SZA Serenaded the Crowd at Instagram’s Very Instagrammable Met Gala After-Party

Generally speaking, Instagram has a lot to do with the Met Gala; before red carpet looks make headlines, they’re on IG. Plus, the app is where gala attendees post otherwise unavailable footage of the night’s surprise musical performance. But Instagram’s presence at 2022’s event was a little stronger. The social media app was not only a sponsor of The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit for “In America: An Anthology of Fashion,” it also hosted one of the evening’s stand-out after-parties.

Just after Lenny Kravtiz and Kacey Musgraves closed their performance at the Met Gala sometime around 11 pm, guests departed the museum to hit up one of many after-parties. First on most’s itinerary was the Instagram after-party, hosted at 5th Avenue’s James B. Duke House. Currently housing the New York University Institute of Fine Arts and library, the stately property was completed in 1912 for the deep-pocketed Buchanan Duke family. All in all, a perfectly on-theme venue that wasn’t lacking in atmosphere. Throughout the mansion, one can find crystal chandeliers, gilt boiserie, and ornate marble mantelpieces.

For the occasion, Instagram had lit one room with moody red lighting and filled another with lush plantings. In attendance were Mayor Eric Adams, Andrew Garfield, Aquaria, Chloe Wise, Ellen von Unwerth, Awkwafina, Wendi Murdoch, and a bevy of fashion designers. On the list: Batsheva Hay, Aurora James, Brandon Maxwell, Daniel Roseberry, Emily Bode, Francesco Risso, Peter Do, Stuart Vevers, and Susan Alexander.

Presiding over the entire scene was Eva Chen, vice president of fashion & shopping partnerships at Instagram, in a graphic black-and-white mini dress—her after-party look after wearing a satin Peter Do gown to the gala.

At the party, Mayor Adams chatted up party guests, Aquaria posed for pics on velvet lounge seating, and the crowd transformed the lobby into a dancefloor courtesy of DJs @cocoandbreezy and Anderson.Paak. Sometime just before midnight, guests were treated to yet another surprise musical performance. Wearing a Varsity-style jacket, SZA appeared and serenaded the crowd with her R&B hits. For some, it was the perfect way to end the night; for others, it was just stop one of a long list of after-parties.