A week after wrapping up final exams at the University of Southern California, Storm Reid headed to New York City to make her second-ever appearance at the Met Gala.
The annual event thrown by the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute is perhaps the most revered night of the year for those who live and breathe fashion—but for the Euphoria star, it also marked the next step of her coming of age. After all, Reid made her Met Gala debut three years ago, when she was an 18-year-old college freshman. On Monday, she returned as a 20-year-old rising senior, who just so happens to have won an Emmy in the interim.
“To be able to show people my style evolution and how I’ve grown as a young woman, I think that’s what the outfit depicts,” Reid tells me over the phone just a few hours before hitting the famed carpeted steps of the Met. “Fashion is a form of self-expression and [a way] to take up space. So, my outfit is taking up a lot of space tonight.”
Working with stylist Jason Bolden, the Last of Us star decided on a showstopping ball gown from Coach, featuring a strapless corseted bodice in black and a voluminous skirt made of iridescent pastel-green fabric. As Reid ascended the staircase to head into the fete, a dramatic train billowed out behind her, as if the dress itself were engulfing the steps whole. Taking up space, indeed.
It was fitting that Reid’s return to the Met Gala coincided with this year’s dress code, “The Garden of Time,” a reference to the J.G. Ballard 1962 short story of the same name. While it might be easy to attribute symbols of flora and fauna to the theme, the dress code was actually meant to encourage attendees to explore the idea of the passage of time, and how it relates to our perception of beauty.
In particular, Reid’s collaboration with Coach marked a full-circle moment for the young star. The luxury fashion house created the actor’s first-ever full-custom look, for the 2018 world premiere of A Wrinkle in Time. As Reid puts it, the brand “is a staple in fashion and in American fashion, specifically”—as evidenced by her own recollections of growing up with her mom and sister, who always seemed to be armed with a Coach bag nearby.
“To be able to work with a brand that you’ve not only worn yourself but have seen the people around you wear is very special and obviously authentic to me,” Reid says, expressing her appreciation to Coach creative director Stuart Vevers, whom she affectionately refers to as Mr. Stuart. “He’s amazing and has been a supporter and a champion of mine for a very long time. Coach is iconic, and I’m just honored to be able to wear them tonight.”
Vevers took a unique approach to the Met Gala’s time-inspired dress code, stepping back into the past to blend countercultural elements with markers of youth. This included punctuating the front of Reid’s skirt with a massive floral-embellished bow, layering her top with an edgy moto leather jacket, and adding a sparkly apple charm to her Time Square Tabby handbag. To accessorize, Reid topped off the look with an array of diamond-encrusted jewelry from Pomellato, from a white gold chain choker necklace to a matching pair of earrings.
The dress code also neatly reflected Reid’s evolution into a woman coming into her own. Ultimately, she was proud to show a new side of herself at this year’s Met Gala.
“Over the last couple of years, I’ve gotten a newfound confidence of being comfortable with taking up space, being comfortable with wearing things that I want to wear, and not really thinking about what people may think I should wear or what my style should be,” she says. “It’s been a beautiful evolution thus far. And I’m sure my fashion sense and what I like in fashion will only continue to grow, and I’m really excited about that.”
