Chapter Text
After finishing everything with the World Figure Skating Championships, Dick had had a meeting with his PR Agent, Rachel. He’d been focused on the figure skating season and had been putting off dealing with his other celebrity stuff. After the 2012 Olympics and especially as it became clear that he would not be returning to being a police officer, he had been doing sponsorship and endorsement deals to make money since he still didn’t like being wholly dependent on Bruce’s money.
Ever since after the 2012 Olympics, he’d been sponsored by Zatorade, the sports drink brand owned by Zesti. It was a 3-year deal and they were in contract talks for renewing the contract; he basically filmed a commercial with them per year and they were happy. He’d also been sponsored by the Wheaties cereal brand after the 2012 Olympics, which was a one-year deal. Leading into the 2014 Olympics, there had been talks about reviving the deal but after the Olympics where he’d come out as Bisexual, Wheaties had withdrawn from contract talks, citing vague bullshit about wanting to move in a more family-friendly direction. It was a lower paying sponsorship but it had still stung a bit and Dick resolved not to try and shrink himself in order to satisfy sponsorship deals.
Anyways, in April Dick had done a photo shoot for Percy’s Trident brand under Wayne Enterprises, specifically for their new line of mermaid swimming tails that were pride themed; Dick was modeling the Bisexual one and this was a sponsorship he was happy to do. Dick was pretty good at the whole modeling thing, he’d done some modeling gigs with Kori when he was younger and they were publicly dating.
Dick was invited to the Met Gala months earlier though he’d answered a tentative maybe, being unsure of precise plans so far in advance. Kory attended the Met Gala most years as a very famous and popular model and Dick had attended with her once or twice before. He’d also been hesitant about the announced theme relating to China. There had been public pushback against the theme and it had officially been changed to China: Through the Looking Glass, which was slightly better. Also, after the World Figure Skating Championships where Cass won the women’s singles, Cass had also received an invite to the Met Gala. Dick was pretty sure part of the reason for the invite was that after the backlash they’d received, they decided they needed more ethnically Asian guests.
Cass had been a bit unsure about attending at first. Dick made clear to Cass that he would definitely attend if she wanted to go, so she would not be alone. Steph, who had an interest in fashion, had expressed that she’d always enjoyed watching the Met Gala and had dreamed of going. While Steph wasn’t famous enough to receive an invite to attend on her own, they discussed and determined that if Cass had enough of a trail of some sort, they could swing having Steph attend as an attendant for Cass. Cass was more enthusiastic about going with the idea that she could go with Steph to make her happy.
Dick was going in connection with Balenciaga and he gave them his input for what he wanted to wear. The full title with China and Glass in the name made him think of the other meaning of the word China, like fine china aka pottery. He thought of a Japanese art form he was aware of, Kintsugi, which repaired broken pottery with gold, and requested an outfit inspired by that. Kory was attending independently but they would end up there together so they coordinated a bit for her to have gold in her outfit too.
For Cass’s outfit, they discussed the theme and the whole Asian tokenism aspect of stuff and ended up deciding she already brought the Asian aspect by being herself and to focus on the other side of the theme, “Through the Looking Glass”, and do an Alice in Wonderland inspired outfit with some shiny silver fabric. Steph was very enthusiastic about sketching a concept for it and Cass requested ballet slippers so she could go on pointe for pictures.
Anyways, Dick’s Agent had talked to him about expanding his brand deals and how the Met Gala was a great opportunity to elevate his profile for that. Dick planned to donate part of what he made from Brand deals to charities, most notably the Gotham Youth Center but other things as well, which helped motivate him to make more from brand deals without feeling bad about making a bunch of money for frivolous reasons. He’d been supposed to have a meeting with Rachel last week to talk more about prospective sponsorship deals but he’d cancelled after everything that happened with Bludhaven. He’d considered pulling out from attending the Met Gala as well, which was scheduled for the second Monday in May, but fortunately everything with the crisis events had settled enough that he felt comfortable attending the event. He was staunchly ignoring the grief he felt about the whole ordeal.
