Filipa writes in the novel: “Lady Gaga was barricaded in the Met gift shop, surrounded by tote bags, snow globes, and coffee-table books, having what could only be described as a catastrophic reckoning.”
She continues: “Crying. Smoking. Praying. Apologising. Then apologising for apologising.”
The passage suggests part of the pressure stemmed from the event taking place in Gaga’s childhood neighbourhood, which the book says contained landmarks connected to her early life, including the Catholic school she attended.
In the novel’s account of the evening, Oprah Winfrey, who co-chaired the Met Gala in 2010, remains calm during the moment described in the book.
The scene also includes a character portrayed as closely resembling Vogue editor Anna Wintour.
According to the description, once Gaga eventually took to the stage, the performance itself went smoothly.
Filipa writes Gaga delivered a “brilliant, perfectly remembered” performance.
She also writes the Anna Wintour-like character was “dancing with Mick Jagger like they were teenagers instead of institutions”.
And the book also references Taylor Swift appearing as a guest at the fictional Crown Ball.
Elsewhere in the novel, Filipa writes about how several major music stars are central to the planning and atmosphere of the gala event.
The passage describes how certain performers are treated as essential presences during the evening.
Filipa writes: “Beyoncé wasn’t a guest. She was framework – planned around the way cities plan around bridges.”
She adds: “Madonna functioned the same way, less predictable but equally immovable.”
Filipa continues: “Rihanna wasn’t invited. She was accounted for like weather – altering the atmosphere the moment she entered the equation.”
Filipa also writes: “Jennifer Lopez operated as both spectacle and signal, her presence reassuring sponsors and designers alike.”
She adds: “Lady Gaga required contingency planning, not because she was unreliable but because she was unpredictable by design.”
Filipa concludes the passage by writing: “These women didn’t simply attend the Crown Ball – they recalibrated it.”
A representative for Lady Gaga and Filipa did not comment on the account when asked about it by Page Six.
A spokesperson for Vogue responded to the book’s release by saying: “We look forward to reading it – fiction is always fun!”
The self-published novel, Best Dressed, is scheduled to be released in May.
