NEW YORK (AP) — Last year, it took 275,000 pink roses to grace the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the Met Gala, fashion’s biggest night and one of the biggest concentrations of star 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 of the gala and its accompanying exhibition centers on the late designer Karl Lagerfeld, who left an indelible mark on haute couture with his long career at Chanel, Fendi and other houses. But the topic is not without controversy: Lagerfeld was known for his controversial comments on everything from the #MeToo movement to curvaceous bodies.
Do you want to know what to expect now that the big day is here? Don’t worry. We’ve dusted off our annual guide and made a few key updates.
WHAT IS THE MET GALA?
It started in 1948 as a late-night society dinner, and it wasn’t even performed at the Met.
More than 70 years later, 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 talk about seeing Rihanna as a bejeweled pope. Zendaya as Cinderella in an illuminated dress. Katy Perry as a chandelier turning into a hamburger. Also Beyoncé with her “naked dress”. Billy Porter as an Egyptian sun god, carried on a litter by six shirtless men. A 16 minute striptease of Lady Gaga. And last year, Blake Lively’s Versace dress, a tribute to New York architecture, changed color before our eyes.
Then there’s Kim Kardashian, who has taken commitment to another level. One year, she wore a dress so tight that she admitted that she had to take breathing lessons to wear it. Two years ago, she wore a dark suit that covered even her face. And last year she really stole the carpet, appearing in an original, crystal-studded Marilyn Monroe dress in which she sang “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” (on loan from Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Museum), which she changed into the moment he entered the museum to protect it. There was later controversy over suspicions, denied by Ripley, that Kardashian had caused any damage to her dress. But still the moment was inscribed in gold letters.
And Kardasihan will return to the gala. She posted a photo in Paris with Lagerfeld’s famous kitty Choupette, noting that she was in the French capital exploring possibilities for her outfit this year.
Importantly, the party has a purpose: Last year, the soiree raised $17.4 million for the Met Dress Institute, a self-funded department. Yes, that’s a lot for a gala. It also opens the annual spring exhibition 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 kept secret until the last minute, representing a collection of notable figures from film, music, fashion, sports, politics, and the social networks that, without a doubt, make up the largest number of celebrities per square meter of any party in the world.
WHO WILL BE THE HOSTS THIS YEAR?
All five of this year’s hosts hail from television (Emmy-winning writer, actress and producer Michaela Coel); film (Oscar-winning actress Penélope Cruz, who has collaborated with Chanel for more than 20 years); sports (recently retired tennis superstar Roger Federer); and the music (Grammy-winning singer Dua Lipa). Finally, there’s Vogue editor Anna Wintour (need we tell you, she’s hot?), who runs the gala as usual.
IS THERE ALWAYS A THEME?
Yes. As mentioned above, the theme is Karl Lagerfeld, and the exhibition, “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” explores “the designer’s stylistic vocabulary expressed in aesthetic themes that appear a and again in her fashion from the 1950s to her final collection in 2019.” Once again, the exhibition has been put together by the Met’s star curator, Andrew Bolton.
DOES EVERYONE FOLLOW THE THEME?
Not precisely. Some avoid it and just go big and crazy. But you can expect some guests to carefully research the topic and be in perfect sync. It’s hard to beat the carpet from when the theme was “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” and Rihanna appeared as the pope, Zendaya evoked Joan of Arc, and Perry navigated the crowd. with huge angel wings. But in Lagerfeld’s case, the clothes tend to be a bit more down-to-earth.
HOW MUCH DO I HAVE TO PAY TO HAVE A TICKET TO THE MET GALA?
Wrong question. You can’t just pay and buy a ticket. The correct question is: If I were famous or powerful and invited, how much would it cost?
IF I WAS FAMOUS OR POWERFUL AND I WAS INVITED, HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST?
You probably wouldn’t pay for it yourself. Usually companies buy tables. A fashion brand then invites the desired celebrities. This year the cost has increased, as it happens every few years. Now it’s $50,000 for a single ticket and table prices start at $300,000.
WHO IS INVITED?
This year, there will be approximately 400 guests, a similar number to past years but still below the pre-pandemic highs of 500-600. Wintour and his team reserve the right to approve all guests.
Are you trying to guess who will go? Get out your pen and write down some of your favorite names, the more expectation the better. The new Oscar winners, for example, are a good bet. Broadway is a Wintour favorite. He also loves tennis, this is not Federer’s first gala at the Met. Now cross off everyone on your list except the first ones. At this gala, everyone is top-notch stars.
THAT MUST BE AN EXAGGERATION
Not really. You can ask Tina Fey. She went in 2010 and later described walking around trying to find someone “normal” to sit down and talk to. That person ended up being the famous journalist Barbara Walters.
WHERE YOU CAN SEE?
You can watch the red carpet on Vogue’s live stream. If you’re in New York, you can join the fans across the street behind barricades, on Fifth Avenue, or even further east in Madison. Timothée Chalamet is famous for greeting fans. AP will have a live broadcast of the departures from the Mark Hotel, where many stars prepare.
DO WE KNOW WHO WILL GO AND WHO WILL NOT?
It’s a secret. But sometimes details escape. There are sure to be 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 go for cocktails. Or they go to see the exhibition. Cocktails are from 6 pm to 8 pm, but the most famous, or those planning to make the biggest entrance, sometimes arrive later.
Around 8 pm, guests are grandly summoned to dinner (“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 with 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 said she left early in early 2016 and later said she felt uncomfortable and like it was “punishment.”
AND THEY NEVER COME BACK?
Incorrect. Schumer returned in 2017. And last year.
After all, it’s the Met Gala.
2023-05-01 19:24:52
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