How the Gilded Age’s Denee Benton Put a New Twist on Gilded Glamour
For Denée Benton, 2022’s Costume Institute Gala felt like kismet. “This kind of synchronicity makes me feel like angels are truly watching out for me,” Benton shared pre-event. “Like, what are the odds that the theme and the show I happen to be on would work out that way?!” As the star of Julian Fellows’ drama The Gilded Age, Benton has been immersed in the world of old New York society long before the year’s “gilded glamour” theme was announced, and in a way, the show’s period drama primed her for a stunning Met debut. “The period was such a turning point in the history of this nation, for better and for worse,” says Benton. “The way that the people expressed themselves through fashion was always such a big indicator of the culture.”
Working with a designer who understood the intersection of fashion and culture proved essential, and in Prabal Gurung, Benton found the perfect collaborator. Introduced before Benton’s Broadway debut in 2016’s Natasha, Pierre The Great Comet of 1812, Gurung created the dress she wore for her first time at the Tony Awards. Six years later, he crafted her a masterful Met look out of upcycled red silk faille with a fuschia hand draped bustle skirt, all of which Benton adored. “It’s rare to find humans in our industry who lead with their warmth and without pretension,” she says. “[Prabal] has always greeted me with that kind of respect even before I worked professionally in New York. I remember being so over the moon for that [Tonys] moment, so this feels like another moment of synchronicity.”
For Gurung, the ideal look had to honor the gala s tremendous platform. “The Met is the one cultural event with the largest reach, [it’s] where different fields—sports, fashion, film—all come together,” he says. “There s so much to consider; theme, period, how to interpret that with my vision, and how the look reflects the person wearing it. At the end of the day, it is truly about telling a story that encompasses all those elements.”
Sustainability and local craftsmanship (the entire look was made in New York) was key for the designer. Gurung incorporated elements from the style of the late 1800s. “The "Gilded Age” fashions inspired the silhouette but with a modern twist on that classic sophistication,” he says. “The gown is two pieces, a sculptural bustle skirt with upcycled, hand-cut flowers adorning the structured yet soft draping worn over a classic column gown.” Splitting things in two also allowed Benton to make a quick change for the after-parties. “Versatilely is always key in my designs,” says Gurung. “I love having the option to make subtle changes that result in an entirely different look.”