NEW YORK: It is the most sought after invitation in the celebrity universe — and on Wednesday, Amal Clooney, Rihanna and Donatella Versace were named co-chairs of next year’s glittering Met Gala in New York.
Held every year on the first Monday in May, the black-tie extravaganza is the chief source of income for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, reportedly raising more than $13 million in 2016.
Tickets are said to cost $30,000 each or $275,000 for a table, ruling out all but the most elite coterie of A-list Hollywood actors, best-selling music superstars, top models and fashion designers.
Clooney — the 39-year-old British-Lebanese wife of Hollywood heartthrob George and new mother of twins — is feted as much for her fashion sense as her work as an international human rights lawyer.
Rihanna, 29, needs no introduction as one of the biggest pop stars on the planet, also lauded for her bold style, and Versace is the 62-year-old legendary Italian designer and sister of Gianni, who was murdered in Miami in 1997.
Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour — who has singlehandedly transformed the ball into the hottest ticket in town — is also co-chair of the event, which will be held on May 7.
But there is one person definitely not invited. Wintour told “Late Late Show” host James Corden last month that she would never invite back Donald Trump — who has attended with wife Melania in the past, before he was elected US president.
Wintour was a prominent Hillary Clinton fundraiser.
The theme is “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination,” which the Museum also announced is the title of next year’s exhibition at The Costume Institute.
The exhibition, which will open May 10, will feature papal robes and accessories flown from the Vatican that will serve as the “cornerstone” and showcase the influence of liturgical vestments on designers, the museum said.
Designers in the exhibition will include Balenciaga, Chanel, Givenchy, Karl Lagerfeld, the Versaces and Vivienne Westwood.
Amal Clooney to co-chair Met Gala
Amal Clooney to co-chair Met Gala
Policewoman honored for soothing crying baby when her mother fell unconscious at Beirut airport
- ISF honors first adjutant for comforting and feeding baby-milk to scared infant whose mother was rushed to hospital
- Social media users praise policewoman for her ‘humane and empathetic’ act after photos went viral
BEIRUT: A Lebanese policewoman who comforted an infant and fed her milk while her mother was hospitalized after falling unconscious at Beirut airport was honored for what social media users dubbed a ‘humane and empathetic’ act.
First Adjutant Nadia Nasser was on duty when the unidentified baby’s mother suffered a sudden illness and fell unconscious at a checkpoint inside Beirut International Airport earlier this month.
Photos of Nasser holding the months-old baby in her arms, preparing a milk bottle and feeding her went viral across social media, where users described the policewomen’s act as ‘motherly, compassionate and humane’ behavior.
Brig. Gen. Moussa Karnib of Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces honored Nasser on Friday for caring for the infant for almost two hours at the airport after her mother was rushed to a hospital.
A media statement said the first adjutant was honored upon the directives of ISF’s Director General Maj. Gen. Raed Abdullah, after she took personal initiative on Feb. 2 to comfort the infant.
Commenting on Nasser’s photos that went viral, a user called Sami said she should be promoted for her ‘selfless and empathetic’ act.
Another user, Joe, commented: “She should be rewarded.
“This is how loyalty and love for one’s job and country are built,” wrote a user called Youssef.
Media reports said that when the incident happened, the baby’s fear and cries prompted Nasser to take the initiative to comfort and remain beside her until her mother’s condition stabilized.
ISF’s statement did not clarify whether Nasser and the baby accompanied the mother in the ambulance or how they were reunited later.
