Met Gala

The Met Gala, formally called the Costume Institute Benefit, is the annual haute couture fundraising festival held for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in Manhattan. The Met Gala is popularly regarded as the world's most prestigious and glamorous fashion event. Fashion stars and models are able to express themselves by their fit according to the theme and social gathering and is known as "fashion's biggest night"; an invitation is highly sought after. Personalities who are perceived to be culturally relevant to contemporary society amongst various professional spheres, including fashion, film, television, music, theater, business, sports, social media, and politics, are invited to attend the Met Gala, organized by the fashion magazine Vogue. The entry price for one ticket has risen to US$75,000 in 2024, an increase from $50,000 in 2023, to attend the annual gala in the world's principal financial center and fashion capital, New York City.

The Gala is an event held annually on the first Monday of May, which marks the opening of the Costume Institute's annual fashion exhibit hosted on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Many of the attendees are depicted on the covers and pages of Vogue. Each year's event celebrates the specific theme of that year's Costume Institute exhibition, which sets the tone for the formal attire of the night.

Guests are expected to curate their fashions to match the theme of the annual exhibit, generally in haute couture. Fashion executive Anna Wintour, who is the editor-in-chief of Vogue, has chaired or co-chaired the Met Gala since 1995, except for the 1996 Met Gala, which was chaired by Wintour's successor at British Vogue, Liz Tilberis, who attended with her friend Diana, Princess of Wales. Over time, the Met Gala has evolved beyond the New York fashion epicenter to become increasingly global and diverse in its perspective and scope.

History
The Met Gala was established in 1948 by fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert as a fundraiser for the newly founded Costume Institute to mark the opening of its annual exhibit. The first gala comprised a dinner, and tickets were 50 dollars each. Over the first few decades of its existence, the Gala was simply one of many annual benefits held for New York charitable institutions. Accordingly, the attendees of the early Galas were almost entirely members of New York high society or the city's fashion industry. From 1948 to 1971, the event was held at various Manhattan venues, including the Waldorf Astoria, Central Park, and the Rainbow Room.

When Diana Vreeland became consultant to the Costume Institute in 1972, the Gala began to evolve into a more global and glamorous affair, although one that was still aimed at the local New York high-societal set. The event started to become higher profile celebrity-oriented with attendees like Elizabeth Taylor, Andy Warhol, Bianca Jagger, Diana Ross, Elton John, Liza Minnelli, Madonna, Barbra Streisand, and Cher intermixing with the city's elite. It was during the Vreeland years that the Gala was first held at the Met and that Gala themes were introduced.

The Met Gala has since evolved to become widely regarded as the most prominent, glamorous, and exclusive social event in the world. It is also one of the biggest fundraising nights in New York City, with US$9 million raised in 2013, $12 million the following year, and a record $17.4 million by 2022. The Met Gala is one of the most notable sources of funding for the Institute, with total contributions surpassing $200 million for the first time after the 2019 event. Anna Wintour, the chairperson of the event, assumed the chairmanship of the Institute in 1995. Her guest list grew to include celebrities globally from the worlds of fashion, entertainment, business, sports, and politics who would eventually grace the pages of Vogue. Since 1948, the Met Gala has occurred consecutively each year, except in 1957, 2000, and 2002. The 2020 Met Gala was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Gala resumed in 2021, but was held in September rather than in May that year. In 2022, the Gala returned to holding its traditional May ceremony.

Present day
The Met Costume Institute Gala is a globally renowned, haute couture fundraising spectacle that serves as an opening celebration for the Institute's annual fashion exhibit. Following the event, the exhibition runs for several months. For example, the 2014 exhibition was scheduled to run from May 8 until August 10, 2014. The affair, attended by personalities from the arts, fashion, high-society, film, and music, has been held at the Met since 1948 and is considered to be the global fashion industry's premier annual red carpet event, and as such, promote haute couture themes and styles. The event’s red carpet fashions are widely photographed, reviewed, critiqued, and emulated. The museum is closed to the general public on the first Monday of May to facilitate the Gala's festivities.

Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue and the lead chairperson of the Gala event since 1995 (excluding 1996 and 1998), oversees both the benefit committee and the guest list, with Vogue staffers helping to assemble the list of invitees. In 2014, the individual tickets cost US$30,000 for those outside the official guest list, after prices were raised by $10,000 to increase the exclusivity of the event. The annual guest list is limited to approximately 650 or 700 people. Starting in the 2020s, the Met Gala has started including social-media influencers. The cost of a seat per guest to attend the Met Gala rose to US$50,000 by 2023, and to $75,000 in 2024.

The 2015 Gala and its theme of "China: Through the Looking Glass" became the subject of a documentary&mdash;The First Monday in May, directed by Andrew Rossi and produced by Condé Nast Entertainment, Vogue, and Relativity Studios. 225 approved photographers, reporters, and social media participants documented the event for the documentary. All other attendees were forbidden from using social media at the event. Guests received notices about the restriction of selfies and social media inside the gala. The no-selfie ordinance was extended to the following editions of the Met Gala. Despite the existing "No Selfie Rule," celebrities including Billie Eilish, Dakota Johnson, and Kylie Jenner have started the tradition of taking an annual selfie in the Met bathroom. These pictures have become viral for their eclectic grouping of celebrities who are rarely seen in the same room as each other. A no-smoking rule had to be added to the Met Gala bathroom after images of Bella Hadid surfaced smoking in the Met bathroom in 2017, the rule enforced for public health and safety reasons. The bathroom has become a place of celebrities coming together to socialize more casually outside the formality of the red carpet and where fans worldwide eagerly await an online glimpse into the Met bathroom every year. As of 2018, Wintour announced that guests may not be allowed to attend the gala before the age of 18. In the Met Gala of 2021, K-pop girlgroup BLACKPINK Rosé had finally made her debut with a custom Little Black Dress. She was also one of the first Korean artists to joined the event. The 2024 Met Gala took place on Monday, May 6, hosted by Anna Wintour with co-hosts Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya, Chris Hemsworth, and Bad Bunny.

