TeaThe annual Met Gala is held to celebrate the dresses on display inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but on May 6, all eyes will be on the celebrities who will enter the museum in dresses that are works of art in their own right. Are.
Held on the first Monday of each May, the Met Gala serves to raise funds for the museum’s Costume Institute. Over the years, the party has evolved from a dinner for Manhattan socialites to a must-see red carpet and costume party attended by stars from around the world.
“It has become one of those rare occasions when movie stars, models, designers, society luminaries, rock legends, athletes, politicians and rappers, not to mention a cultural icon or two, come together to celebrate fashion. Come together – and get a chance to spend a night at the museum,” writes the trend Editor-in-Chief and longtime Met Gala co-chair Anna Wintour Vogue and the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute,
Here’s how the Met Gala became the biggest fashion event of the year.
when was the first met gala,
The event began as a midnight dinner in December 1948, costing $50 to attend.
The first Met Gala was the brainchild of fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert, who was instrumental in launching NY Fashion Week. He saw the event as a way to raise money for the Costume Institute’s expenses and to celebrate the opening of its annual exhibition.
Calling itself the “Party of the Year”, it took place at the Waldorf Astoria and guests wore their finest formal attire.
How the Met Gala Became Themed fashion event
Met galas began boasting the theme in the 1970s, when it was legendary the trend Editor-in-chief Diana Vreeland became a special advisor to the Costume Institute (1972–1989).
The first themed Met Gala was the 1973 Cristóbal Balenciaga retrospective, a year after his death. Notable themes in the Vreeland era include a Russian-themed costume exhibition – for which the famous fashion editor was decked out in Slavic attire – and an Old Hollywood theme – for which singer Cher wore fringes from head to toe. Vreeland is known for involving more celebrities in the event, such as First Lady Jackie Kennedy, who served as co-chair from 1977 to 1978.
after the trendAfter Anna Wintour took over the reins of the event in 1995, the party grew in size and began to include the top names in film, sports, business and music. As Wintour biographer Amy Odell wrote for Time in 2022, the party is a celebration not only of the Costume Institute, but also of Wintour’s dominance in the industry.
Through Wintour’s influence, the Met Gala has become one of the most exclusive annual fashion events. Every year, stars who receive invitations dress according to the theme, or at least their interpretation of it. Sometimes the costumes seem to suggest literal layers of meaning; At the 1996 Met Gala, stylists referred to Princess Diana’s lingerie-inspired silky blue dress as a “revenge dress” because she wore it the same year she was divorced from then-Prince Charles. Devout Met Gala watchers will remember the time Rihanna walked the red carpet dressed as the Pope in 2018, and the bizarre Met Gala arguably peaked last year when pop star Doja Cat appeared in cat ears.
What to expect at the Met’s 2024 costume exhibition
Nearly 250 costumes and accessories from four centuries from the Costume Institute’s permanent collection will be displayed in new ways using artificial intelligence, computer-generated imagery, X-rays, video animation, light projection and sound sequences.
According to the museum, the nature-related statue will serve as “a metaphor for the fragility and transience of fashion and a means to examine the cyclical themes of rebirth and renewal.”
Designers featured include Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent and Stella McCartney.
