Anna Wintour was a master of tact as she talked about Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s controversial 2021 Met Gala look in a new interview.
Asked about the New York Democrat’s white gown, which was emblazoned with the phrase “Tax the Rich” in red on the back, the former editor-in-chief of Vogue told The New Yorker’s David Remnick she didn’t learn about the message on the lawmaker’s outfit until after the VIP event.
“She was actually sitting at my table,” Wintour recalled. “And I stand in the receiving line, and I don’t see the people arriving. I don’t have a secret livestream being zoomed into my earphone. I’m just standing there shaking everybody’s hands, saying, ‘Thank you for coming, blah, blah, blah.’ I said, ‘Thank you for coming,’ and she went by.”
“Then I went up to her before we all sat down at the table. I said, ‘I just love your dress,’” she added, revealing that she had “only seen her from the front” at that point.
“It wasn’t until the next day that I understood what had happened,” Wintour said of Ocasio-Cortez’s look, which was designed by Aurora James of Brother Vellies. “So, fortunately, I had a wonderful evening.”
