Simone Biles’ 88-pound Met Gala gown was designed by a Lexington native
A designer from Lexington helped create an 88-pound dress for world-famous gymnast Simone Biles, which Biles wore for her debut at the 2021 Met Gala Monday.
Biles’ gown was designed in part by Beckett Fogg, an alumnus of The Lexington School. The school previously showed its pride in the 2003 graduate’s career achievements after she was highlighted by the New York Times.
The dress was designed by Fogg and Piotrek Panszczyk, according to multiple reports. The two are co-founders of Area, a fashion and accessories design studio based in New York. The custom gown was a collaboration between Area and Athleta, a women’s sportswear and accessories company.
The 88-pound dress was covered in Swarovski crystals, according to Vogue. It also had a hand-embellished skirt, a mini-skirt underneath and a black catsuit.
Multiple people held the heavy dress up as Biles walked up the stairs to the Met in New York, according to Entertainment Tonight.
“How do I feel in the dress? It’s definitely heavy, but I feel beautiful, strong, and empowered,” Biles told Vogue.
The gymnast was reportedly attending the Met Gala for the first time this year. It was also the first time for Fogg and Panszczyk with Area.
“Okay, you have your active brand, you have an athlete, and you have a hyper glamorous brand from New York. Where do we all intersect? What’s the common ground? And one word was performance,” Panszczyk told Vogue. “It’s a word that has so many different connotations to people. People see it as entertainment, as workout clothes, as being an artist, as singing.”
Biles made headlines recently after withdrawing from multiple events at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to focus on her mental health. She ultimately won a silver and bronze medal at the 2020 games. She has seven Olympic medals in total, four of which are gold.