Fashion is often the signifying mark of a decade’s history. That is why clothing and jewelry items are staples in museums, as the conservation and preservation of fashion piece together a narrative of the people that once lived their life in those garments.
The Met Ball was founded in 1948 by fashion publicist, Eleanor Lambert, as a fundraising event for the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Arts. The Costume Institute does not receive government funding, and relies on publicity the gala draws from the exhibition to generate profit from the public and sustain the school.
The ball gained prominence in the 1970s when Diana Vreeland became consultant to the Costume Institute and played into annual themes. Now, the Met Gala is a global fashion moment: the mark of a new year. World renowned celebrities walk up the stairs of the Met in a brilliantly publicized outfit.
The Met Gala is orchestrated by two people: Anna Wintour, Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Magazine, and Andrew Bolton, Head Curator of the Costume Institute at The Met. The pair work together for the annual invite-only event, Bolton curating the exhibition and Wintour organizing the gala.
The Wintour-approved guest list is extensive: celebrities, philanthropist, models, royals, actresses, and singers, most notably, fashion designers. Each seat ranges from 60,000 to 70,000 dollars.
Fashion Designers and Houses in good graces with Wintour buy tables (which run an upward of $250,000) and bring ambassadors they’d like to dress.
The Met Gala theme in 2023 was “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty.” Designer Thom Browne brought and dressed actress Jenna Ortega, singer Olivia Rodrigo, singer and dancer Teyana Taylor, singer Janelle Monae, and model Sora Choi, my personal crown-jewel look of last year’s event. Browne’s approach to dressing these celebs was tailoring his color palette and print to each star’s personalities.
That thoughtfulness translating into a brand’s fashion are how red carpet moments spread across the medias: the invitee’s influence. After the red carpet walk, guests head inside the no-phone event to get an exclusive preview of the exhibition, socialize, and eat an extravagantly expensive dinner.
Using celebrities as fashion muses is not the only avenue the duo uses to drive exhibit promotion. Vogue recently published an editorial featuring actress Elizabeth Debicki wearing historical clothing items that will be in exhibition. It was in this way they debuted the 2024 theme.
The exhibit is entitled “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.” The exhibition will display centuries-old garments that are too delicate to be worn, either on mannequins or real bodies. Thusly, this clothing showcase will be flat or “sleeping.” The corresponding dress code for the Met Gala is “The Garden in Time,” offering an opportunity for designers and celebrities to weave the past into the present.
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