The Edit / Fashion / November 20, 2026
What I Wore to Watch
The Met Gala From Nairobi.
A field guide to dressing for cultural events thousands of miles away — without trying too hard. Eight pieces I’d wear again tomorrow, and the small rituals that make a Monday-morning Met Gala feel like a proper night out.
BY NELLY WANGECHI · 12 MIN READ · UPDATED NOV 20, 2026
The Met Gala starts at midnight here. By the time the first look hits the steps in New York, Nairobi is already into Tuesday — the dog walk done, the kettle on, the group chat loud. For years I treated it like a spectator sport in pyjamas. This year I got dressed for it.
Not couture. Not a theme fancy-dress. Just the version of me that takes a cultural moment seriously enough to mark it, without spending the night performing for a camera that isn’t there.
A silk scarf tied at the neck is the fastest way to look like you tried — on a budget, on a deadline, on a Monday. I keep three in rotation. This printed one goes from the wrist to a bag handle to my throat and never looks out of place.
Dressing for a moment you’re watching from five time zones away is really about respecting it — and yourself — enough not to do it in a dressing gown.
The eight pieces below are the ones I actually wore, or would have worn if the night ran longer. None of them need a stylist. All of them earn their keep again the next morning.
Pearls for the start of the night, gold hoops for the second half when the chat gets looser. Earrings are the one place I let an outfit change its mind without changing clothes.
Four more picks plus what I’d skip next year — keep reading.
Words By
Nelly Wangechi
Editor and founder, Geek on Fashion. Writing about beauty, fashion and culture from Nairobi.
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