What is the Met Gala? Themes, guests, fashion and a brief history of Anna Wintour’s glamorous event

How did a 1948 fundraising dinner morph into a world-renowned fashion spectacle? 
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Lauren Keary4 May 2019

The Met Gala has been a New York society staple for for over two decades. But the event hasn’t always been the big, international fashion extravaganza it is today.

In fact, it hasn’t always been called the Met Gala. Leading up to this year’s event on Monday May 6, here’s everything you need to know about how the biggest night in fashion grew to what it is today.

When did the Met Gala first take place?

In 1948, Eleanor Lambert, CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) founder and fashion publicist, hosted what would later become the Met Gala. Even though back then it wasn’t called the Met Gala, and it didn’t even take place at the Met. It was a fundraising event for the Costume Institute, an exhibit at the Met that houses a collection of centuries-old costumes from all over the world. The dinner fundraiser took place annually in December at venues including Central Park, the Waldorf Astoria and the Rainbow Room.

Diana Vreeland
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When did the event start to grow?

In the 1970s, fashion editor Diana Vreeland became a special consultant at the Costume Institute and socialite Pat Buckley took over as chairwoman. After her time as editor-in-chief at Vogue, Vreeland turned the fundraiser into a VIP party.

She started hosting the event at the Met, where guests would enter into the Great Hall for a cocktail before heading downstairs to the exhibit, which featured faceless mannequins with pantyhose pulled over their heads dressed in the costumes on display. She was the first to hold the event at the costume exhibit and even pumped the room full of fragrance to create a pleasant atmosphere for guests.

Alessandro Michele, Lana del Rey, and Jared Leto display ‘Heavenly Bodies’ theme at 2018 Met Gala
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When did the themes begin?

Vreeland was also responsible for giving the Met Gala an annual theme. Vreeland’s first exhibit was 'The World of Balenciaga' in 1973. Over her 14 years with the Costume Institute, she curated themes for the Met Gala, like 'Romantic and Glamorous Hollywood Design', 'The Glory of Russian Costume', 'Vanity Fair' and 'The Eighteenth-Century Woman'. Her reign over the Met Gala ended with her death in 1989. Pat Buckley continued to chair the event until 1995.

Princess Diana attending the gala in 1996
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Who has attended the Met Gala through the years?

During Vreeland’s time with the Met, she gathered together countless names for the event, making it the celebrity-packed gala it is today. Among these early names were Andy Warhol, Diana Ross, Cher, Jackie Kennedy, Nan Kempner, Oscar de la Renta, Henry Kissinger and Bill Blass.

In 1996, Princess Diana notably attended the Met Gala wearing a Dior slip dress.

Anna Wintour at 2018 Met Gala
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When did Anna Wintour take over?

Editor-in-chief of Vogue Anna Wintour took over as chairman in 1995, building on the elaborate themes and star power of the Met Gala. She also brought with her the heavyweight fashion backing of her magazine, Vogue.

In 2001, Wintour moved the event from December to April. In 2002, museum curator Andrew Bolton joined the team and helped refine the displays and decor for the Gala.

Rihanna at 2018 Met Gala
Getty Images

The Met Gala today

With Wintour’s vast web of connections in media, pop culture and celebrity, she has helped give the the Met Gala global recognition as the biggest night in fashion.

Today, the event is more than a gathering of New York socialites and a fashion exhibition. Athletes, models, politicians and actresses come dressed in their best designer interpretations of each year’s theme, walk the famous red carpet and head inside to dine and listen to live music from stars like Lady Gaga, Kanye West and Rihanna.

The Great Hall, Grand Staircase and Charles Engelhard Court serve as a blank canvas for the Met Gala designer to present each year’s theme in the form of over-the-top decor.

Anna Wintour on the 2019 Met Gala’s ‘Camp’ theme
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What is this year’s theme, and what do we know about the event so far?

This year’s Met Gala theme is 'Camp: Notes on Fashion.' It’s a reference to Susan Sontag’s 1964 “Notes on Camp” essay in which she explains what 'camp' is.

“The essence of Camp is its love of the unnatural: of artifice and exaggeration,” Sontag wrote. She has 58 points explaining exactly what “camp” is, including number 38: “Camp is the consistently aesthetic experience of the world. It incarnates a victory of ‘style’ over ‘content,’ ‘aesthetics’ over ‘morality,’ of irony over tragedy.”

“We are going through an extreme camp moment, and it felt very relevant to the cultural conversation to look at what is often dismissed as empty frivolity but can be actually a very sophisticated and powerful political tool, especially for marginalized cultures,” Andrew Bolton, the curator in charge of the Costume Institute, said according to the New York Times. “Whether it’s pop camp, queer camp, high camp or political camp — Trump is a very camp figure — I think it’s very timely.”

With 58 different points on “camp,” there are sure to be varying displays of this fashion concept and lots of wild ensembles come this year’s Met Gala. The spectacle will take place on May 6 at the Metropolitan Museum in New York City.

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