Who else is crying over the fact that the Met Gala 2020 is indefinitely postponed? I mean, Princess Diana attended the event in 1996! The Met Gala is an annual event that takes place on the first Monday of May (would have been today). It sets the fashion guidelines for the upcoming seasons. With the world’s celebrities attending in themed designer outfits, the Met Gala exceeds the expectation of a celebrity get-together and functions as the creative center for art. Even better, the Met Gala fundraises for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City. Last year, this event raised over $200 million for the Institute.
The 90’s has some amazing fashion trends that we are now seeing a comeback of, and the Met Gala captures them well. An article by Liana Satenstein from Vogue summarizes 45 memorable looks from this event in the 90’s. Both Kate Moss and Goldie Hawn flaunted slip dresses at the event in 1995; a slip dress perfectly shows unintended chic that is loved in 2020 fashion– simple, comfortable, and effortlessly sexy.
Besides creating classics, the Met Gala also helps educate the consumer on fashion. For the 2015 gala, guests dressed for the theme China: Through A Looking Glass. It was a great opportunity to make sense of western designers’ and audiences’ understanding of eastern art. One of my fashion icons, Rihanna, stunned in a lavish cape with a 16ft train. The Chinese designer Guo Pei spent 2 years on this gorgeous outfit. Interestingly enough, the yellow color of this cape was interpreted rather differently from the designer’s inspiration. In imperial China, yellow is the color for emperors; however, western fans compare Rihanna’s outfit to omelets. In a comment on Rihanna’s look at the 2015 gala, Guo Pei said “It is my responsibility to let the world know China’s tradition and past, and to give the splendor of China a new expression. I hope that people do know China in this way.”
The Met Gala documents the progress of not only fashion taste but also technology. The 2019 theme Camp: Notes on Fashion called for maximum creativity and designers delivered. Deepika Padukone entered the pink carpet (yes, pink) in a princess dress with hundreds of 3D-printed embellishments. Picking up on the princess vibe, Zendaya transformed into the Disney Princess Cinderella with her fairy godmother (aka stylist Law Roach) literally lighting her dress up with a magic wand! Lady Gaga, being her fabulous self, served 4 different looks, each showing a side of her artistic persona: she first showed up in an extravagant hot pink gown and then removed that layer to reveal an asymmetrical black gown with great volume. That was not all as she continued to undress, rocking both a tight hot pink dress and black lingerie, with fishnet stockings and her signature crazy high heels.
Fashion is timeless. The 2020 Met Gala’s theme About Time: Fashion and Duration was going to celebrate the 150th birthday of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and recap the history of fashion. Although the 2020 gala is indefinitely postponed, Vogue is hosting a virtual event in celebration of the first Monday of May. Phil Oh, the professional photographer who has covered 6 Met Galas, shares his favorite 60 photos from this event in time for the virtual event. This photo album sheds light on the friendships of celebrities and shows the down to earth version of them all.