The Met Gala, formally known as the Costume Institute Gala, is an annual charity event held in interest for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City. Taking place on the first Monday in May each year (this year it will be May 6th), The Met Gala encourages celebrities to dress in unconventional ways while also finding a way to follow the provided theme. This year’s theme is “Sleeping Beauty: Reawakening Fashion.” With Gala hosts Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, and Chris Hemsworth; it’s definitely going to be interesting.
Although the purpose is to raise money for the museum, the underlying reason behind holding the event is to make a display of art and fashion, as well as the history they have with each other. For example, in 2018, the theme “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” unveiled hundreds of holy items from the Vatican. Many celebrities were seen wearing extravagant gowns, diamond-encrusted headpieces, and outfits that mimicked the architecture one might find in a Catholic Church. In 2023, with the theme “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” the Met Gala honored the life of Karl Lagerfeld, the cunning designer who changed the fashion industry as we know it. During the Gala, celebrities that followed the dress code were seen paying ohmage to Lagerfeld by wearing pieces that were either modeled by Karl’s muses, or they referenced him by wearing outfits inspired by clothes or collections by Lagerfeld. Blackpink’s Jennie was the last Chanel ambassador that was handpicked by Lagerfeld before his passing in February 2019. She was seen wearing a white mini dress paired with a black sash and camelia flower, a reimagined version of a Chanel fall 1990 look.
Max Hollein, The Met’s Mariana Kellen French Director and CEO, exclaimed “‘Sleeping Beauties’ will heighten our engagement with these masterpieces of fashion by evoking how they feel, move, sound, smell, and interact when being worn, ultimately offering a deeper appreciation of the integrity, beauty, and artistic brilliance of works on display.”
We have still yet to hear what celebrities plan on wearing for the event, but we can hope to see forgotten looks in fashion history brought back to life. As the Costume Institute’s unearths some its most beautiful and rare pieces, it’s sure to be a sight to see.
