Met Ball: A day in the life of our favorite stylist

Chief stylist Annie Ladino’s life was a blur this past Monday as she readied celebs like Brooklyn Decker for fashion’s biggest night: the Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

We followed Annie (or at least tried to!) as she flew back and forth across town and ran from pillar to post prepping Brooklyn for the red carpet event of the year.

Annie actually started working with Brooklyn and designer Tory Burch months ago to collaborate on the perfect dress for the occasion. This included several in-person meetings about cut, fabric and color, among other details. That was followed by multiple fittings of the exquisite knife-pleated, slate blue silk tulle and crepe gown – with a final fitting on Saturday to choose Brooklyn’s jewelry, shoes and clutch so everything would be ready for Monday evening.

Here’s how Annie’s Monday (day of the Met Ball) unfolded:

**(10:00 am)   **Up until Monday morning  Annie had only seen a sketch of a dress another celeb friend had chosen. So, she was up early to meet that star at her hotel for a fitting. It was clear alterations were needed, so a tailor was called in while Annie and her client reviewed jewelry and accessories.

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Accessories selections for Brooklyn Decker

**(2:00 pm)   **With the tailor off to alter the gown, Annie headed to Brooklyn’s to get her hair and makeup started. (Thank goodness for that Saturday fitting!)

**(3:30 pm)   **She then rushed back to the first friend’s when the dress was ready for a final fitting and make decisions on jewelry, shoes (which were too big and needed padding) and a clutch.

**(5:00 pm)   **With everything finalized, Annie left her friend in the hands of a capable assistant and dashed back to Brooklyn’s for finishing touches, then accompanied Brooklyn to Tory Burch’s home for pre-event cocktails. Among the very intimate crowd were Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Liya Kabede, Kanye West, Rick Ross and Stefano Tonchi. When everyone else headed to the Met, our exhausted Annie returned to her office and used any remaining adrenaline to meet friends for dinner at Lure Fish Bar in Soho.

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Brooklyn Decker, Annie Ladino, and Esther Song (Tory Burch PR)

**(10:00 pm)   **Too tired for the after-party, Annie headed home and crashed on her couch.

**(The aftermath)   **As Annie and her assistants worked on returns Tuesday/Wednesday, she shared her thoughts on the evening’s fashions, pointing to Lana del Ray in Joseph Altuzarra, Gwyneth Paltrow in Prada and Anna Wintour, also in Prada, as some of her faves. She also went crazy for Lily Collins, Sarah Jessica Parker and Brit Marling in Valentino.

Annie told us: “What I love about the Met Ball is that people go all out; they take a lot of risks. It’s so different from the Oscars.”