Theme
The exhibit is assigned a specific theme each year, with guests being expected but not mandated to follow. It includes a cocktail hour and a formal dinner. During the cocktail hour, guests arrive to walk on the red carpet, tour the year's special themed exhibition, and be seated before the dinner party that includes entertainment from the preeminent entertainers of the day. The theme not only sets the tone for the annual exhibit, but also for the guests who attempt to dress in conjunction with the theme of the year, oftentimes causing runs on certain fashion themes among the world's leading fashion retailers. Sometimes, such as in 2013, with Punk: Chaos to Couture, the theme given is considered unclear or difficult to follow because it does not provide a clear stylistic directive. At other times, including in 2014, with Charles James: Beyond Fashion, the theme may be far more challenging for one gender, as James made clothing intended for women. Although, according to Vogue in 2021 Met Gala: American Fashion, Andrew Bolton was "really impressed by American designers’ responses to the social and political climate, particularly around issues of body inclusivity and gender fluidity". Some other themes throughout the years were In America: An Anthology of Fashion (2022), In America: A Lexicon of Fashion (2021), and About Time: Fashion and Duration (2020).

Controversies
Models Naomi Campbell and Stephanie Seymour pulled out of attending the 2009 Met Gala at the last minute, in a show of support for designer Azzedine Alaïa. After discovering that none of his work was included in the Costume Institute exhibit, Alaïa asked the models not to wear the dresses he had designed for them to the Gala and they chose not to attend altogether. Alaïa was well-known for having close relationships with his models, and his exclusion from the "Model as Muse" exhibit was seen as a snub. He criticized Wintour (with whom he had a longtime feud) for having "too much power over this museum."

In 2014, the theme was "Charles James: Beyond Fashion," when the Met Gala announced a dress code requiring white tie, a number of media outlets pointed out the difficulty and expense of obtaining traditional white tie, even for the celebrity guests. The Gala was disturbed by a streaker who wasn't able to make it up the stairs but nevertheless caused a commotion. This was followed by a fight in the elevator at the after party between Solange Knowles and Jay-Z. Security tape showed Solange speaking angrily to Jay-Z (the husband of her sister Beyoncé) before hitting and kicking him.

In 2015, the Gala's theme, originally named "Chinese Whispers: Tales of the East in Art, Film and Fashion," was renamed to "China: Through the Looking Glass." The theme was met with critics saying it was "A reminder of the subtle institutionalized racism that's been compounded by centuries of Asian isolationism across the board, and enduring Western stereotypes exacerbated by ignorance and the meme-able nature of social media." One of the most criticized actresses was Sarah Jessica Parker, who wore a headdress which was thought to conform to the Dragon Lady stereotype.

In October 2017, an episode of James Corden’s Late Late Show aired a segment with Anna Wintour where she announced that the former President Donald J. Trump is banned from the Met Gala. Despite his consecutive appearances from 2004–2012, he becomes the first celebrity to ever be banned from the guest list.

The 2018 Gala had a Roman Catholic theme. In attendance, Rihanna wore a pearl and jewel-encrusted robe, matching papal mitre and necklace, Christian Louboutin heels, an outfit designed by Maison Margiela. Critics on social media called it "blasphemous" and "sacrilegious cosplay," even though the Catholic Church lent more than forty papal vestments from the Vatican for the exhibition, and Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan attended. American critic Kyle Smith argued that the Catholic Church was in fact "abetting the mockery of its symbols."

The 2021 Met Gala theme was "In America: A Lexicon of Fashion." The American theme of the gala allowed celebrities to go in many different directions with how they chose to embody the theme. Democratic U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York attended the 2021 Met Gala dressed by designer Aurora James. Ocasio-Cortez's controversial look was bold and targeted the attendees of the Met; she wore a white off-the-shoulder gown with the phrase "tax the rich" sewn onto the back in bold red satin lettering. This look faced controversy as many thought it was hypocritical to condemn wealth inequality while attending an event with a $35,000 ticket. In an interview, designer Aurora James explains how she thinks it smart to be able to deliver the message directly to those who need to hear it.

In 2022, ("Gilded Glamour"), Kim Kardashian wore the gown Marilyn Monroe wore when singing "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" to John F. Kennedy in 1962. The gown is the property of Ripley's Believe It or Not. The controversy around the gown started when some noticed some damage to the gown. Other controversies came from the diet that Kim Kardashian had to adhere to in order to wear the gown. She claimed to have cut out all sugar and carbs, resulting in 16 lbs lost in 3 weeks.

In 2024, the Met Gala was the flashpoint for the Blockout 2024 online social media campaign to block the accounts of celebrities who attended the event. The appearance of attendees after recent university campus war protests related to the Gaza–Israel conflict and the ongoing Rafah offensive caused many to compare the celebrities to those in The Hunger Games. In an opinion piece for USA Today, columnist Nicole Russell compared the Met Gala to The Hunger Games ' wealthy Capitol, and the rest of the United States and the world to the Districts of Panem which "struggle with consequences like poverty, inflation, homelessness and even war".

List of Met Galas
The following is a list of Met Galas, as well as the chairs and entertainment, for the Galas that have taken place since themes were introduced in 1973.