The Met Gala is known for celebrities dressing as outrageously and outlandishly as possible. Dan Levy’s outfit during Monday’s event certainly fit the bill, but it also held plenty of significance for him.
The Emmy-winning "Schitt's Creek" star, 38, attended the soiree, which serves as the main source of funding for The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute, in a get-up from designer J.W. Anderson that featured two men kissing on the front while shaped as maps.
“A big heartfelt thank you to @cartier for so generously welcoming and accessorizing me tonight,” he wrote Monday on Instagram. “What I’ve so long admired about the Costume Institute is its commitment to educate and inspire people through fashion.
“I was fortunate enough to also get to work with @jonathan.anderson and the incredible team of designers and craftspeople at @loewe on a look that meant something to all of us. With support from the estate of American multimedia artist and LGBTQIA+ activist, David Wojnarovicz (1954-1992), Jonathan and the design team built upon an image of two men kissing from Wojnarovicz’s work, F--- You F----- F-----, named after a homophobic cartoon the artist had come across.”
Levy said it was important not to focus on any negativity, electing instead to remain centered on what Wojnarovicz had to endure in his life.
“But rather than feed on the message of hate, we wanted to celebrate queer love and visibility — acknowledging how hard artists like Wojnarovicz had to fight, while also presenting the imagery in a way that offered a hopeful message,” he wrote. “Tonight, we’re celebrating the resilience, the love, and the joy of the community while honoring a crucial American voice that was taken from us too soon.”
Anderson also explained the outfit, explaining on Instagram that it's "what a 'gay superhero' might wear."
"Photos of Wojnarowicz and his friends surround the couple, amid a background of world maps, indicating the arbitrary borders and divisions the queer community faced," he added.