This year the Met Gala is back to its traditional schedule on the first Monday in May and it’s set to be more fabulous than ever.
Billie Eilish at The MET Gala in 2021
After a shift in dates last year due to the global pandemic, fashion’s most glamorous event returns to the red carpet this May. As it has done since 2005, the first Monday of May will see the Big Apple’s Metropolitan Museum of Art welcome the who’s who of the fashion and celebrity worlds to mark the opening of the museum’s latest exhibition with a stylish celebration.
The Gala first began in 1948, when Eleanor Lambert, a New York publicist, decided to host an annual fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Formally known as the Costume Institute Benefit, the event was coined ‘The Party of the Year’ and attracted the who’s who of the New York social scene. Back then, the event entrance fee was just $50 and it was an intimate yet exclusive soirée for Manhattan locals. As each year passed and news spread, celebrities and A-listers began to attend, including Diana Princess of Wales, artist Andy Warhol and singer Cher.
Diana, Princess of Wales at The MET Gala in 1996
Today, The Met Gala is Chaired by Anna Wintour, Worldwide Chief Content Officer and Global Editorial Director of Vogue who each year enlists the help of friends and colleagues in hosting the event which sees the biggest names in film, music and fashion, attending. Celebrities showcase the boldest outfits in a competition for best dressed, while fashion houses spend months preparing for the style spectacle.
Each year the gala’s theme is created in coherence with the Museum’s Costume Institute Exhibition, which is also the basis and inspiration for the guest’s outfit choices. This year’s theme “Gilded Glamour” is the second edition of a two-part series that first debuted in September 2021, when the last gala took place. Last year’s theme ‘American Independence’ saw Kim Kardashian appearing in an all-black Balenciaga outfit, whilst Billie Eilish captured hearts in her Marylin Monroe-inspired look by Oscar de la Renta.
Kim Kardashian at the MET Gala in 2021
Gilded Glamour pays homage to the era between 1870 and 1890, where, especially in New York, technological developments made it easier for the elite to buy more clothes and more extravagant garments than ever before, and so the “more-is-more” approach to fashion began. Quite fitting for the Met Gala don’t you think? During this period, extravagant feathered headpieces, colourful gowns, and corset tops were staple pieces for women, with top hats and pocket watches being key accessories for men. The theme is perhaps already having a moment with TV series such as “The Gilded Age” and “Bridgerton” celebrating the all-out glamour that this era represents.
So be ready for one of the most glamourous events yet, and you can bet the who’s who of fashion will be back with a bang on the red carpet this May.
