Opening night at the Met was surreal in so many ways – some special touches helped me stay grounded and connected to why Dead Man Walking matters to me personally.
My red carpet look was built around one-of-a-kind (okay, two-of-a-kind) shoes, created by @koffinoir Dieudonné Brou, who is both a wonderful designer and a formerly incarcerated person trying to make himself and the world better. Engraved on the sole are the initials of my friend Terence Andrus, who died on death row earlier this year.
Dieudonné recruited muralist @timothyb_art, who he met through his work supporting formerly incarcerated young Black men at @urbanpeace510, to create a stunning black rose design, in a nod to Terence’s poem The Black Rose. To me, it’s a visual reminder of what it means to exist despite harsh conditions. (The black rose also showed up in my cufflinks, a thoughtful gift from @verismocomm.)
Then, at @garconcouture, I got to know Ilbert Sanchez and his amazingly stylish menswear, including this black brocade tuxedo. We chose a textured monochromatic look to keep the focus on Koffi Noir’s incredible shoe design.
It’s not often that an outfit represents not just my style, but who I am as a person – and I’m so grateful for these designers, whose generosity and creativity made this moment even more special. And I’m not gonna lie, it was pretty cool for us to get featured in Vogue!
📸 1, 2, 5 Rose Callahan / Met Opera
📸 3, 4 Jason Crowley / BFA
#metopera #deadmanwalking #redcarpetfashion #meetopera #openingnight
