Why Brooke Shields Rocked a Cane at the Met Gala

Kevin Mazur/WireImage
Kevin Mazur/WireImage

We're used to seeing model and actress Brooke Shields looking gorgeous, whether she's wearing her form-fitting Calvin Klein jeans or a glam gown, but on Monday she proved that she really can look good in anything! The 46-year-old brunette beauty was breathtaking as she hobbled down the red carpet at the Costume Institute Gala at New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art in a navy, asymmetrical J. Mendel dress, Tiffany jewels, a clutch, and ... a cane.

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The cane wasn't just for looks, though. As the "Blue Lagoon" star explained, she needed it because she tore her meniscus, the cartilage in the knee, during her six-month stint playing Morticia Addams in the Broadway production of "The Addams Family," which ended in December. Still, Shields didn't let her injury put a damper on her time at the famous Met Gala. "[It's] not a big deal, it's inconvenient," she told E!'s Giuliana Rancic, joking, "You know what? We'll do anything for fashion!" Shields did make things a little easier for herself by donning flip-flops underneath her gown, instead of the sky-high heels that most women wore. And why not? You couldn't really see her feet under there anyway!

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It's probably safe to say that even with the injury, Shields doesn't regret her time as the matriarch of the macabre family. She was originally only supposed to play the role through October, but enjoyed it so much that she continued with the show through the end of the year. "I am having the time of my life playing Morticia with this wonderful company of actors," Shields said in a statement at the time. "Morticia is such a delicious role and 'The Addams Family' is such a fantastic and iconic piece of entertainment that I just couldn't resist the invitation to extend."

Besides, Shields has a record of working through the pain when she wants to. In 2010, she broke her hand during rehearsals for the L.A. musical "Leap of Faith," and didn't see a doctor for three weeks — when her hand was too swollen to lift a prop! "I knew something was wrong but I was, like, 'I cannot make this about me,'" Shields told the L.A. Times. " I don't ever want to be that high-maintenance person, you know, 'I have a hangnail, so production has to shut down.'" The same doctor who told Shields that her hand was broken also revealed she had a torn muscle in her leg! "I have a high tolerance for pain," Shields said. "You just go, OK, I'll take four Advils every hour. It's not that I'm a martyr. But the show does have to go on."

And so, it seems, does fashion! Would you attend the Met Gala with a cane?

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