Forget the million-dollar gowns and celebrity sightings! The real drama at the fashion’s biggest night at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art unfolded between tennis royalty, Serena and Venus Williams. With the museum’s upcoming exhibit titled, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” along with the dress code labeled “The Garden of Time,” based on J.G. Ballard’s short story, each sister had her own interpretation. While the world fawned over their dazzling red-carpet looks, a secret tradition between the sisters came to light.

Walking on the red carpet, Venus spoke to Entertainment Tonight and revealed why she and Serena do not see each other’s looks before the main event. “Actually, we like to surprise each other and not see what the other person’s wearing until the carpet. So I can’t wait to see it,” Venus, in a surprising revelation, spilled the beans on a hidden pact the sisters make every year. At this year’s Met Gala, Williams-duo went from grand slams to glam slams.

Venus stunned in a bejeweled Marc Jacobs gown with sequins from top to bottom in a sleeveless number and a sleek updo. Forget the pressure of a five-set Wimbledon final – for Venus Williams, the Met Gala red carpet might be even more intimidating. The tennis champion recently confessed it takes a whopping 6.5 hours to get Met Gala-ready, a process she finds more nerve-wracking than “any match” she’s ever played. So what’s behind this beauty marathon? Apparently, it’s a battle against beauty naps, stubborn hairstyles, and a rogue nail mishap (because who wants chipped polish on the biggest night in fashion?)

On the other hand, Serena Williams stunned the Met Gala in a custom Balenciaga gown. The golden silk taffeta masterpiece flowed into a dramatic train, while black opera gloves and pointed shoes added a touch of elegance. Messika jewels completed her head-turning look. According to Vogue, Serena’s outfit took a staggering 150 hours to craft from a luxurious 25 meters of gold foil-laminated taffeta.

Growing up together, they did not have much mystery as they lived in close quarters. But this represents the perfect opportunity to play around a little and be secretive! The two stars represented tennis at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, also joined by Met Gala regular Maria Sharapova in a stunning green-yellow outfit. While Venus looked ravishing, she could not escape an unfortunate mishap with her dress, which purposely shows fragility.

Venus Williams dons a fragile dress to match the theme of the night

Following the appearance, Venus Williams stated that she made a mistake with her dress. When asked about the attire, the elder Williams sister stated, “It’s based off the theme of today; we’re showing all these dresses that are too fragile to wear. So he [Marc Jacobs] wanted to bring in the fragility of mirrors—I only broke one.”

Along with that, she stressed how she had damaged the mirror of her garment, and at the same time, emphasized her superstition. “Each one I break, it’s seven years’ bad luck.” The mirror cracked while Venus was zipping up, “But it was too late ’cause I was already running behind!” 

Despite losing one mirror and being late, Venus won over most fans over her younger sister, who is mostly in the lead. Now that we have seen both outfits, whose look is your favorite?