Venus and Serena Williams Kept the Met Gala After-Party Energy Going Until the Early Hours
When the clock struck 12 for Cinderella, she had to rush home before her carriage turned into a pumpkin. For Venus Williams, midnight had quite the opposite effect. In fact, it proved the perfect time for the first-time Met Gala co-chair to kick off her own…
Reported by Vogue.
Venus Williams co-chaired the Met Gala, hit the carpet in custom Swarovski, and still had enough left in the tank to throw her own after-party. That's range.
According to Vogue, the newly opened Flatiron venue The Amber Room — think painted tin ceilings, green velvet booths, pink-paneled walls — hosted the late-night soirée starting at 11 p.m. Williams arrived just before 12:30 a.m. with husband Andrea Preti, technically three minutes ahead of schedule. By Met after-party logic, that's practically showing up early. She'd already traded the black Swarovski gown for a shiny bubble dress, crystal-trimmed Jimmy Choo mules, a BonBon bag, and a leather jacket thrown over the whole thing — the kind of effortless pivot that looks like it required zero effort and definitely required a lot. Preti, for his part, ditched the tux for a military-style jacket with gold epaulettes. The couple dressed like they were daring the night to get more interesting.
The Real Party Didn't Start Until 1:40 A.M.
That's when Serena walked in — ruched gray dress, black blazer, diamond tennis studs catching every backlit column in the room — and the Williams sisters officially took over the dance floor. Champagne flutes raised, they moved through a DJ set stacked with Doechii, Rihanna, and Beyoncé. Their VIP lounge company included Ty Dolla $ign, Leon Thomas, Jasmine Tookes, designer Bach Mai, and Ladies of London's Emma Thynn, among others. The crowd was proof that the Gala itself is almost beside the point — the real edit happens after midnight.
The guests who knew what they were doing had a strategy. Designer Kate Barton recommended starting where you know the crowd, then capping the night at three parties: "You never know where the night will take you — it's still young." Ashley Moubayed, the designer behind Don't Let Disco, put it differently: "My strategy is simultaneously being everywhere and nowhere at the same time." Her outfit rule — pick something that makes you feel sexy and yourself, with a 30–50% discomfort margin — is honestly the only dress code advice worth keeping.
Rumors of a 50 Cent or Busta Rhymes performance never materialized, but the room stayed packed well past 3 a.m. Venus made one final wardrobe swap on her way out — slingback kitten heels — and exited like someone who had absolutely won the night on every metric that matters.
The Met Gala is a moment, but the after-party is a personality test — and the Williams sisters passed with distinction.
Read the original at Vogue.
