- Celebrities will climb the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6 for the annual Met Gala.
- The event, which began in 1948, raises funds for the Met’s Costume Institute.
- This year’s theme is ‘Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion’, with the dress code being ‘The Garden of Time’.
True love’s kiss or an invitation to the Met Gala? Those in that rare category of international celebrity – and Anna Wintour’s good graces – don’t have to choose.
Stars of film, fashion, music, sports, politics and social media will step up. Metropolitan Museum of Art Come on the first Monday of May – May 6 – to enjoy cocktails, eat dinner and sample the new exhibit, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.” As fashion’s biggest night approaches, it’s time for The Associated Press to release the 2024 edition of our annual guide.
So what does the Met Gala mean?
It started as a society midnight supper in 1948, and it wasn’t even at the Met. Fast forward more than 70 years, and it’s one of the most photographed events in the world, famous for its spectacular red carpet – although the carpet isn’t always red.
However, it is important to note that the party has one purpose, to raise funds for Met’s Costume Institute – Nearly $22 million last year, a record for the self-financing department – and the launch of the annual spring exhibition that brings hundreds of thousands of visitors to the museum.
Vogue editor Anna Wintour attends a benefit gala for The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute celebrating the opening of the “Camp: Notes on Fashion” exhibit on May 6, 2019 in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
But it’s the carpet that captures the world’s attention, with the 400-strong guest list the subject of furious speculation right up to the last moment – a collection of luminaries that arguably creates the highest celebrity wattage per square foot of any party World.
Who is hosting this year?
“Anna Wintour Me Pregunto,” bad bunny Could sing. The multi-hyphenated Jennifer Lopez has added another role to her busy year. And then there are two Marvel stars who have been spending a lot of time in the desert lately: Zendaya, who has continued to surprise on the red carpet with her “Dune” and “Challengers” looks, and Chris Hemsworth, who’s been trading in Mjolnir. Here’s to the upcoming “Furiosa.” (In fact, Hemsworth is attending the ceremony for the first time.)
And, of course, Wintour herself.
What does the Met Gala theme mean?
In fact this topic has nothing to do with fairy tales. The title of the accompanying exhibit “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” refers to costumes from the Costume Institute’s collection that were “asleep” and will now be on display, some so delicate that they cannot be hung upright, otherwise they would disintegrate. . Curator Andrew Bolton selected 250 pieces spanning four centuries.
There’s also a dress code with a theme – this year, it’s the “Garden of Time”. Themes and dress codes are often interpreted… loosely. So after all, there’s a chance you might see an aurora on the carpet.
How much do I have to pay for a ticket?
Wrong question. You can’t just buy a ticket. The right question is: If I were famous or powerful and I was invited, how much would it cost?
Well, if I were famous or powerful and I was invited, how much would it cost?
Well, maybe you don’t pay yourself. Usually companies buy tables. For example, a fashion label will host its desired celebrities. A table of 10 this year starts at $350,000.
How can I see?
You can watch the entire carpet unfold on the Vogue livestream. If you’re in New York, you can join fans across the street, behind the barricades on Fifth Avenue, or even further away on Madison. (Get there early if you want a spot.) And the AP will have a livestream of the departure from the Mark Hotel, where many of the illustrious guests are getting ready.
What happens inside?
Entering the museum, guests typically walk past an impossibly huge flower arrangement in the lobby, with perhaps an orchestra playing nearby, and on to cocktails. Or, they go to see the exhibition. This year the cocktails start a half hour earlier, so they start at 5:30 p.m., and last about two hours, followed by dinner. The most famous – or those planning the biggest entrances – sometimes (fashionably) arrive later.
So who is coming?
Rihanna is the queen of dramatic entrances and late arrivals (don’t they always go together?) and she’s said she’ll be joining in, describing her outfit as “cool” and “simple” (we’re talking about I will see). If tradition continues, the dinner will be well under way (perhaps even over) and it will still be worth the wait. Presumably, the superstar and mogul will again partner A$AP Rocky. Other high-profile partners are likely to attend, as are their significant others hosting: Ben Affleck and Tom Holland.
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Excited about the Oscars, nominee Lily Gladstone has said she will be attending and has teased an eye-catching fashion collab involving a leading designer and an “incredible Indigenous artist”. Another fashion-forward awards circuit luminary that everyone wants and expects to see on the Met steps: Ayo Edebiri. As for a certain stratospheric pop superstar who’s in an NFL predicament: She’s resuming her Erasure Tour in Paris in three days, so we can assume that’s what’s going on for Taylor Swift this year. There will be no Met Gala.
Tennis, anyone?
What does Wintour love, maybe even more than fashion? Maybe even more than Broadway? Why, tennis. Add in Zendaya’s current tennis-themed movie, “Challengers,” and one can only imagine there will be tennis stars — perhaps former hosts Serena Williams and famous retirees like Roger Federer. (Given the clay-court season underway in Europe, this may be logistically difficult for current players.) But hey, the Met Gala loves fashionable athletes. Caitlin Clark, are you listening?
