The Met Gala as we know it today is one of the biggest fashion, celebrity and pop culture events.
However, it wasn’t always the star-studded and dramatic costume night that it is now. It first started as a charity event created by publicist Eleanor Lambert to raise money for the then newly founded Costume Institute.
More from WWD
The event brought about a cultural change when Diana Vreeland was appointed as a consultant for the Costume Institute, changing the location of the Met Gala to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and adding gala themes.
Now Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour oversees the benefit, guest list and theme, working closely with the Met on the event each year. It is also said that she even approves of what designers the high-profile guests wear, and rejects the guests chosen by a table sponsor in favor of others.
Here, WWD explains everything you need to know about the history of the Met Gala. Scroll on for more.
How did the Met Gala start?
The Met Gala was founded in 1948 by Lambert, a renowned fashion publicist, as a way to raise money for the Costume Institute and to mark the opening of its annual exhibition. Lambert is also known as the founder of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, which she founded in 1962.
The Costume Institute, founded by Irene Lewisohn and Aline Bernstein and initially called the Museum of Costume Art, merged with the Museum of Metropolitan Art in 1946.
The first Met Gala was a dinner held in December, with tickets priced at $50 each. From its founding until 1971, the event was not held at the Met as it is today, but at locations such as Central Park, the Rainbow Room and the Waldorf Astoria.
What was the original purpose of the Met Gala?
The event began as a fundraiser for the Costume Institute and served as the opening party for the annual exhibition. After the Met Gala, the exhibition will be on display at the museum for several months.
Today, the Met Gala is still known as one of the largest fundraising benefits in New York City. According to Forbes, the Met Gala raised more than $175 million for the Costume Institute. Every year the event manages to raise a plethora of funds, with the 2019 edition reportedly raising a record $15 million.
When did the Met Gala turn into a more social event?
Following Vreeland’s tenure as editor-in-chief of Vogue, the famed French-American fashion editor and columnist joined the Costume Institute as a consultant, changing the cultural gears of the event.
It was during Vreeland’s time at the institute that the event became more elaborate and celebrity-oriented as the guest list expanded to include the biggest stars of the time, such as Elizabeth Taylor, Diana Ross, Elton John, Cher, Andy Warhol, Liza Minnelli. , Halston, Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Bianca Jagger, among others.
It was during Vreeland’s tenure that the event was held at the Met and themes for the galas were introduced. Instead of turning it into a typical charity event, Vreeland turned it into more of a celebration.
With the addition of socialite Pat Buckley, who was married to conservative author William F. Buckley, in 1978, the Met Gala became one of the largest and most exclusive charity events on the social calendar.
How have the costumes at the Met Gala become more extravagant over the years?
Under Vreeland, the Met Gala became more associated with popular culture, making it an event with enormous publicity and press attention.
She introduced Gala themes, the first being ‘The World of Balenciaga’ in 1973. Other exhibitions she worked on with the Met include ‘Romantic and Glamorous Hollywood Design’, ‘Vanity Fair: A Treasure Trove’ and ‘La Belle Époque’. ” among other things.
It wasn’t until 2004, when the theme was “Dangerous Liaisons: Fashion and Furniture in the 18th Century,” that the Met Gala became an event with more elaborate costume moments. Notably, model-actress Amber Valletta wore a Marie Antoinette-meets-punk rock look that year, with a nude corset by Maggie Norris Couture and skirt by John Galliano, complete with an 18th-century hairstyle.
Over the years, there have also been exhibitions dedicated to certain designers, such as Yves Saint Laurent, Gianni Versace, Christian Dior, Chanel, Alexander McQueen, Schiaparelli and Prada, among others.
Vreeland worked at the Met until her death in 1989.
Wintour took over as chairman in 1995 and oversaw the benefit and guest list, which is limited to about 650 to 700 people per year. She also changed the date of the Met Gala from December to the first Monday in May. In the past, the event has been a cocktail hour followed by dinner; in recent years, dinner has become more like hors d’oeuvres.
How have ticket prices for the Met Gala changed?
Over time, ticket prices have risen dramatically, with the current price of one ticket reportedly being around $30,000.
From the 1970s through the 1980s, the entrance fee was reportedly still less than $1,000. In 1998, the price of a single ticket rose to $2,000. Three years later it rose to $3,500.
In the 2010s, the Met Gala became a celebrity-packed event, with the addition of current pop culture icons such as Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, Rihanna, the Hadid sisters, the Kardashian-Jenner clan and more. According to a report from WWD, in 2016 solo ticket prices cost $25,000 and a table for 10 people could be purchased for $250,000.
Typically, designers buy the tables and fill them with celebrities who dress them for the event. However, each person on the guest list must be approved by the event chairman: Wintour. And she’s picky: There are countless stories of Wintour telling a company that bought a table that the intended guests don’t meet her standards and putting other guests there instead (and the company still has to pay).
What does the Met Gala look like now?
Today, the Met Gala remains one of the biggest events in fashion today, known in popular culture as “Fashion’s Biggest Night.” But while the evening used to be considered the height of fashion chic, in recent years it has become a platform for many celebrities to show their more outrageous sides.
Celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, Madonna and many more attend the exclusive event dressed to the nines in custom, elaborate costumes from some of fashion’s biggest houses. Last year, Balenciaga dressed Kardashian and Rihanna, while Jenner and Hadid wore Givenchy and Prada, respectively.
In 2019, show-stopping stars like Lady Gaga and Billy Porter made their grand entrances go down in history with the theme ‘Camp: Notes on Fashion’, with the former showing off four different outfits on the red carpet, all designed by Brandon Maxwell, while Porter arrived dressed as an Egyptian pharaoh in an outfit from The Blonds, and was even carried onto the carpet by six men.
There is a strict no-social media policy during the event, although some celebrities still manage to sneak in a photo or two. A favorite spot for selfies in recent years has been the ladies’ room, where scores of designers (including men) and models would sneak in and grab a cigarette – until the Met took hold and banned the practice.
When is the Met Gala 2024?
The 2024 Met Gala will take place on May 6 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
This year, the Metropolitan Museum’s fashion exhibition is entitled ‘Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion’. The Met’s Costume Institute will exhibit approximately 250 rare items, many of which are too fragile to wear again. It is inspired by recent conversations in fashion around the manipulation of archival clothing.
This year’s Met Gala theme and subsequent dress code, ‘The Garden of Time’, is inspired by JG Ballard’s 1962 short story, which explores the concept of conservation using flowers as a symbol of beauty, youth and innocence.
The co-chairs of the event change every year. This year, Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny and Chris Hemsworth have been named co-chairs.
Looking back at previous met galas from the Fairchild archive
View gallery
READ MORE HERE:
Everything you need to know about the 2022 Met Gala
Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Regina King and Lin-Manuel Miranda to co-host Met Gala 2022
How American was the red carpet at this year’s Met Gala?
Launch Gallery: Revisiting past Met galas from the Fairchild Archive
The best of WWD