Mayor Eric Adams’ former political rival Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa predicts that Adams might stand out at Monday’s Met Gala as much as Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez did when she wore her “Tax the Rich” dress last year.
“He’s very much a message guy,” Sliwa said. “He wants to shine but he’s also the crypto king and his whole push now is to make New York to be the center of crypto. So he’ll be in a perfect, custom-made suit and wearing the Ferragamo shoes he loves but I wonder if also show up wearing a necklace with a Bitcoin on it. He’ll want to steal the show and he wants to generate money for the city the all the heavy hitters at the gala.”
Maybe, but maybe not. City Hall is keeping a tight lid on what the city’s biggest fashion plate will be wearing to the gala — and who’s dressing him. They won’t even confirm or deny whether he’s attending.
But several sources who have accompanied the mayor to what one called his his “home away from home,” the elite private club Zero Bond, say his many nights out with boldface fashionistas and other celebrities have just whetted Adams’s appetite for an iconic event like the Met Gala.
“He’s been dying to go for years,” one of the mayor’s longtime friends told The Post. “So I’m sure whatever he’s planning to will be fabulous and it won’t be a conventional pinstripe suit. It might even be something great off the rack that he has tailored. I’ll tell you what, though, he’ll be dressing himself. People think he has a stylist. No way. I’ve been at his house when he dressed himself. He’s always been like this, even before he lost weight. He just has so much more of an ability to show off how he looks now.”
Victor Mohan, of the city’s high-end Mohan Custom Tailors, has made “three or four” navy blue and charcoal gray bespoke suits for Adams since he was elected mayor, but isn’t involved in his Met Gala outfit.
Adams first came to the shop in 2006 with the son-in-law of David Dinkins, but didn’t have anything made until this past November, right after he was elected mayor. Mohan said that an assistant of Adams’ at City Hall, who he called “the mayor’s fashion person,” arrived at the Madison Avenue store to scout it out.
Mohan and Adams later pored over the materials they would use to make Mohan suits from scratch — fabric from Zegna, Loro Piana, Dormeuil and Scabal. The suits cost about $2,000 apiece, Mohan said.
“In this climate where everyone has gone remote and everyone wants to go business casual, it’s good for people to watch the mayor and see how sharp he looks and how it good it makes you feel to wear a beautiful suit,” Mohan told The Post. “So the mayor isn’t just a great dresser, he’s an inspiring example to the city and what we hope to get back to.”
Adams showed up at the Ralph Lauren and Michael Kors (sitting with Anna Wintour) Fashion Week shows in February. He’s also rubbed elbows with Mary J. Blige, Naomi Campbell, A$AP Rocky and Jon Batiste. He’s regularly spotted at Broadway shows (“Paradise Square,” “Plaza Suite”), hip bars and restaurants (Casa Cipriani, Brooklyn Chophouse) and parties like a recent Wells Fargo bash at One Vanderbilt, where he was pictured with Floyd Mayweather and model Cara Delevingne.
A source said organizers of the Bilt Rewards x Wells Fargo Private Launch Event “invited Adams to the BILT party, but he did not RSVP. He showed up … out of nowhere. He shook hands, took some pictures and asked to speak. He stood on the side of the stage and waited for Wyclef to finish his performance and then took the stage and did his “Get your butts back to NYC” speech.
“It was totally unsolicited. But I felt like people were excited to see him. He was mingling with everyone,” said the source. “He took his time and was accessible taking pictures with everyone.”
Lawyer and lobbyist Brad Gerstman, who named Adams to his annual Best Dressed Politician list this year, said the mayor cannot accept any clothes — including his Met Gala outfit — for free or even at a discount.
Adams already let it be known that he favors Ray-Ban Total Black aviator glasses after he spotted President Obama wearing them and likes the Florsheim Berkley penny loafer as much as he does his Ferragamos. He also is fond of Joseph Abboud Tan Modern Fit Chino pants.
“The Met Gala is right up his alley — for so many reasons,” said the mayor’s friend. “He’s out four or five nights every week to begin with. He can be out until 1 a.m. and be at the office sharp and clear-headed at 5 a.m. He’s got a lot of energy and he’s smart. And he can’t be alone. Eric can’t be alone for five minutes. He’s obsessed with celebrity and all that goes with it.”
He also knows, the friend continued, that “rich and successful people have left New York or are leaving in droves. De Blasio alienated all those people. Eric has to win them back and inspire them — and he does that by being a power dresser and showing up where they show up.”
Additional reporting by Kirsten Fleming
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