On the first Monday of May, fashion’s most important event happens: The Met Gala. With a new theme each year, the Met Gala serves as a lavish fundraising party for the Met Museum’s Costume Institute and its new spring exhibition. But what makes this event different from other red carpets?
For an awards show comparison, the Met Gala is like the Oscars of the fashion world. It differs from other red carpet events because of the type of fashion it celebrates. The Met Ball celebrates directional fashion whereas other red carpet events typically focus on flattering fashion. What I interpret directional fashion to mean is essentially fashion as an art form; designers create extravagant artwork in the form of clothes and the celebrities wearing the outfits are their canvases. Flattering fashion, however, is about finding the looks that flatter the celebrities’ bodies the best; this type of fashion typically takes the reins during regular awards shows and red carpets.
Just as most art exhibitions are centered around a specific theme, the looks at the Met Ball for each year are supposed to do the same, further solidifying the idea of fashion as an art form. Just as artists can spend a lifetime creating the perfect painting, fashion designers and their workers spend hundreds to thousands of hours creating outfits with the hopes that they will be remembered by fashion’s most important names.
“The Met Gala is solely about the fashion. “It’s the culmination of a designer’s imagination, the craftsmanship of their respective fashion house and the challenge of interpreting the theme, while still retaining the designer’s aesthetic and integrity. It’s a showcase for fashion in its most pure art form.” – Celebrity stylist Rebecca Corbin-Murray
Because the Met Gala is not focused on flattering fashion, this gives designers the freedom to experiment with their own creativity as artists. If there is any place on Earth where crazy and at times ridiculous fashion will be appreciated, it is certainly at the Met Gala. Because there is such a strong importance placed on the art of making each dress, suit, or outfit, it’s as if each designer is an exhibitionist and the clothing they make is a part of a massive collection at an international exhibition. In a way, each individual outfit is a mini museum in and of itself.
This event is also the place for celebrities to express who they are in terms of fashion. Lots of the time, celebrities have brand deals and endorsements, which limit what they are allowed to wear to red carpet events. At the Met Gala, this, for the most part, goes out the door. Because of this, the event also acts as a time where the celebrities can relax and wear something different and exciting. At the Met Ball, they have the liberties to make bold fashion choices because unlike regular red carpet events, the Met is made for “fashion people,” or people who will appreciate clothing that’s outside of the box.
“Red-carpet dressing generally has to speak to a global audience who aren’t ‘fashion’ people – the Met Gala is the direct opposite of that.” – fashion director Avril Mair
The Met Ball has changed a lot since its first event in 1946, but the core values of the function have stayed the same; the goal has been and always will be to appreciate and celebrate fashion as an art form.
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