Met Gala: Everything You Need to Know

Monday, May 1st was the night of this year’s annual Met Gala. The Gala is a fundraising event that has been occurring since the late 1940s – though it has evolved significantly since then – and is run by the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City. It’s an incredibly prestigious event, not just anyone can get in; you must be one of only 600-700 guests invited. Attendees are carefully selected people of societal relevance – often models, fashion designers, athletes, political figures, music artists, prominent business people, and in recent years, some social media stars. And not only do guests need to be invited to attend, but this year, the attendance fee was $50,000.

Anna Wintour, the current editor-in-chief of Vogue, has been chairperson of the event almost every year since 1995. She and a few select co-chairs – who, this year, were Penélope Cruz, Michaela Coel, Roger Federer, and Dua Lipa – host the gala.

Each year, a different theme is selected to inspire the guests’ wardrobe choices for the night. This year’s unique theme was “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty.” Karl Lagerfeld was an iconic German fashion designer who passed away in 2019 from pancreatic cancer. His career started at the young age of fourteen when he made the decision to move to Paris alone in pursuit of his dreams. Lagerfeld eventually began working with Pierre Balmain at his designer clothing company, and throughout the course of his career, worked with Fendi, Chloé, Chanel, and a number of other brands, including making his own. He also experimented in other forms of art, like film and photography.

He was famously obsessed with his Birman cat, Choupette. Lagerfeld treated her to a life of luxury that continues even after his death; Choupette sometimes traveled alongside him in private jets, she has her own Instagram account – with over 200,000 followers – and she also has her own nanny. 

Many looks from the night of the Met Gala took inspiration from Lagerfeld’s work. For example, Serena Williams implemented pearls in hers, since Karl worked with Chanel often. Some consisted of archived pieces from Lagerfeld’s shows, like Dua Lipa in a Chanel FW92 Couture dress. A few attendees made references to looks Karl wore himself, such as A$AP Rocky. Jeremy Pope wore a custom Balmain cape with Karl’s face on it. 

Some looks were more personal; Gisele Bundchen arrived in the same dress she’d worn for a photo shoot in Lagerfeld’s house sixteen years ago, she said in a brief interview with Vogue. Still others were inspired by his beloved pet, Choupette, like Jared Leto in a suit modeled to look just like her, or, slightly more subtly, Doja Cat in a cat-themed Oscar De La Renta look. 

Viewers of the Met Gala had a lot to say about the event, whether it be about the outfits, Karl Lagerfeld, or the cockroach that caused a brief stir on the carpet. Many fans took to social media platforms, such as Twitter, using the hashtag “#MetGala.” 

If you want to see more looks from the night, consider checking out articles like these from the New York Times, or watching the live stream hosted by Vogue. Let us know what you think!