Steph’s daughter, Allison, was being babysat by Tim and Steph’s mom Crystal, since Steph had already planned to attend the event and had made her own outfit for it before she’d suddenly ended up with custody of her daughter. Dick travelled to New York Sunday afternoon after the Sunday Family Brunch, but Steph and Cass were coming in Monday morning, not wanting to leave Allison for longer than necessary. Dick had stayed at Kori’s apartment and some of the other Titans had come over for a hangout, mainly Wally and Donna; apparently Donna and Kori were kind of dating now?
Anyways, Rachel had briefed him that he’d received a serious contract offer from Rolex that would be multiple millions a year and had encouraged him to wear one of his existing nice Rolex watches to the gala if it worked with the rest of his outfit; he’d had a nice golden Rolex that Bruce had given him at some point to wear at a gala, so he brought that.
Dick, Kory, Steph, and Cass got ready in a hotel suite across from the Gala. Balenciaga was officially sponsoring Dick for the event and had coordinated the support staff for everything like makeup artists and stylists, so it wasn’t costing Dick anything. Kory was sponsored by Jovani, a New-York based fashioned brand she had long worked with and Cass was wearing a dress sponsored by a fashion house based in Gotham’s fashion district, but Balenciaga had reached out to sponsor accessories and shoes for their entire group when Dick had communicated wanting the four of them to sit at the same table. Dick’s costume involved elaborate makeup so he took the longest to get ready; they used a lot of setting spray to keep the look in place.
Anyways, the four of them arrived together to the Met Gala. Their official arrival times were staggered but back-to-back. Kory entered first, striking her poses and then pausing at the bottom of the stairs to await Dick. Kory was in 6-inch heels and was already 6’4”, 6 inches taller than Dick. To prevent her from towering over him, Dick was wearing 12inch heeled boots that looked like they only had a 6inch heel since the platforms in them were inside; Dick could walk on stilts so he could easily handle the tall shoes.
Dick entered and the photographers were very excited by his revealing outfit. He casually struck a series of poses efficiently, pausing on one just long enough for them to photograph before moving on to another. He was deliberate in showing off his jewelry including the rings on his fingers that Balenciaga had given him to wear and he flared his cape elegantly. He flexed for a few of the poses to better highlight his muscles; admittedly he had drank less water that day so his muscles would be more visible. Dick strutted across the red carpet and walked over to where Kory was awaiting him at the bottom of the stairs. He took her arm and they took a couple poses at the bottom of the stairs before climbing them together.
At the top of the stairs, they paused for another normal pose together and then they did their more creative poses they had coordinated. First, Dick swept Kory off of her feet in a princess carry and she laughed as he swung her around before pausing to pose like that and then setting her on her feet. Then she retaliated, lifting him up over her head holding his thigh in one hand and his waist in the other as he was held horizontally; Dick purposely flexed his muscles as she held him in that pose while they were photographed. Kory had been careful not to disturb his makeup and they’d both been careful not to mess up their nails.
They lingered at the top of the stairs as Cass arrived along with Steph as her attendant. Steph held Cass’s train as Cass climbed the stairs, posing her for a nice picture on the stairs. Once all four of them were at the top, they posed for some group pictures. Dick took one with just Cass, then one in between Kory and Cass, then they had Steph join in for a big group picture.
They were stopped for some interview questions. Dick and Kory professionally named their sponsors and Dick explained his Kintsugi theme, the inspiration from the other meaning of the word China and that it was a Japanese art form and why he liked it. Cass blanched a bit at the question because she hated talking publicly with cameras on her. Steph expertly stepped in to answer for her, naming the fashion house for Cass’s dress and saying they both had accessories from Balenciaga. They asked who Steph was and Steph introduced herself as her full name and explained that Cass had invited her as a plus one to help with her train and Steph said she made her own outfit for the event, matching the theme of Cass’s.
Then they all went inside and were seated at their table for the Gala. The Balenciaga business people were absolutely delighted by their outfits and poses on the carpet; apparently they were all already blowing up on social media. People were saying that Dick was undisputedly the best-dressed man there, which admittedly there wasn’t much competition considering how many straight men wore plain black suits. There was also positive reception to their interpretations of the theme.
May 11th, 2015
@Vogue 8:00pm
#KoryAnders (@KoryAndersModeling ) has arrived at the #MetGala! Her dress is by Jovani and her accessories are by Balenciaga.
