Fashion takes center stage at 2025 Baltimore MET Gala

MET GALA CONTINUES. WE ARE NOW JUST ONE DAY AWAY FROM THE CITY’S ARTS, CULINARY AND FASHION EXTRAVAGANZA OF THE YEAR. THE BALTIMORE MET GALA IS THIS SATURDAY TOMORROW AT MARYLAND LIVE CASINO. AND FASHION, OF COURSE, TAKES CENTER STAGE FROM BOLD STATEMENTS TO TIMELESS ELEGANCE, THE EVENT IS SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON DESIGNERS, CREATIVE DIRECTORS AND THE FACES OF THE BALTIMORE MET GALA. JOINING US TODAY IS THE EVENT’S FASHION PRODUCER, LANA RAY. WELCOME. AND THE DESIGNER CURATOR EARL BANNISTER. WELCOME TO YOU, TOO. THANK YOU TO TELL US ABOUT MOMENTS IN TIME, THIS FASHION EXPERIENCE. FIRST OF ALL, I LOVE WHAT YOU BOTH HAVE GOING ON HERE. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. VERY COOL. THANK YOU. SO HOW DO FOLKS INTERPRET THIS THEME? OH, MAN. SO TIMELESS IS THE THEME. BUT THE SUBTITLE IS PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE. SO EACH DESIGNER IS CHOOSING AN ERA AND IT’S THEIR INTERPRETATION. SO I’M EXCITED TO SEE THEIR VISION AND EVERYTHING COME TO LIFE, NOT ONLY FROM THE CLOTHES, BUT TO THE MUSIC TO THE VISUALS AND THE MODELS. RIGHT? VERY EXCITING. YEAH. I’M EXCITED. YEAH. EARL, HOW DO YOU GO ABOUT CHOOSING THE DESIGNERS? IT WAS A TWO STEP PROCESS. FIRST, DESIGNERS AUDITION. WE HAD ABOUT 40 DESIGNERS AUDITIONED. THEN WE HAD A BIG DESIGNER REVEAL AT THE FOUR MLK BUILDING. AND FROM THOSE 20 THAT WE SELECTED, SEVEN ARE BEING FEATURED ON SATURDAY. ALL RIGHT. WE WANT TO TAKE A LOOK AT SOME LOOKS. HERE. WE HAVE THESE GORGEOUS MODELS IN THE STUDIO AND WE WANT TO GET RIGHT TO THAT AND TELL US, AS THEY PRESENT THEMSELVES, WHAT WE’RE LOOKING AT AND WHAT’S BEHIND THESE LOOKS. OKAY. SO FIRST MODEL THIS IS MORGAN AND SHE IS WEARING SHOP THE RUNWAY FROM RANIA OUT OF DAMASCUS. AND YOU KNOW THOUGH IT IS THE DESIGNER’S INTERPRETATION IF YOU ASK ME, THIS IS GIVING VERY MUCH A RENAISSANCE. THE GOLD WITH THE PLATING I LOVE IT. AND THAT’S WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THE THEME, IS YOU CAN INTERPRET IT THROUGH FASHION IN MANY DIFFERENT WAYS. AND THIS IS JUST ONE OF THE RENAISSANCE TO. YEAH, YEAH, THAT’S WHAT IT’S GIVING. SO I LOVE THAT. THAT’S MORGAN. ALL RIGHT. OUR NEXT LOOK LET’S CHECK THIS OUT. YEAH. NEXT IS AISHA. SHE’S WEARING A BE MADE BY COMME DESIGNER SEAN BELLAMY. AND THIS WAS AN HOMAGE TO HIS GRANDMOTHER, WHO ALWAYS WORE PEARLS. AND SHE TOOK HER WINGS UP A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO, AND HE DEDICATED THIS DESIGN TO HER. I LOVE THAT I’M GETTING, LIKE, A 40S VIBE. YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. THE PEARLS, THE PEARLS FOR SURE. YES. CLASSIC. VERY CLASSIC, VERY COUTURE BRACELET. YES. THAT IS FANTASTIC. WHAT IS THAT MADE OUT OF? CAN YOU TELL HE EMBELLISHED THE SHAWL WITH PEARLS, PEARLS AND RHINESTONES. IT’S JUST GORGEOUS. YEAH, YEAH, I LOVE THAT. VERY TIMELESS. WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT