Disco Fever! Inside Baz Luhrmann and Stella McCartney’s Exuberant Met Gala After-Party

When a fashion legend and an auteur of contemporary cinema team up to host a party, the result is likely to dazzle. Last night in NoHo, Stella McCartney and Baz Luhrmann did not disappoint. Actors, models, muses, and musicians descended downtown to drink and dance after the Met Gala.

Unsurprisingly, McCartney and Luhrmann chose Zero Bond as their venue. The private membership club, founded by nightlife legend Scott Sartiano in 2020, is known for its glittering clientele. In the dim space, Jared Leto, Gisele Bundchen, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Jennifer Lopez celebrated fashion’s biggest night. Neon signs and silver balloons transformed the typically minimal space created by renowned architect Derek Ziemer. Gigi Hadid and Aubrey Plaza were among the first to arrive. Many more luminaries would follow. Guests twirled to the music of  DJ Agathe Mougin and Daisy O’Dell. Lethal cocktails blended with Casamigos circulated through the brightly colored crowd.

Both McCartney and Luhrmann have a storied history with the gala. Who could forget in 1999 when McCartney wore matching “rock royalty” shirts with Liv Tyler? Since then, she has dressed icons like Rihanna, Cara Delevingne, and Gisele Bundchen for the annual event. Over decades, her designs have made for countless memorable moments on the first Monday of May. Last year, long-time Met attendee Luhrmann walked the red carpet with Priscilla Presley ahead of the release of his film Elvis. The moment was marked as a moving endorsement of the project from the late rockstar’s wife.

Of course, this year, the gala marked the opening of  “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty.” Both McCartney and Luhrmann share personal connections to Lagerfeld himself. McCartney knew the Chanel creative director for years. Upon Largerfeld’s death in 2019, Stella wrote that “He held his place high above all, and his sharp wit and mind blew us all away.”Luhrmann, a friend and collaborator of the legend, directed the unforgettable short film / Chanel perfume advertisement entitled No. 5 the Film (2004). Starring Nicole Kidman, the 180-second masterclass in operatic daring reflected both men’s appetite for visual spectacle and pageantry. Kidman reprised her look last night on the carpet.

Like Lagerfeld before them, McCartney and Baz Luhrmann know how to make dreams a reality. The party—with its perfect score, set, and cast of characters—was a thing of beauty.