Picture: Kory is in a dark blue form-fitting sleeveless dress with an asymmetrical triangular cutout at her waist to hint at her abs. The dress hugs her breasts and hips and then drops straight down while being a bit looser, there is a high slit on the leg of her dress opposite the asymmetrical cutout, showing a bit of her thigh. The blue dress is satin and has goldwork embroidery in a Chinese style with some sort of winding floral design. She wears a thick golden necklace and has golden flower jewelry woven delicately into the afro of her hair. She is wearing several large golden rings with at least one being shaped like a flower. She is wearing 6 inch golden heels; with the heels, she is 6’10” and her tall hair puts her well over 7”. She is posed with one hand on the exposed skin of her waist and the other arm loosely extended casually to the side and one leg is forward to be revealed by the slit in her dress; overall, an elegant pose with a dazzling look. Her nails are painted blue to match her dress and have intricate golden nailart on them.
@AmateurFashionista Kory slays as per usual, and the embroidered design is an elegant yet straightforward interpretation of the theme.
@Vogue 8:03pm
#RichardGrayson (@FlyingGrayson) absolutely stuns at the #MetGala in this gilded look! Outfit and accessories by Balenciaga and makeup by ColourPop.
Picture: Dick is shirtless and wearing a cape which extends over his shoulders and the front of it has two triangular shapes dipping down just enough to cover his nipples while otherwise leaving his pecs on display. Dick is wearing high-waisted shorts that just cover his belly button and are just long enough to fully cover his ass, leaving his thighs on display. The shorts and the cape, which is stiff and extends down most of his back, are in the same fabric and design, an off-white fabric like a pottery glaze with Kintsugi style goldwork designs embroidered onto it. Dick’s torso, arms, and thighs have golden makeup in the same Kintsugi goldwork design that skillfully accentuates Dick’s muscles in some sections. Dick is wearing very tall golden boots with a heel, putting his total height at 6’10”, and the golden boots go up to his knee. Dick’s makeup on his face is also golden, with gold eyeshadow and a golden teardrop down one eye. He’s also wearing a special golden lipstick. He is wearing a golden Rolex watch and several golden rings with diamonds. He is posed seemingly casually but his muscles pop from how he is flexing.
@AmateurFashionista Okay this is a LOOK, by far the best dressed man we’ve seen tonight, it’s not even a competition. Admittedly, his impressive physique is pulling a lot of weight with this look; not everyone would be able to pull it off. There’s clearly an artistic vision with this look but I’m not immediately seeing how it ties to the theme, but I’ll await the explanation with the faith it’s a good one. And TBH, on theme or not, this look absolutely slays!
@RichieWayneFan askljfsldkjfslf HOT! Also, fitting for gold Olympic medalist to be serving looks in so much gold.
@E!News 8:05pm
#RichardGrayson and #KoryAnders make a dazzling golden pair at the #MetGala!
Picture 1: Dick and Kory posed normally, arm in arm, the gold in their outfits complementary
Picture 2: Dick lifting Kory in a princess carry
Picture 3: Kory lifting Dick over her head.
@RichardGraysonUpdates Grayson must be wearing like 12-inch heels to be that tall compared to Anders in heels.
@IcePrinceLover Oh wow he’s so gorgeous, I want to eat him.
@IPutTheBiInBItch I never feel more bisexual than when I look at the pair of them, hot damn. And now we know #RichardGrayson is himself bisexual! Truly the #BIcon of all time.
@Vogue 8:06pm
#CassandraWayne (@CassWayne), Figure Skater, Ballerina, and Wayne Heiress, makes her #MetGala debut! Dress by GothamGowns and accessories by Balenciaga.
Picture: Cass is in a modest light blue dress with puffy sleeves that cover her upper arm and the skirt is a clearly inspired by a tutu, though it’s a bit looser rather than being completely horizontal. Over the dress is a bit of a pinafore in a shiny and nearly reflective silver design; it has the faint outline of a rabbit in the silver. Her hair is in a bun and has an ornate silver hair pin. Otherwise, she is not wearing jewelry and her makeup is understated, just foundation with no visible eye makeup and only the faintest pink lip gloss; overall, she is styled more like a little girl and the outfit is not sexualizing. She has blue pointe ballet shoes with ribbons wrapping up her ankles and she is posed on pointe with one leg behind her.
