The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual Costume Institute Gala, more commonly known as The Met Gala, is one of fashion’s biggest nights. From haute couture to risk-taking beauty, The Met Gala has spawned some of the most memorable fashion moments of all time. With less than two weeks down to the annual event, here is everything we know about the 2019 Met Gala.
What is the Met Gala?
The Met Gala is an annual fundraising event that was founded by fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert in 1948 to support and celebrate the opening of a new fashion exhibition every year at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The event started as a dinner hosted at midnight that guests could attend for $50 per ticket, with proceeds going to the Costume Institute.
Since 1995, the fundraising event has had a unique fashion theme for its guests to follow. Past themes have included 2004’s “Dangerous Liaisons: Fashion and Furniture in the 18th Century,” 2001’s “Jacqueline Kennedy: The White House Years,” 2013’s “Punk: Chaos to Couture” and more. 2000 and 2002 were the only two years since 1995 that did not have a theme.
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What is this year’s theme?
Think that 2018’s “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination,” seems hard to top? The theme for the 2019’s Met Gala is “Camp: Notes on Fashion,” so expect the outrageous.
The New York Times reported that the theme’s inspiration comes from the 1964 essay “Notes on Camp” by Susan Sontag. Sontag once explained to the Partisan Review that “The essence of Camp is its love of the unnatural: of artifice and exaggeration.” The author is often credited for “camp” becoming a mainstream concept.
Andrew Bolton, Head Curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, told the New York Times that the “camp“ theme feels extremely current.”We are going through an extreme camp moment, and it felt very relevant to the cultural conversation to look at what is often dismissed as empty frivolity but can be actually a very sophisticated and powerful political tool, especially for marginalized cultures. Whether it’s pop camp, queer camp, high camp or political camp—Trump is a very camp figure—I think it’s very timely.”
Alessandro Michele, Gucci’s creative director, defined the theme to the New York Times, stating that “Camp really means the unique ability of combining high art and pop culture; it is not kitsch.”
Who will be hosting this year’s Met Gala?
This year’s Met Gala will be hosted by Lady Gaga and Harry Styles, both of whom are known for their outrageous and over-the-top fashion choices. Since the event is sponsored by Gucci this year, Alessandro Michele will be co-hosting the event alongside the musicians. Anna Wintour, Vogue editor-in chief, will also co-host, alongside Serena Williams, who launched her self-titled clothing line in May 2018.
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What day is the Met Gala?
By tradition, the Met Gala is on the first Monday of every month. Last year, the Met Gala was on May 7, but this year’s gala will take place on May 6.
Where does the Met Gala take place?
Every year, the Met Gala takes place at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, home to the Costume Institute.
What are the official rules?
The biggest rule of the Met Gala is “no selfies allowed,” but that was first broken by Kendall Jenner back in 2015. Since then, both Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian have taken selfies at the Met Gala, so we can expect at least one picture from inside this year.
Also not allowed? Smoking allowed inside the museum’s bathrooms. Several pictures from last year’s event showed celebrities smoking cigarettes during the event, which prompted the New York City Department of Health to get involved, according to WWD. Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett wrote a letter to the museum’s vice president, stating that “We were dismayed to read reports that some celebrities chose smoking as their fashion accessory and flagrantly violated New York City’s smoking laws.” The Met Gala responded, saying that they’ll “take steps to ensure this does not happen again.” Good thing everyone’s taken up vaping.
Can I watch the Met Gala?
Unfortunately not, but there are a few ways to see all the fashion from the annual event. This year, E! will be hosting a live special titled Live From the Red Carpet: The 2019 Met Gala special on Monday, May 6, starting at 5:00 p.m. ET. Last year, E! streamed the red carpet on Facebook Live, E! Online, the E! mobile app, Apple News, and YouTube, so it’s very possible they will do the same thing this year.
Before the red carpet, the network also aired a special version of E! News that went behind the scenes with the celebrities gearing up for the fashion event. Closer to the event, additional details about event coverage will be released.
Vogue, who is cohosting with the Met, will also stream the carpet live from their Facebook page. If all else fails, you can keep refreshing Instagram and Twitter.
Who is attending this year’s Met Gala?
Expect to see your favorite A-list celebrities attending the event. This includes regulars like Rihanna, Blake Lively, Selena Gomez, Zendaya, Priyanka Chopra, Katy Perry, Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Amal Clooney, and more.
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Can I purchase a ticket to the Met Gala?
Page Six reported that tickets can cost anywhere between $30,000 and $50,000 per person (excluding the even steeper six-figure price of having a table). Even though a ticket can technically be purchased, the person still has to be personally approved to attend the ceremony by Anna Wintour, since the gala is invite-only.
