The Met Gala's Cool & All, But Vogue's 'Last Friday In April' Party Is Where It's Really At

Ah, the First Monday In May...

Surely getting to attend the Met Gala must be the fabulous perk of working for Vogue, no?

I mean, if your life goal is to stand around for hours on a stone floor in heels, waiting for a makeup-caked celebrity whose dress is too tight and whose head is too big - or perhaps more likely these days, a TikTok influencer you've maybe seen once - to happen upon you in a hallway and ask which way the restroom is, sure. 

Or, if you've dreamed of sitting in a museum basement conference room in a ball gown no one will see, franticly writing about all of the fabulous people upstairs..

You see the real benefit of slogging through a year at Vogue (besides the press trips and the designer gifts and the trump card party trick of suddenly being able to make anyone more interested in you) is the Last Friday In April. An annual pre-Met party for Vogue's editors, contributors, editorial subjects, favorite designers, and the odd celebrity who happens to be in town already, this soirée may be far less of a production than the grand event it precedes, but we'd bet anything it's far more fun.

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The glittering crowd of staffers and society staples took over Katz's Deli, partying late into the night in their most glamorous 70s-inspired ensembles per this year's theme, 'American Hustle.'

Of course, while partying for the sake of partying would be cool, Vogue's never doing anything for free. The evening was sponsored by Motorola, with multiple guests including Aquaria, Evan Mock and Violetta Komyshan snapping sponsored posts with the brand's new blast from the past Razr flip phone.

Curious to see who wore what?

Click through for the most stylish snaps from the evening!

[Photo via @lauren_valenti]