I admit, I love this

I admit it. I love the Met Gala. Fashion’s night of nights — where celebrities dress to a bold theme and try to outdo each other on the red carpet, but all for a good cause.

Every year, I trawl through the photos like a fashion detective, hunting for hits, misses, and the few who nail it. I know my guilty pleasure.

In case you missed the social media flood (holidaying under a rock? prioritising more pressing global issues? fair enough), this year’s theme was: “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.”

The Met Gala theme is often original, inventive and surprisingly intellectual. To slay, you must research fashion history, art and identity.

What I love most? The challenge.
You can’t just frock up and pose. You must honour the theme and stay true to your style. Even with world-class designers on speed dial, some celebs still miss. Others? Magic.

And weirdly, it made me think of presenting!

I love presenters who like the best-dressed at the Met Gala, know how to honour the brief and still show up unmistakably as themselves.

In fashion, it’s called sticking to the theme. In presenting, it’s called relevance. Same principle.

The best presenters ask, Who’s the audience? What’s the room expecting? What story am I sharing not just in words, but in presence, energy, and yes, in outfit?

And then they show up in a way that’s tailored to the moment, but still undeniably them.

Being able to deliver to a brief and stay authentic is where the real magic (and challenge) of presenting lives.

Great presenters don’t wing it. They research the audience, the setting, down to the smallest detail, even the curtain colour. (I once wore green on stage, in front of a green curtain. Rookie error. Never again.)

I now have “safe presenting clothes” — mic-pack friendly, rustle-free, and never at war with the backdrop. And most importantly, they feel like me.

Just like the MET Gala, presenting is part performance art. Did you gasp? Yes, it is. Hard truth.

Theme meets personal flair. Preparation meets presence.

And when your presentation clicks? You don’t just inform or impress. You inspire.

PS: My personal faves. I adored Doechii in Louis Vuitton, infinitely cool, Janelle Monáe in Thom Browne so dandy, and Colman Domingo in Valentino, that mix of prints and textures, to die for. Check out the looks here. I know you want to. Is this the longest PS ever?