Of course, this is no ordinary waxed jacket. When we speak, five members of Erdem’s team have just come up for air after days spent embroidering crystals onto the opera-style coat designed to be worn shrugged over the shoulders. “It’s mixing utility and function with an element of couture,” Erdem continues, noting the painstaking detail stitched onto the rubberized cotton and quilted padded exterior. “It’s the opposite of its original intention.”
For her part, Foy—who first called upon Erdem to outfit her for an intimate screening of The Crown after the first season aired in 2016, and went on to wear his work to the 2017 Golden Globes (she won)—was happy to embody the tension between the cinched gown and that delightfully louche spin on a classic overlay. “I knew I would love it before he showed me the sketch—it felt both bold and classic,” enthuses Foy, who recalls feeling “like a deer in headlights” at her first Met Gala. “My aim the second time around is to soak up as much of it as possible. At the finish line, Erdem and I will be able to have a martini and a burger and a full debrief!”
“I always have fun,” adds Erdem, who famously danced the night away to Madonna with his 2018 plus one, Kristin Scott Thomas, and her pint of wine, and remembers marveling at the number of dress train “managers” who magically appeared on the red carpet when he took Glenn Close, in a 65-foot opera coat, as his 2023 date. “There’s always something that happens,” he says, about to board his flight to JFK to enter the fray. “I’ve been too early for the red carpet, too late for the red carpet…” The 2026 Met Gala saw Erdem and Claire arrive right on cue.
Met Gala 2026: See Every Celebrity Arrival, Read the Latest Stories, and Get Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Access Here
