Every year industry insiders and famous faces from every stretch of the creative fields take on fashion’s most incredible and daring designs for the Met Gala.
Remember when Rihanna won the red carpet in a big-bird inspired (pizza meme bearing) yellow dress? That was the Met Gala. Remember when Sarah Jessica Parker went full on tartan don’t-mess-with-this-dress punk princess? That was the Met Gala. Remember when a very pregnant Kim Kardashian was likened to Mrs Doubtfire? That was the Met Gala. You get the picture. It’s a thing, a big thing.
What is the Met Gala?
The Costume Institute Gala at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is undoubtedly fashion’s biggest event. A night about fashion, in aid of fashion, dedicated to… you guessed it, fashion. When the Met Gala first began, back in 1948, it was a benefit held for the city’s elite to encourage donations to the upkeep of the museum.
The modern-day iteration is still a benefit with the most well-known faces from the realms of film, television, music, art and, of course, fashion attending to give donations to the Institute and to unveil the museum’s latest exhibition.
The chair of the event is Anna Wintour who has governed the Met Gala since 1995, with the help of some impressive co-chairs. This year is no different, with Wintour enlisting Amal Clooney, Rihanna and Donatella Versace to co-chair the Gala’s 70th anniversary.
When is the Met Gala?
The Met Gala always takes place on the first Monday of May. This year the event will be held on Monday 7 May with coverage starting from 7pm local time.
What is the theme of the Met Gala?
The theme of the Met Gala centres around that of the exhibition, and this year’s is Heavenly Bodies: Fashion And The Catholic Imagination. This is likely to be the Met Gala’s most controversial theme to date. The exhibition itself is set to be something of a visual feast with over 40 pieces of clothing and accessories from the Vatican, spanning 15 papacies on view for visitors - marking the first time the Vatican has relinquished any such artefacts.
What can we expect from this year’s Met Gala?
LOTS of Italian luxury brands. As a sponsor of the event, be prepared to see many of the Gala’s esteemed guests in Versace, and inevitably Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci and Moschino. The theme is also interpreted as loosely or as literally as the wearer deems: the fashion might be inspired by Catholic colours, notable figures in the Catholic community or a very simple touch point on the theme, for example Coco Chanel was raised by nuns and Cristóbal Balenciaga was a devout Catholic. The theme is there for the taking, whichever way you decide to construe it.
Who to look out for at the Met Gala?
The Met Gala is not about best dressed and worst dressed, it’s about experimenting with fashion – allowing fashion to become more than just a piece of clothing. The attendees who will stand out on the red carpet are those who are not afraid to look imperfect, for the clothes to be a talking point, those that choose something bold and daring. The Met Gala is about starting a conversation around the clothes as opposed to shying away from one and as such we’re excited to see what the women trailblazing the red-carpet in 2018 will bring on 7 May.
Images: Getty
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