- On Tuesday, Billy Porter launched the #billyporterfashionchallenge as a fun way to engage fans while social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic.
- The “Pose” star asked his followers to recreate his 2019 Met Gala look using only items found in their homes.
- Porter wore a custom “Sun God” ensemble by The Blonds that included a dazzling pantsuit complete with matching 10-foot wings, a towering 24-karat gold headpiece, and custom Giuseppe Zanotti gold-leaf shoes.
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Billy Porter launched the #billyporterfashionchallenge on Tuesday to keep fans busy while social distancing amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The “Pose” star asked his followers to recreate his 2019 Met Gala look using whatever they could find at home.
“Using items found ONLY in your house, give me your best recreation of my 2019 Met Gala lewk and post a photo or video on Instagram. Be CREATIVE and have FUN!,” the post read. “I’ll share my favorites! Can’t wait to see what y’all come up with, hennies!”
http://instagr.am/p/B-IMvbJFaJO
Porter showed up to the camp-themed Met Gala in 2019 wear a custom "Sun God" ensemble by The Blonds. He was carried into the event by six shirtless men wearing gold pants and jewelry.
"I think the rehearsal that we had the night before the Met Gala, with all the boys lifting me in costume, was something that I don't think a lot of people going to the Met Gala do," Porter told Insider in 2019. "Having a rehearsal for a Met Gala, I think that was a surprise to all - including myself."
His whole outfit consisted of a dazzling pantsuit complete with matching 10-foot wings, a towering 24-karat gold headpiece, custom Giuseppe Zanotti gold-leaf shoes, and jewelry by Oscar Heyman, Andreoli, and John Hardy, according to Vogue.
In the same interview, designer David Blond said it took months to create each piece and that, in total, Porter wore "well over a million crystals, beads, and chains."
Porter posted the challenge just a few days ago, and people have already started sharing their interpretations
http://instagr.am/p/B-KvH3vgfRC
Tony Elder, aka @forgotten_fabric on Instagram, did his best to recreate Porter's look. His home finds included gold Christmas tree beads that he had bought on sale and a pair of cowboy boots that were previously spray painted gold.
"The wings of the look is actually a thrift store silk skirt that I tore the waistband out of and put on like a shrug. The pleats of it worked perfectly for the winged look," Elder told Insider.
Elder said the best part of the challenge was scrounging around his apartment and thinking about things he'd never wear together in order to recreate Porter's outfit.
"It was something fun to get you out of the humdrum of worrying, and I hope it inspires other people to be fun and silly too," he said.
Sam Minnick, a 24-year-old living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, also decided to take on Porter's challenge. He told Insider that his fiancé, Marty Savolskis, was the one who saw Porter's post and decided the two should try it using leftover gold fabric they had lying around from a theater set Savolskis had designed.
http://instagr.am/p/B-IxoV6Jf0W
"We went through our closet and pulled out everything that was gold. The shoulder piece is actually a gold Halloween mask," he said. "I put on my corset for shape, he draped the whole thing on me and pinned in place."
http://instagr.am/p/B-IsZJ7AFPY
When Shala Neufeld saw the challenge, she decided to enlist the help of her three kids, Junia, 19, Corwin, 11, and Zipporah, 8. The trio used TK to make the whole look come together in under two hours.
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Neufeld and her family were estatic when they saw that Porter had not only commented on their photo but shared it on his Instagram stories.
Porter shared Elder and Minnick's recreations on his Instagram Stories, and he is likely to continue posting others. The 50-year-old actor also labeled this as the first fashion challenge, meaning Porter probably has a number of tasks up his sleeve.
Representatives for Porter didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
- Read more:
- Billy Porter reflects on the pink cape that 'changed everything' and helped turn him into 2019's trendiest celebrity on the red carpet
- Billy Porter stole the show in a head-to-toe gold pantsuit with wings on the Met Gala red carpet
- 53 photos that show how Billy Porter's style has evolved over the years
- Billy Porter's stylist told us the meaning behind the star's 'F--- U, Pay Me' handbag