Lifestyle Style Read the Names of Women in History Hillary Clinton Admires, Stitched into Her Met Gala Gown “I felt like I had to be very thoughtful about what the dress would mean to the theme and to the occasion," designer Joseph Altuzarra said of dressing the former secretary of state By Janine Henni Janine Henni Janine Henni is a Royals Staff Writer for PEOPLE Digital, covering modern monarchies and the world's most famous families. Like Queen Elizabeth, she loves horses and a great tiara moment. People Editorial Guidelines Published on May 3, 2022 09:37AM EDT Hillary Clinton took art to heart at the 2022 Met Gala. The former secretary of state, 74, ascended the iconic steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art into the Costume Institute Gala Monday evening in an off the shoulder, long sleeve burgundy gown by Joseph Altuzarra with a secret detail. Embroidered across the fold-over neckline and hem of the custom design were the names of 60 famous women in American history who inspire Clinton today, Vogue reported. "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," Altuzarra told the outlet of dressing the former first lady and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate. "I felt like I had to be very thoughtful about what the dress would mean to the theme and to the occasion." The girl-power group includes Rosa Parks, Lady Bird Johnson, Clara Barton, Harriet Tubman and Clinton's mother, Dorothy Rodham, as well as lesser-known names like Elizabeth Blackwell and Rebecca Lee Crumpler. For more on the 2022 Met Gala, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day. According to Vogue, Altuzarra imagined the sweet stitching after seeing an old friendship quilt at an art fair. Popular through the 19th century, the homemade blankets inscribed with the names of loved ones were popular as families moved west as a "a tangible reminder of those they left behind," according to the National Museum of American History. Getty Hillary Clinton Says Supreme Court's Purported Vote to Overturn Roe v. Wade Is 'an Utter Disgrace' With that inspiration, Altuzarra interpreted the Met Ball's "Gilded Glamour" white-tie dress code (channeling the time period between 1870 to 1890) to honor American artisans of the past and women who paved the way. "It really tells the story of all American women, and also pays homage to homemakers, and quilters, and seamstresses, which I think is very much part of American fashion," Altuzarra told Vogue. ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Visibly moved when she saw – and tried on! – the design, in a video shared by the fashion magazine, Clinton opened up about why she was honored to pay homage. Kim Kardashian Confirms Dramatic Diet to Wear Marilyn Monroe's Dress to Met Gala with Pete Davidson "A lot of these names are going to be well known to be people, but some of them are women who inspired me that maybe others don't know that much about," she explained. The 2022 Met Gala theme was "In America: An Anthology of Fashion," serving as a part two to last year's "A Lexicon of Fashion" and celebrating the diversity of American fashion. The official exhibit will be on display across 13 of the American period rooms in the Manhattan museum from May 7 through Sept. 5.