Anna Wintour said she did not notice Rep. Alexandria Ocasio‑Cortez’s “Tax the Rich” message on the back of a 2021 Met Gala gown until after the event, according to a new interview with The New Yorker.
Wintour, the former editor in chief of Vogue, told interviewer David Remnick that she was standing in the receiving line and greeting guests as they arrived and “didn’t have a secret livestream being zoomed into my earphone.” She said Ocasio‑Cortez “was actually sitting at my table” and that she complimented the congresswoman on the front of the dress, saying, “I just love your dress.” "It wasn’t until the next day that I understood what had happened," Wintour said, adding that she had “a wonderful evening.”
The white gown, designed by Aurora James of Brother Vellies, bore the slogan “Tax the Rich” in red on its back when Ocasio‑Cortez attended the September 2021 gala, an annual fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. The look drew immediate attention and sparked debate because the Met Gala is an invite‑only event with a high ticket price; reports said a seat cost about $35,000 in 2021 and had reportedly risen to $75,000 by 2025.
Ocasio‑Cortez dismissed early criticism of the outfit as expected political policing. On Instagram she wrote that while "the haters hated," thoughtful people engaged, and that the dress prompted a conversation about taxing the wealthy “in front of the very people who lobby against it, and punctured the fourth wall of excess and spectacle.”
This summer, the bipartisan House Ethics Committee concluded that Ocasio‑Cortez had not paid a fair market rate for the dress and related accessories, finding a violation of House ethics rules. The committee said it would be "appropriate" for the congresswoman to pay an additional $2,733.28 on top of a $990.76 rental fee she had originally reported, but it determined the violation was not "knowing and willful." The committee’s review added an institutional layer to a debate that began as a moment of fashion‑forward political spectacle.
Wintour framed the episode as an example of the different ways public figures use fashion. "I think everybody uses fashion in different ways, and, obviously, that was something that was important to her," she told The New Yorker. Her remarks came amid ongoing conversations about the role of political expression on red carpets and the cultural influence of major fashion institutions.
The dress remains a notable instance of political messaging at a high‑profile cultural event, combining a designer’s work, a lawmaker’s platform and the visibility of the Met Gala. The exchange between Wintour and Ocasio‑Cortez, and the subsequent ethics review, illustrate the intersection of fashion, politics and regulatory scrutiny that the 2021 outfit continues to provoke.
