Matt Borkowski/BFA.com
In New York, sometimes the hottest thing you can be is a name on a list of the latest late night party. Case in point: those who flocked to Richie Akiva’s 12th annual Met Gala after-party—The After—which buzzed until just shy of 7 a.m.
Hosted at infamous Lower East Side club The Box by Kate Moss and Teyana Taylor, guests began to mob the unassuming entrance around the 1:30 a.m. start time, while others waited for pre-approved VIPs to arrive and grant them access through the doors. Among those who stayed up extra late for the raucous gathering were Moss’ daughter Lila, Shaboozey, Edward Enninful, Evan Ross, Fai Khadra, and Lisa from Blackpink.
Akiva’s regular crew was treated to sounds by Kaytranada, who took the room by storm spinning tracks from the likes of Janet Jackson and Slayyyter. The full line-up, worth staying out for, included performances from Busta Rhymes and DJ Cruz too, while Diplo eventually took to the decks in diamond-encrusted linen, passing out Coronas and Don Julio 1942 to his inner circle on stage.
The indoor feel? Provocative yet poised—with people serving look after look in body-con Hervé Léger and labels like Christian Siriano. Meanwhile, on the balcony, dancers in sequin pasties with ostrich feathered headdresses gave the crowd down below a run for their money. As dawn approached, the only thing on anyone’s minds was seemingly scoring a skinny cigarette through the sea of silver confetti that clouded their view. With over a dozen after-parties, this definitely seemed to be the last stop of the night for many. Although, who knows.
With no iPhone cameras allowed, that’s as much as we can say…