PEARLS AND DIAMONDS, IT’S THE MOST TIMELESS THING, FOR SURE. YEAH. AND THERE’S ONE MORE LOOK THAT WE WANT TO SHOW. OUR NEXT MODEL IS CANDIA, AND SHE IS WEARING STUDIO D BY AFUA SAM. AFUA IS ANOTHER ONE OF OUR LOCAL DESIGNERS, AFRICAN COUTURE, AND HER THEME IS VERY MUCH LIKE FUTURISTIC, BUT WITH AN AFRICAN TWIST. WOW. SO THIS IS ONE OF HER PIECES WHICH I LOVE. SO STUNNING. I LOVE THE POP OF COLOR. IT’S JUST. YEAH. AGAINST THE BLACK. YEAH. AND IT’S SO VERY MUCH TO HER CULTURE. BUT IT ALSO GIVES THAT FASHION PIECE TO IT. SO I LOVE THIS. IT’S JUST SO FUN TO SEE HOW PEOPLE INTERPRET THE THEME. YEAH. YOU KNOW YEAH, YEAH. IT’S LIKE GOING TO AN ART MUSEUM. YOU LOOK AT THE CLOTHING AND YOU GET TO INTERPRET IT AND AND EXPERIENCE IT AND APPRECIATE IT. YEAH. SO YEAH I’M EXCITED. ARE YOU EXCITED? I’M SO EXCITED. I’M EXCITED I CAN’T WAIT. IT’S GOING TO BE A BEAUTIFUL EXPERIENCE. YEAH. EXPERIENCING PAST PRESENT AND FUTURE. YEAH. AT TOMLINSON. ABSOLUTELY. WELL YOU PARTNERED WITH JIMMY’S FAMOUS SEAFOOD AND UNDER ARMOR. SO HOW DID THEY GET INVOLVED? SO THEY WERE A PART OF OUR MODEL AUDITION. WE HAD OVER 500 MODELS REGISTERED TO AUDITION, AND WE HELD THE CASTING AT THE UNDER ARMOR PERFORMANCE CENTER, WHICH IS AN AMAZING SPACE. AND THEN JIMMY’S SEAFOOD PROVIDED THE FOOD AND SNACKS FOR US, WHICH WAS AMAZING. I LOVE THAT YOU SAID 500 MODELS. YEAH, YEAH. WOW. YEAH. SO WHAT A GREAT KIND OF STEPPING OFF POINT FOR SOME SOMEBODY WHO WANTS TO GET INTO MODELING MAYBE. I MEAN, ABSOLUTELY. YOU KNOW, THESE ARE PEOPLE THAT ARE LOCAL, RIGHT? LOCAL. BUT WE ALSO HAD MODELS TRAVEL TO BE A PART OF THIS EVENT. SO AND I ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE LIKE THIS IS AN EVENT IN BALTIMORE, BUT IT’S NOT JUST A BALTIMORE EVENT LIKE IT REACHES PEOPLE ALL OVER. SO THAT’S A LOT OF COMPETITION. YEAH. IT’S FIERCE. AND THE FACES OF BMG ALSO FEATURED WEARING DESIGNS. CAN YOU TELL US WHO THEY ARE? OH GO AHEAD, THE FACES ARE A GROUP OF SPOKESMODELS AND ASIA’S ONE OF THEM. SHE’S WEARING THE CREAM AND MORGENTALER IS WEARING THE GOLDEN BLACK. AND THEN WE HAVE NOEL, NOEL AND MATTHEW. MATTHEW, ERIC AND ERIC. SO MANY MODELS. DIFFERENT. YEAH. IT’S OVER 70 MODELS IN THE PRODUCTION. WOW. FANTASTIC. YEAH. WELL THIS IS GOING TO BE GREAT GUYS. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING IN. THIS IS ALWAYS MY FAVORITE PART TO SEE THE FASHION. YEAH BECAUSE IT’S ARTWORK AND I LOVE IT. ABSOLUTELY. WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU GUYS THERE OKAY. THANK YOU. OH FASHION ICON AWARD OH KHALILAH BEAVERS. ALL RIGHT. SHE IS RECEIVING THE FASHION ICON AWARD. AND THERE’S OTHER AWARDS. BUT YEAH. KHALILAH BEAVERS OKAY. YEAH. THANK YOU SO MUCH. AGAIN. THE BALTIMORE MET GALA IS THIS SATURDAY AT THE MARYLAND LIVE CASINO. OUR VERY OWN 11 NEWS ANCHOR MEGAN RIVERS IS HOSTING. CAN’T WAIT TO SEE WHAT SHE’S GOING TO WEAR. YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION FROM THE THEME DESIGNERS AND PURCHASE TICKETS O