The Met Gala or Met Ball recurred again this year with the theme, “Karl Lagerfeld: A line of beauty.” The theme was in honor of the designer who designed for Chanel, a popular, high-end clothing brand. But what actually is the Met Gala?
The Met Gala or in broad terms, Costume Institute Benefit, is held every first Monday of May at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET) in New York City. The event is a fashion-focused benefit that marks the opening of the Costume Institute’s annual fashion exhibit. The Met Gala is known for its exclusive guest list of celebrities and fashion icons who are invited to attend and dress according to a specific theme. The event is attended by high-profile figures from the worlds of fashion, music, film, and art, and is considered one of the most important events in the fashion industry.
Every year a theme is picked and announced for the guests to follow. The theme is highly important to the event because it correlates with the exhibit feature at the MET. For example, in 2018 the theme was picked to be “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” where many items from the Vatican were featured. The theme is supposed to, according to Anna Wintour, the chair of the event, tell a story and have a purpose.
This year’s theme was to honor the work of Karl Lagerfeld, an icon and designer in the fashion world. Throughout his lifetime Karl worked in many fashion houses including; Balmain, Chloé, Fendi and more recognizably Chanel, in addition to his own brand. At the Met Gala, more than 150 of his own items and designs were featured and displayed.
However what happens inside the event is secret. The only part that the general public will see is the carpet that the high profile attendees walk down to get pictures and interviews done. At the Gala there is a no phone or social media rule which mostly everyone follows. Although this rule is in place for the privacy and secrecy of the event Kendall Jenner gave a sneak peek from her camera in 2021.
The guest that does get the opportunity to be invited is top secret until the night before the first Monday of May. The reason for this has never been explained but also has never been questioned.
The “red” carpet is never truly red since the whole event including the carpet and inside is best fit to the theme of the night. However the color of the carpet never really matters. What truly matters are the stream of high profile celebrities that show up looking their best.
