While a glittering parade of stars in lavish outfits walked the red carpet at the Met Gala in New York last night, an Irish woman played a key role in making the event accessible for the first time.
Sinéad Burke, CEO and founder of strategic accessibility consultancy firm Tilting the Lens, attended the by-invitation-only event in her role advising The Met's Costume Institute.
Ms Burke is no stranger to the world of fashion, having been one of five people with disabilities who graced a series of covers for British Vogue's May 2023 issues.
Speaking to Vogue's red carpet livestream last night, she said: "For the past 18 months, we have been working with the Costume Institute on a number of initiatives.
"This includes their 2026 exhibition 'Costume Art'. In this exhibition, for the first time, there is a whole section called 'The Disabled Body' which we consulted on.
"We have suggested incredible disabled designers like Sugundha Gupta and Helen Cookman. We also have an amazing array of mannequins based on disabled bodies, from Aimee Mullins to myself."
Last night's red carpet was a mossy, cream-coloured brick road set beneath a canopy of Wisteria blossoms.
Ms Burke said that it was important that there was an accessible step-free entrance, which was as aesthetically pleasing and as engaging as The Met's historic stairs.
"In thinking about the Met Gala, for so many people with disabilities the steps are a symbol of inaccessibility," she told Vogue.
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"So tonight, for the first time, those with physical disabilities are able to have fairer access to the Met Gala.
"And what that really means is this is an explicit and radical invitation for disabled people to see themselves in fashion, to see themselves at the Met, to see themselves in the Costume Institute.
"This is one milestone of many that we need. It also reveals the lack of disabled talent that we have in the fashion industry, the need to create pipelines of talent, and the need for more accessibility overall."
