Last year, it took 275,000 bright pink roses to grace the Metropolitan Art Museum for the Met Gala, fashion’s biggest night and one of the biggest concentrations of celebrity power anywhere.
It remains to be seen how the museum’s Great Hall will be decorated on Monday, but one thing is not in doubt: Those who enter will look spectacular. The theme focuses on the late designer Karl Lagerfeld, who left an indelible mark on luxury fashion in her long career at Chanel, Fendi and elsewhere. It’s not without controversy: Lagerfeld was known for his controversial comments on everything from the #MeToo movement to curvy bodies.
Want to know what to expect as the big night approaches? Here we share the guide with all the details.
WHAT IS THE MET GALA?
It started in 1948 as a society midnight dinner, and it wasn’t even at the Met.
And after more than 70 years, the Met Gala is something else entirely, one of the most photographed events in the world for its amazing red carpet, although the carpet isn’t always red.
We’re talking about Rihanna when she arrived in a bejeweled potato outfit. Or 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. Lady Gaga’s 16-minute striptease. And last year, Blake Lively’s Versace dress, a tribute to iconic New York architecture, 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. There was later controversy over suspicions, denied by Ripley, that she had caused any harm.
Hispanic stars like Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Cardi B, Rosalía and Lin-Manuel Miranda shined alongside Kim Kardashian, Hillary Clinton, Billie Eilish and more.
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.
WHO IS THE HOST THIS YEAR?
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.
IS THERE ALWAYS A THEME?
Yes. As mentioned above, the subject is Karl Lagerfeld, and the exhibition, “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty“, analyzes “the designer’s stylistic vocabulary expressed in aesthetic themes that appear again and again in his fashion from the 1950s to his latest collection in 2019. Once again, it has been created by the Met’s star curator, Andrew Bolton.
IS EVERYONE FOLLOWING THE THEME OF THE MET GALA?
Not precisely. Some avoid it and just go big and extravagant. But some guests are expected to carefully research the topic and get in perfect sync. It was hard to beat on the red 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 navigated the crowd in a pair of oversized Angel wings. For Lagerfeld, the clothes can be a bit more down-to-earth.
HOW MUCH DO I HAVE TO PAY FOR A MET GALA TICKET?
wrong question. You can’t just “buy” a ticket. The correct question is, IF I was famous or powerful and invited, how much would it cost?
OK, IF I WAS FAMOUS OR POWERFUL AND I WAS INVITED, HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST?
Well, you may not have to pay yourself. Usually 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.
SO WHO IS GUESTED?
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 some of your favorite names. The 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. In this gala, everyone’s A list.
THAT MUST BE AN EXAGGERATION
Not precisely. Just ask Tina Fey. She went in 2010 and later described walking around trying to find someone “normal”, not too famous, to sit down and talk to. That ended up being Barbara Walters.
HOW CAN I 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.
DO WE KNOW WHO IS COMING? AND WHO DOES NOT?
It’s a secret. 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 THE MUSEUM?
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 at 6pm to 8pm, but the most famous, or those planning to make the biggest entrance, sometimes arrive (fashionably) later.
Around 8 p.m., guests are summoned to dinner, perhaps by a bugle team (“Are you going to do that between each course?” actor Gary Oldman asked aloud one year).
IS IT FUN FOR EVERYONE?
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, later saying she felt uncomfortable and that it was “punishment.”
SO THEY NEVER COME BACK, RIGHT?
In fact, if they come back. Schumer returned in 2017. And then again last year.
The couple was seen in public on September 13 at the gala of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
2023-05-01 13:38:20
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