We turned Adut Akech, Precious Lee, and TK’s Met Gala looks into 3D avatars––here’s the 360 view you won’t see anywhere else

We can all agree that the perfect red carpet stance is a singularly modern art form (case in point: Zendaya and that cross-legged power pose). A new bespoke technology, though, allows you to see things with a clarity and intensity previously unheard of.

At this year’s Met Gala, we stepped into the metaverse to immortalize our favorite runway stars as photorealistic 3D avatars. The technology, which is powered by Altava (an innovative VR fashion gaming company helmed by pioneering developer Andy Ku and fashion-publisher-turned-tech-impresario Elizabeth von Guttman), marks a new dawn in how we’re set to experience the red carpet.

For Altava, this is about transforming the way we engage with fashion and the constantly emerging virtual world. Their eponymous game is actually a fully immersive space “where you can shop, curate, and discover new brands through virtual reality,” as the company’s Head of US, Karina Cha explains. “There are virtual fitting rooms where you can play dress-up, mixing and matching designers to curate your own taste.” (Fendi are among the list of early-adopters.)

The big question, however: What really went down at the Met? Before departing for the red carpet, each of these six women spent fifteen minutes inside the bespoke xxArray—a circular cage built especially for Vogue inside Manhattan’s Carlyle hotel—fitted with 100 cameras and stretching 25 feet in circumference.

The result? Fully interactive, lifelike models that you can take for a spin below. Not only can you rotate a 360 avatar of Precious Lee in her glistening Area couture blazer (embellished with 2,250 meters of Swarovski glass crystal chains), but you can zoom in on Paloma Elsesser’s scarlet Zac Posen gown, and catch Natalia Bryant up close in sequinned Conner Ives. Take a closer look at Anok Yai’s Oscar de la Renta glittering column dress in hyper-reality (note Yai’s Ana Khouri jewelry) and Joan Smalls and Lily Aldridge in scene-stealing Ralph Lauren. Think of it as the closest thing to witnessing the Met Gala red carpet IRL.

Tap or click on the model, then use your mouse or finger to rotate them to explore the whole look. You can also zoom in and out to see all the details.

Lily Aldridge