Last week was the first Monday in May, which we all know means the Met Gala. It is probably one of (if not) the most talked about, created about, famous fashion events of the year.
The Met Gala is essentially “a fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute and its benefit to the museum overall”. The Gala was started in 1948 by fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert as a fundraiser for the newly founded Costume Institute to mark the opening of its annual exhibition. The early galas were mainly a dinner, with tickets costing 50 USD. The early attendees were mainly New York high society and New York’s fashion industry. In 1972, the incredible Diana Vreeland became a consultant to the Costume Institute. From then, the Gala became more international and glamorous, with high-profile attendees of celebrities and New York elite attendees. Guests included Cher, Diana Ross, Andy Warhol, Barbara Streisand, Elizabeth Taylor, Madonna, and Elton John. At this time, themes were introduced, and the Gala found a home at the Met.
House of Swarovski
The Met Gala, as it is known today, can be safely attributed to Anna Wintour taking up the reins in 1995 as the lead chairperson of the event. It has a theme, dress code and a very curated guest list, which Wintour oversees with her Vogue staff. The tickets have risen far beyond the 50 USD starting cost to an incredible 70 thousand USD per seat. Previous themes have included “Savage Beauty” (Alexander McQueen), “Punk: Chaos to Couture”, “Charles James”, “America: An Anthology of Fashion” (2022), “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” (2021), and “About Time: Fashion and Duration” (2020).
If you are a fashion lover, you will have seen endless content on Instagram, YouTube, other social media channels, and traditional media channels. I have referenced some of my favourites at the bottom of this blog. It is safe to say that we all talked about, looked at, thought about, and maybe criticised or even laughed at certain celebrities and their sartorial choices. In this blog, I want to talk a bit about my takeaways from this year‘s event, so let’s get to it.
Zendaya, Maison Margiela John galliano - Photo: Getty Images
Firstly, there were big names and the most impactful people; you can see the photos of those here. Of course, Zendaya, with her genius Stylist Luxury Law, serves up not one but two phenomenal looks. How the unbelievable house of Swarovski’s Creative Director Giovanna Battaglia Engelbert created extraordinary crystal outfits for herself, Kylie Koss, Karlie Kloss, Irina Shayk, Imaan Hammam, and Anok Yai. All of the big houses, Chanel, Dior, and of course Balenciaga (although I can’t say there was my favourite). Loewe and Jonathan Anderson co-chaired the event, so we saw a lot of the Loewe magic, including the beautiful Charles Worth-inspired coat worn by Ms Wintour, as well as many other brand ambassadors.
Kim Kardashian: Maison Margiela by John Galliano - Image: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
My takeaways came from some refreshing elements. Firstly, following the recent Margiela Couture show, Mr John Galliano was more than referenced. In many ways, he was associated with many looks, including one of the most controversial characters, Kim Kardashian. I, personally, found this one really inspiring; go and watch the Vogue video of this. It’s amazing. The one designer I always look forward to seeing is Harris Reid, who completely astounded everyone with his own fluid look and adding the dimension of Ms Demi Moore, no age, no gender bias - I absolutely love it. It is really those unexpected elements that make this so exciting and inspiring, and this was definitely one of those.
Harris Reed with Demi Moore
My most beloved creation was Mona Patel, styled by Law Roach. I didn’t even see her until later in the week, dressed in an Iris von Herpen couture butterfly gown with this extraordinary kinetic butterfly jewellery by Casey Curran. It was a true transformation; it was stunning, beautiful, somewhat magical, and subtle. What I found a very important aspect of this event is how much we can glean from event dressing and how some of these pieces are timeless. They will be catalogued, stored away and kept forever, and that’s a vision of fashion. Some of these pieces are like art, which will be kept and potentially featured in an exhibition years later. There were some amazing sustainable efforts, including Demi Moore’s Harris Reed dress, which was made from vintage wallpaper; Penelope Cruz wore a dress made from 3 other Chanel pieces; Charli XCX wore a Marni dress made from old T-shirts.
Mona Patel in Iris von Herpen - John Shearer/Getty Images
The other takeaway I had is that some of these pieces can also be reworked, reused, upcycled, re-created, or given a new life either through who else styles and wears them or actually through physical recreation. The Met Gala may seem like something completely unnecessary in the world with wars, but it’s given us something else to think about and discuss. Even my Chinese teacher was fully prepared with her best-dressed list when we met on Wednesday this week. It’s always a joy to talk about fashion.
HOMEWORK: which were your favourite outfits?
Which outfits would you have worn yourself if you had been invited to the Met Gala
Some of my favourite creator's work is @Ideservecouture, who had an almost running commentary.
And on Youtube:
@HauteleMode
“Inside Kim Kardashian’s Dream Met Gala Look” @vogue
“the entire history of the Met Gala” @understitch
As always, have fun, love life, and enjoy fashion.
Love, Kate xx