Yang-Yi Goh, senior style editor at GQ, turned heads not on the Met Gala red carpet but in a dusty elevator mirror while covering fashion's biggest night in May 2026. Opting for a low-key yet deliberate approach, Goh wore a vintage '90s Polo Ralph Lauren tuxedo paired with a Dries Van Noten satin Western shirt. The look was finished with a borrowed bow tie—one he originally took for a wedding nearly a decade ago and never returned. Goh described the ensemble as a product of laziness and a commitment to ethical consumption, relying solely on pieces already in his wardrobe. His full outfit was captured only in the dim reflection of an elevator mirror, lending an accidental, almost ghostly vibe to the documentation. While A-list celebrities made headlines in archival Vivienne Westwood and seven-figure watches, Goh and other GQ staffers worked through the night, balancing red carpet coverage with hosting duties at The GQ Party at The Twenty Two. Their workwear ranged from sharp tuxedos to bejeweled pajamas and thematic dresses, tailored for long shifts and late-night events. Goh's choice stood out for its anti-consumerist stance, rejecting new designer drops in favor of reinvention. The look summed up a quieter but deliberate fashion statement—one rooted in reuse, memory, and the occasional borrowed accessory with a nine-year grace period.
Yang-Yi Goh shows up to fashion's glitziest night in a borrowed bow tie from 2017, still not returned. His "ethical consumption" fit relies on old clothes and a decades-old accessory, yet he covered a gala celebrating new luxury. Wearing unreleased designer pieces is frowned on, but keeping a friend's bow tie for nine years is fine. The fashion world polices excess, but not personal debt.
Editorial note: AI-assisted opinion, not established fact. Full disclaimer →
