Maude Apatow’s star has been firmly on the rise for a number of years now, but with her performance as the bookish, level-headed Lexi in the second season of HBO’s runaway hit Euphoria, the actor is enjoying a well-deserved moment in the spotlight. Still, relishing all the perks that come with the job—namely, a steady stream of invites to fashion shows and red carpet events—is a novelty that hasn’t worn off for Apatow. Take, for instance, when she was asked by Cartier to join them at this year’s Met Gala. “When I was asked to attend the Met, I was over the moon—I really couldn't believe it,” says Apatow. “And then, when I found out it was with Cartier? I was freaking out. This was a dream, truly.”
When it came to settling on her look for the first Monday in May, Apatow approached the task as studiously as you might expect. “I've been working on it since the moment I was asked,” Apatow says. “This isn’t one of those situations where I could wait until the last minute—I was too nervous!” After much deliberation, she picked a slinky black Miu Miu gown that offered a goth-inflected take on the “gilded glamour” theme with its black crystals, fringing embroidery, and velvet bust detailing. “I had the opportunity to see amazing sketches from incredible designers, but Miu Miu's stood out—and right when I saw it, I said yes to the dress,” the actress adds.
To complete the look, Apatow went for a choker-style Cartier necklace bedecked with dozens of diamonds, as well as a flower brooch from 1939 to pin back her hair, teased into vampy, Old Hollywood-inspired waves. “Cartier brought me so many options for jewelry and it was an honor to wear them,” she says, noting that upon seeing the necklace for the first time, she was all but speechless. “It took my breath away, honestly!” Apatow says. “The choker style added a modern layer to the look, and I loved the special details that made it unique, like the diamonds down the center.”
While Apatow is quickly becoming something of a pro at the red carpet getting-ready process, she needed to soothe her nerves ahead of the big night. “My getting-ready process needed to be calm but fun,” she says. “I actually got together with my glam team the night before to do a little dress rehearsal—we all tossed around ideas and it was a fun and collaborative process.” All the same, nothing could quite prepare her for the overwhelming clamor of the Met red carpet itself. “I was so nervous beforehand—but it actually went by really fast, and it wasn’t as overwhelming as I thought it would be,” she says. “I tried to breathe through it!”
While she managed to have a brief reunion with her Euphoria costars Jacob Elordi and Sydney Sweeney (“It was all of our first times going, so it was really nice,” she says), the real fun started when she was inside—and continued well into the night, as Apatow and her friend Joanne hit up a handful of after-parties. “Joanne and I have talked about the Met Gala since we were literally in elementary school, and I got to get ready with her and bring her to all the afterparties,” she says. “It was so special.”
Photographer: Cibelle Levi
Hair: Peter Lux
Makeup: Kelsey Deenihan
Styling: Mimi Cuttrell
See All of the Celebrity Looks From the Met Gala 2022 Red Carpet:
Met Gala 2022: See Every Celebrity Arrival, Read the Latest Stories, and Get Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Here