On Monday, May 6, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City hosted the yearly Met Gala. Also referred to as “fashion’s biggest night,” celebrities wore a variety of stunning, odd, inspiring, and puzzling ensembles to the event, as they do each year. However, what exactly is the Met Gala? Why do the wealthy and well-known dress for parties according to a predetermined theme, and what do they do there? Who pays for the extravagant event, and what happens with the money raised?
What Is The Met Gala?
The Met Gala, also known as the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit, is an annual fundraising event that usually takes place on the first Monday in May to support the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The Costume Institute is essentially the only component of the Met that has to raise money on its own, and it pulls off a remarkable feat with its annual celebration. Each year, only a small number of personalities from many fields are invited to the exclusive celebration. It is urged that visitors dress in accordance with the annual theme, which also serves as the theme for the Costume Institute display for that year. About 400 people were invited the previous year, a Costume Institute spokeswoman said.
The Met Gala 2024
The theme for this year was “Reawakening Fashion: Sleeping Beauties.” According to a New York Times story, “it will be built around treasures in the museum’s fashion collection so old and delicate that they cannot be displayed on mannequins, rather than fairy tales or Disney.”
The costumes at the Met Gala stretch the boundaries of fashion and innovation in order to raise money for a costume institute, giving the internet plenty of content to ogle and meme.
How The Event Rose To Prominence
The Met Gala wasn’t always a prominent occasion with widespread media coverage. It all started in 1948 when New York’s elite society was invited to a charity dinner by fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert, who set the price at $50 per ticket. When fashion editor Diana Vreeland joined the Costume Institute as a consultant in 1972, she elevated the Gala’s prominence beyond its New York City setting by bringing in a star-studded guest list and starting the tradition of yearly themes.
Many people think that Anna Wintour, the global chief content officer for Condé Nast and editor-in-chief of the fashion magazine Vogue, is to blame for the Gala’s current standing. Since 1999, Wintour has served as the primary organizer of the event and personally selects the attendees, turning a Met Gala invitation into a highly prized status symbol that brings together the best in fashion, politics, sports, technology, and other fields. Designers who purchase a table, for instance, are permitted to invite their own friends, but Wintour and Vogue must first approve the list.
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