She has a huge silver cape connected to the pinafore and of the same fabric. While she is posed on pointe, the fabric is flared out behind her by a blonde woman in a dress cut like a Qipao with the same silver fabric as the cape. She is wearing a blue vest over the dress which matches the material of Cass’s dress and there is a pocket watch in the pocket of the vest. She is wearing silver heeled boots and some silver jewelry, including a necklace and some rings; her hair is in two buns on the top of her head that look kind of like bunny ears, making clear that she is intended to be the white rabbit to Cass’s Alice.
@AmateurFashionista Who’s the girl with Cass? Most attendant/assistants are not in such fancy outfits, look at that bling, so she has to be someone, but I don’t recognize her and she wasn’t announced. Anyways, clearly an Alice-in-Wonderland, likely playing off the “Through the Looking Glass” part of the theme….so, who’s the #WhiteRabbit?
@E!News 8:10pm
The Wayne Siblings #RichardGrayson and #CassWayne are absolutely serving looks at the #MetGala! (Featuring #KoryAnders and Cassandra’s “White Rabbit” attendant appears to be long-time Wayne Family friend, Stephanie Brown)
Picture 1: Dick and Cass posed casually together.
Picture 2: Dick in between Cass and Kory, an arm around each of their waists.
Picture 3: Kory, Dick, Cass, & Steph. Dick and Kory are arm-in-arm like a couple and Cass and Steph are in the same pose beside them.
@IPutTheBiInBItch That Stephanie girl is posed like she’s Cassandra’s date, I’m getting sapphic vibes 👀
@AmateurFashionista 8:15pm
Sorry for doubting, the #WayneSiblings are absolutely genius with these interpretations of the theme, and it sounds like they came up with the concepts, not the designers? #RichardGrayson sorry for doubting you the Kintsugi is absolutely on theme, in multiple ways with the pun, and it’s such a tragically beautiful concept that is so well realized in the outfit #MetGala
@AmateurFashionista 8:17pm
Anyways yeah, the ThroughTheLookingGlass side of the theme as an Alice in Wonderland inspired outfit is so clever. #CassWayne showed up like bitch I’m already Asian, got that covered, let’s have fun with the rest of it. It sounds like this Stephanie girl is a close friend of hers who helped her come up with the theme? And apparently Stephanie made her own dress? It has a subtle nod to the intended theme for the gala by being in the style of a Qipao but the overall look is clearly the white rabbit to compliment Cass’s Alice; honestly, it’s a look that stands decently on it’s own at this gala, certainly bold and distinctive, and I’m astonished an independent designer made it? Like girl, you are living my dream. Anyways, as a pair it’s an excellent look and presentation with such a clever and nuanced interpretation of the theme. #MetGala
@AmateurFashionista 8:30pm
Night’s not quite yet over but it’s already hard to pick a single overall winner for the night between #RichardGrayson, #KoryAnders, and #CassWayne (plus her plus one), but either way as far as brands are concerned, @Balenciaga is coming in clutch accessorizing the best dressed posse at this #MetGala
@Balenciaga liked this
@FlyingGrayson 9pm
BTS from earlier, getting ready for the #MetGala with @KoryAndersModeling, @CassWayne, and @PurpleSteph. I’m dressed by @Balenciaga
Picture 1: Dick laying on a hotel bed with just the shorts on as golden makeup is applied to his body
Picture 2: Dick dressed except for the boots next to a fully dressed Cass; Cass is posing on pointe and Dick is mirroring the pose on his tip toes, both with a leg extended behind them
Picture 3: Kory fully dressed in heels standing next to a barefoot Dick with her elbow resting above his head but not actually messing up his hair. Dick is holding his tall golden boots in hand.
Picture 4: Steph and Cass both sitting in an armchair, their faces touching side to side as they both look at something on Steph’s WaynePhone. Both are fully dressed in their outfits except for Cass’s pinafore and cape.
Picture 5: All of them fully dressed and posing together with broad smiles on their faces; Cass’s train is spread out behind all of them.
@RichieWayneFan Adorable BTS!
#MetGala is trending with #RichardGrayson, #KoryAnders, and #CassandraWayne
@PurpleSteph gained 6,900 followers