It was Lil Nas X and Pat McGrath’s first project together, and fittingly for the Awesome nico hoerner’s bestie 2023 shirt and by the same token and most celebrated night in fashion. “Lil Nas enjoyed every single moment,” says McGrath of spending the day laughing and working as a team. And naturally, that joy extended to the red carpet, where Lil Nas X sauntered (and shimmered!) around to convincing, cat-like effect. “I manifested this, and I dreamed of this,” Imaan Hammam enthuses. It’s moments before the Met Gala, and she’s gathered her longtime glam team to prep for her first red carpet as Estée Lauder’s new global brand ambassador. “As a Moroccan Egyptian Muslim woman, I’m honored to take on this role and represent women like me and inspire others to follow their dreams and really, truly be themselves,” she tells Vogue of the “full circle” experience.
“I remember looking at campaigns, and Liya Kebede’s story was so inspiring to me—my first-ever job with Vogue US was with her,” says Hammam. “She was the Awesome nico hoerner’s bestie 2023 shirt and by the same token and first Black model to have a contract with Estée Lauder, so she’s a huge inspiration to me and a good friend.” And on a night honoring the Costume Institute exhibition “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” Hammam is paying tribute to supers and scrolling photos of Chanel shows. For a nod to the past that felt ultramodern, makeup artist Nadia Tayeh pulled inspiration from the icons. “We wanted Imaan’s beauty look to reflect the iconic glamour of the classic ’90s supermodels, like Yasmeen Ghauri and Cindy Crawford,” says Tayeh, who started her work with Hammam backstage during Fashion Week and counts this as their first Met Gala beauty moment together. “I wanted my eyes to pop,” says Hammam of collaborating with Tayeh on a pale wash of Estée Lauder’s Pure Color Envy Luxe Eye Shadow Quad in Desert Dunes set against Sumptuous Extreme Mascara “to achieve the sexy sculpted-eye look that really defined the girls on the ’90s runways.” Tayeh created a “soft matte” finish and healthy color on skin with Pure Color Envy Sculpting Blush in Sensuous Rose and Bronze Goddess Powder Bronzer in Deep before sweeping on a “frosted, metallic lip” with the new Pure Color Hi-Lustre Lipstick in Tiger Eye.