The Met Gala is the biggest fashion event every year. It started back in 1948 when the fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert decided to throw a party to raise money for the new Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC. Each year there’s this super exclusive guest list, and they all come dressed to impress based on the theme of the exhibit. It wasn’t until 1971 that the Gala became themed, and since then, it’s been all about the glitz and glamour, with celebs and designers going all out.
The Gala really took off as a major event in the ’90s when Vogue’s editor-in-chief Anna Wintour took over. She’s been the chairwoman since 1995, and under her, the Met Gala has become this huge deal in the fashion world. It’s not just a fundraiser anymore; it’s the place to see and be seen, with everyone from movie stars to musicians strutting their stuff. Each year’s theme is like a creative challenge, and you get to see these amazing interpretations of themes like “Punk: Chaos to Couture” or “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination”. It’s like a mix of high fashion, art, and a bit of the surreal all rolled into one night.
The red carpet is the center of the event. Each year, celebrities come fully decked out in the theme and walk the carpet to show it off. One of the most iconic walks on the carpet was in 2019 when the theme was camp. Lady Gaga put on the performance of the year when she strutted in four different outfits in less than five minutes. The Gala is a big fundraiser, and it brings in millions for the Costume Institute each year, which helps them put on some really cool fashion exhibits. I mean, where else can you see a Chanel gown next to a suit of armor, right?
This year, the theme of the met exhibit was “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion”. The collection featured 250 items drawn from the Costume Institute’s permanent collection, many of which have rarely been seen in public before. This year’s Met Gala dress code was “The Garden of Time.” Inspired by J.G. Ballard’s short story of the same title, written in 1962, was interpreted in a myriad of ways.
“The First Monday in May ” is a behind the scenes look into the details that go into the gala each year. It follows the creation of the 2015 exhibit “China: Through the Looking Glass” and the celeb-packed Gala that launches it. You get to see Andrew Bolton, the curator, as he works to make the exhibit perfect, plus Anna Wintour doing her thing to ensure the Gala is a hit. The doc is awesome because it shows how fashion and art collide, and the work that goes into blending the two for such a huge event. There are interviews with designers, celebs, and artists, and you get to see how they all think about fashion and creativity. Plus, there’s all this tension building up to the big day, which makes it super engaging. It’s not just about pretty dresses; it’s about cultural conversations and sometimes controversies, especially with a theme like that year’s.
