The Met Gala: where fashion and art mingle over drinks and entertainment in the presence of overwhelming glamour. A highly-anticipated event, the “party of the year”, the fashion Oscars. The 2020 Met Gala with the theme of “About Time: Fashion and Duration” was canceled due to COVID-19, but the Met Gala is back this year on Sept. 13 with two events and exhibits to celebrate and discuss American fashion.
History of the Met Gala
American fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert created the Met Gala, formerly titled the Costume Institute Gala, in 1948 to mark the opening of the Costume Institute’s annual exhibits in New York City and fundraise for the museum. The event was just a dinner at first attended by New York City’s elite socialites and big names in the fashion industry.
In 1972, Diana Vreeland, French-American fashion writer and editor, became a special consultant to the Costume Institute. Vreeland took the event to the next level by beginning to include celebrities — such as Andy Warhol, Cher and Elton John — in the event and incorporating themes. Vreeland also began holding the Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, rather than an outside venue.
Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue Magazine since 1988, became the chairperson in 1995. Wintour continued to transform the event into the unforgettable, gold standard party that has occurred in recent years by collecting the biggest names from fashion, music, film, business and more.
What Goes Down?
The theme of the event matches the theme of the exhibit. The guests participate in a cocktail hour with a red carpet entrance and a viewing of the exhibit, followed by a formal dinner with entertainment. At the 2019 event, Cher was the featured performer.
The Met Gala is notoriously exclusive, with ticket prices previously set at $30,000. The 2019 Met Gala, “Camp: Notes on Fashion,” had 600-700 attendees. The fashion pieces themselves are highly critiqued, imitated and anticipated.
What We Know About the 2021-2022 Met Gala
The Met Gala is making its in-person return this year with two-part events and exhibits. One event will be in 2021 and the other in 2022. The two events will make up for donations lost from the 2020 event and aid the fashion industry in its recovery from the impacts of COVID-19.
The first event is set to take place on Sept. 13, and it will follow CDC guidelines about COVID-19 diligently, meaning that the event will be even more intimate and exclusive than before. The first part of the American exhibit will open on Sept. 18.
The event organizers are hoping that the event on May 2, 2022 will be able to include a full amount of attendees. The second event will fall on the first Monday in May, as the previous Met Galas have done before, hopefully marking the return to a “normal” Met Gala. The exhibit will open on May 5, 2022. Both exhibits will be open through Sept. 5, 2022.
The two exhibits have separate themes, falling under an umbrella of an “American fashion” theme. The first exhibit is titled “In America: A Lexicon on Fashion” and the second exhibit is titled “In America: An Anthology on Fashion.” The first exhibit will be more focused on contemporary American social issues and celebrate the Costume Institute’s 75th anniversary, whereas the second will highlight fashion development and “300 years of American Fashion history” according to @Themetgalaofficial on Instagram.
Celebrity hosts and attendees are unknown, though there are rumors that inaugural poet Amanda Gorman, who recently signed with IMG models, will potentially be selected as a host. Meryl Streep, Emma Stone, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Nicolas Ghesquière were set to host 2020’s event. The fashion itself will likely emphasize the work of prominent American designers such as Halston, Stephen Burrows, Ralph Lauren and many more.
Tweet us, @VALLEYmag, a picture of your favorite past Met Gala look!
4 Comments