Last year, it took 275,000 bright pink roses to grace the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the Met Gala, fashion’s biggest night and one of the world’s biggest gatherings of stars.
It remains to be seen how the Great Hall of the museum will be decorated for the edition of this Monday, May 1, but one thing is not in doubt: those who enter will look spectacular. The theme centers on the late designer Karl Lagerfeld, who left an indelible mark on luxury fashion in his long career at Chanel, Fendi and elsewhere.
It’s a topic not without controversy because Lagerfeld was known for his controversial comments on everything from #MeToo to curvy bodies.
Want to know what to expect as the big day approaches? It is not to worry. We’ve dusted off our annual guide here, with a few key updates.
What is the Met Gala?
It started in 1948 as a society midnight dinner, and it wasn’t even at the Met.
Fast forward over 70 years, and the Met Gala is something else entirely, one of the most photographed events in the world for its jaw-dropping red carpet, though the carpet isn’t always red.
We’re talking about iconic costumes, like Rihanna from a bejeweled pope. Zendaya as Cinderella in an illuminated dress. Katy Perry as a chandelier turning into a hamburger. Also: Beyoncé in her “naked dress”. Billy Porter as an Egyptian sun god, carried on a litter by six shirtless men. 16 minute striptease by Lady Gaga. And, last year, she unveiled Blake Lively’s Versace dress, a tribute to iconic New York architecture that changed color before our eyes.
Then there’s Kim Kardashian, taking commitment to another level. One year, she wore a dress so tight that she admitted that she had to take breathing lessons beforehand. Two years ago, she wore a dark suit that covered even her face. And last year she really stole the carpet, showing up in Marilyn Monroe’s actual, rhinestone-studded gown that read “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” (on loan from Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museum), changing into the moment she who came in to protect him.
Lee: Glamor is covered in gold at the Met Gala 2022
There was later controversy over suspicions, denied by Ripley, that she had caused any harm. But still, that was an entrance. (And, folks, she’s coming back: She posted a photo from Paris with Lagerfeld’s famous cat Choupette, noting that she was in the French capital exploring possibilities for this year’s outfit.)
It’s important to note that the party has a purpose: Last year, the soiree raised $17.4 million for the Met’s Costume Institute, a self-funded department. Yes, that’s a lot for a gala. It also launches the annual spring exhibit that draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to the museum.
But it’s the carpet itself that commands the world’s attention, with the guest list, strategically held back until the last minute, featuring a collection of notable figures from film, music, fashion, sports, politics and the social networks that undoubtedly make up the largest number of celebrities. per square foot of any match in the world.
hosts
All five of this year’s presenters hail from television (Emmy-winning writer, actress, and producer Michaela Coel); cinema (Oscar-winning actress Penélope Cruz, who has worked with Chanel for more than 20 years); sports (recently retired tennis superstar Roger Federer ); and music (Grammy-winning singer Dua Lipa). Finally, there’s Vogue’s Anna Wintour (need we tell you, she’s hot?) directing everything as usual.
2023 theme
As mentioned above, the subject is Karl Lagerfeld, and the exhibit, “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” explores “the designer’s stylistic vocabulary expressed in aesthetic themes that have appeared again and again in his fashion since the 1950s.” until its end”. collection in 2019.” Once again, it has been created by the Met’s star curator, Andrew Bolton.
Not all guests follow the theme. Some avoid it and just go big and crazy. But expect a few guests to carefully research the topic and sync up perfectly. It was hard to beat the carpet, for example, when the theme was “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” and Rihanna appeared as the Pope, Zendaya channeled Joan of Arc, and Perry sailed through the crowd on a pair of enormous wings. of Angel. For Lagerfeld, the clothes can be a bit more realistic.
Why is it controversial?
Karl Lagerfeld, the subject of the met gala this year, she transformed Chanel from dowdy to hip. She revolutionized the fusion of hip-hop culture and high fashion. She dressed and befriended celebrities and transformed once-serious fashion shows into masterful theatrical displays.
He was also a self-proclaimed “loudmouth”, who publicly complained of fatphobia. He spoke out against gay men who want to adopt children, migrants, sexual assault survivors, the #MeToo movement and “ugly” people, without apologizing.
And he left behind the receipts, his own controversial words.
Lagerfeld died in 2019 after dominating the fashion universe until he was 80 years old. On May 1, her legacy will be on display at the starry party fundraiser and its accompanying exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. However, it is likely that her controversial tendencies will not be shown.
“She offended people left and right, making the cut to the side as great an art as the perfectly cut two-faced dress,” wrote the fashion critic of the New York TimesVanessa Friedman, shortly after Lagerfeld’s death.
“He judged,” Friedman wrote, “and he knew he himself would be judged, but he didn’t care. Rather, he hugged him.
How do you choose the guests?
Generally, companies buy tables. A fashion brand would then house the desired celebrities. This year, the cost has gone up, as it does every few years due to increased spending: It’s now $50,000 for a single ticket, and tables start at $300,000.
This year, there will be approximately 400 guests, similar to past years but still below the pre-pandemic highs of 500-600. Wintour and his team can still approve all the guests.
Trying to predict? Get out your pen and jot down a few of your favorite names, the more buzz the better. Newly minted Oscar winners, for example, are a good bet. Broadway is a particular favorite of Wintour’s. He also loves tennis: this is not Federer’s first fashionable Met Gala. Now, cross everyone off your list except the first ones. At this gala, everyone is on the A list.
How to see the event?
You can watch the entire rug unfold in a live stream of Vogue. If you’re in New York, you can also join the fans across the street, behind the barricades, on Fifth Avenue, or even further east in Madison. Timothée Chalamet has been known to greet fans.
Who goes and who doesn’t?
It’s secret who goes. But the reports slip away. You can count on the appearance of several famous Chanel ambassadors. Lively disappointed some fashion fans when she revealed that she won’t be attending this year.
What happens inside?
Upon entering the museum, guests walk past what is usually an unbelievably huge flower arrangement in the lobby, perhaps with an orchestra playing nearby, and over for cocktails. Or they go to see the exhibition. Cocktails are from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, but the most famous, or those planning to make the biggest entrance, sometimes come (fashionably) later.
Around 8 p.m., guests are summoned to dinner, perhaps by a bugle team (“Are you going to do that between courses?” actor Gary Oldman asked aloud one year).
It’s fun?
Every once in a while, someone says no. Fey, in a comedic tirade to David Letterman in 2015, described the gala as a “parade of assholes” and said it included everyone you’d want to punch, if you had a million arms. Amy Schumer left in early 2016 and later said that she felt uncomfortable and that she was “a punishment.”
However, Schumer returned in 2017. And then again last year.
Editing: Estefania Cardeña
2023-04-30 22:52:58
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