Forget gilded glamour – Hillary Clinton’s theme is girl power.

For the former First Lady and Secretary of State, she drew inspiration for the Met Gala from the women of America’s past who have impacted her. Clinton’s Joseph Altuzarra gown is embroidered with the names of famed women she admires, like Madeline Albright, Abigail Adams, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Lady Bird Johnson, and Clinton’s mother, Dorothy Rodham. 

In an exclusive clip from Vogue, she revealed that Altuzarra’s handwriting was used to write the names of the renowned women of American history, which was then hand-embroidered onto the maroon gown.

“I knew that I wanted the dress to have a personal component for her,” Altuzarra told Vogue. “When someone like Hillary goes to the Met, it’s not just like, ‘there’s Hillary at the Met and she’s wearing a dress.’ It has a lot of significance. I felt like I had to be very thoughtful about what the dress would mean to the theme and to the occasion.”  

This is the first time in 20 years Clinton has attended the Met Gala, telling journalist Hamish Bowles she “promised” she’d only come “every 20 years.”

“I think we’re all happy to be back together, supporting the museum and the costume institute and also celebrating America,” she told Vanessa Hudgens and Bowles on the red carpet. “Not just fashion of America, but really the spirit of America.”

When thinking about her own outfit for the gala, Clinton said she talked with Altuzarra who suggested the idea of embroidery.

“I would’ve filled the entire dress,” she said with a laugh. “We decided to stick with women who were no longer with us.”

“It also reflected Joseph’s interest in what were called ‘friendship quilts’ that women used to embroider sayings or phrases or their names of family or friends,” she continued.

It “pays homage to the homemakers, seamstresses,” which Altuzarra said is part of American fashion.

See all the celebrity looks from Met Gala 2022 with Page Six Style’s live coverage.