This year, the singer turned to Chanel once again for her 2025 Met Gala look. In keeping with the “Tailored for You” dress code, Lipa wore a custom open-back chiffon dress with a long bow at the back, a black sequin tweed jacket and an organza cape – all adorned with crystals, pearls and feathers to add to the sense of drama. In total, the complete look took 2,000 hours to make and features 45,000 embroidered elements, highlighting the remarkable level of craftsmanship on display.

Of course, Lipa’s relationship with the French fashion house goes way back: the star previously revealed how she splurged on the Chanel Boy bag after she got her first pay cheque from her record label more than a decade ago in 2014. Since then, she’s worn Chanel on countless occasions – including during her Radical Optimism tour, where she wore a bodysuit version of the chained dress originally seen on Christy Turlington on the maison’s spring/summer 1992 catwalk (Lily-Rose Depp later went on to wear the gown at the 2019 Met Gala) – and was announced as a face of the Chanel 25 bag earlier this year.

Lipa hasn’t been exclusively wearing Chanel for Met Gala weekend though, with the star also photographed in US brands Willy Chavarria and Calvin Klein while in the Big Apple. Could we see her championing another New York designer for the Met Gala after-parties? Watch this space.

Everyone has their own traditions surrounding the Met Gala, whether it’s getting dressed to the nines and hitting the red carpet or watching the livestream from the comfort of your couch. Personally, I like to settle in with a Celsius and two Reese’s Cups after the night’s work is over and enjoy the real artistry of the night: namely the many, many takes about everyone’s outfits that can always be counted on to roll in from every corner of social media.

The Met Gala 2025 celebrating “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style”—this spring’s Costume Institute exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art—brought out an impressive mix of artists, actors, musicians, designers, and other New York movers and shakers, and their interpretations of the Tailored for You dress code provided plenty of fodder for online reactions. See all the very best ones below:

In what was allegedly the biggest South Asian turnout at the Met Gala in its history, Indians and Indian-origin celebrities showed out. Sticking to the dress code ‘Tailored For You,’ everyone from Shah Rukh Khan to Diljit Dosanjh and Isha Ambani opted for ensembles that were personal to them, and felt like an extension of their idiosyncratic style. Ahead, we’ve curated all the looks that Indians brought to the red carpet at the 2025 Met Gala.

1. Shah Rukh Khan wearing Sabyasachi

Shah Rukh Khan made his Met Gala debut in a sharp all-black Sabyasachi suit, layered with jewellery and a bold “K” pendant. Embracing dandyism, he carried a cane and completed the look with tousled hair, dark shades and leather boots.

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2. Priyanka Chopra wearing Balmain

Priyanka Chopra arrived in custom Balmain at the Met Gala, featuring a cinched waist, power shoulders, and statement jewellery. Around her neck rests Bvlgari’s Magnus Emerald Necklace featuring a 241.06-carat faceted emerald—the largest ever set by the brand.

3. Diljit Dosanjh wearing Prabal Gurung

Diljit Dosanjh fully embraced his desi regal side on the Met Gala red carpet, wearing a Prabal Gurung ensemble adorned with Golecha’s jewels and a matching turban. To complete the look, he carried the Kripan, adding a final touch of royal flair.

Kim Kardashian put the fashionable into fashionably late at the 2025 Met Gala.

Just as dinner began, Kardashian walked the midnight blue carpet in a two piece black crocodile-like leather look by Chrome Hearts, complete with a corset and a skirt with a statement train. The Los-Angeles based brand is famous for their rocker-style looks—and Kardashian’s outfit was no exception.

She accessorised her bold look with a matching black leather hat and a pearl chain belt, as well as an extravagant diamond choker with matching earrings by Mooussaieff. She wore her long hair down with soft curls.

Earlier in the evening, Kardashian was spotted leaving The Mark Hotel with her oldest child, North West.

Kardashian is no stranger to a high profile Met Gala moment. In 2022, she famously donned the very dress that Marilyn Monroe wore to sing “Happy Birthday” to John F. Kennedy in 1962. Three years prior, she wore a custom Thierry Mugler dress that had the optical illusion of looking wet. So this outfit? It is just par for the high fashion course.