Known as the Oscars of the fashion world, Met Gala is one of the most looked forward international events of the year. The annual event takes place at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and is attended by who’s who of the fashion and entertainment industry. However, it also happens to be one of the most exclusive invite-only events and what happens inside the Met, usually stays inside the Met. But we have scoured the internet to bring some answers to your questions:
What happens inside the Met Gala?
Met Gala signals the opening of the Costume Institute’s annual show, and it is known for its celebrity and fashion hosts. The Met Gala 2022 theme is “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” which may explore the grandeur associated with the “Gilded Age,” a period of accelerated industrialisation. However, it should be noted that one of the reasons you never get to see what happens inside the venue is because celebrities are banned from taking any social media photos from inside the event. According to Elle, the rule apparently came into play because guests were spending too much time on their phones and not being present for the high-brow evening.
The Gala itself has a sit-down portion of the night, celebrities do have a look around the exhibition itself after the red carpet.
Although the invites to the Met Gala are selective, tickets cost $35,000 which is equivalent to almost Rs 27 lakh each. Tickets for tables range from $200,000 to $300,000 or more than Rs 2 crore.
All of the money from ticket sales goes to the Costume Institute, which it needs because it is the only one of the Met’s curatorial departments that has to fund itself, reports The New York Times. Fashion was not seen exactly as an art form when the Costume Institute was established. The Gala also includes performances by artists, a cocktail hour, and of course a dinner time.
https://www.elle.com.au/fashion/met-gala-what-happens-inside-26968
Who gets invited?
Anna Wintour, the editor of American Vogue and the artistic director of Condé Nast, took over annual leadership of the event in 1999. According to The New York Times, since 1999 Wintour has been instrumental in transforming a local philanthropic event into the global celebrity/power event watched by millions world over. The report added that to qualify for inclusion to the Met Gala one has to have a buzz and achievement and beauty more than money. NYT reports that it is Wintour who has the final say over every invitation and attendee, which means that even if a company buys a table, it cannot choose everyone who sits at its table: It must clear the guest with her and Vogue and pray for approval.
According to Elle, out of 300 to 500 guests are in attendance at each year’s event; tables are separated into groups of 15 to 20 people. An elite celebrity would most likely be seated at a smaller table depending on which designer they are wearing.
