The Met Gala is a staple in the fashion industry, it is an annual fundraising event that takes place at The Met in New York City. Celebrities go down a red carpet and showcase unique designs relating to the theme given that year and all the proceeds get donated to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume institute.
The Met Gala first started in December of 1948 and it was simply a dinner with a $50 admission fee created by Elenor Lambert. Lambert saw how this event could be used to fund the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume institute and turned it into what we know as one of the most iconic fashion showcases today.
The first theme of the met gala was Cristobal Balenciaga to honor his death. Over 74 million viewers tune in every year to watch their favorite models, actresses, singers, etc walk the red carpet in incredible designer clothing such as Gucci, Chanel, Prada, Dolce and Gabbana, etc. Today, designers from all around the world take their time to custom make new designs specifically for this event and old historic designs that have been archived make appearances as well. Furthermore, they receive both recognition and publicity showcasing their designs.
However some celebrities have received a lot of backlash for wearing some particular outfits. For example, in 2022 the theme for the Met Gala was “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” Kim Kardashian wore Marilyn Monroe’s what we know as her “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” dress Monroe wore in 1962 while singing “Happy Birthday” to John F. Kennedy. Many people were outraged with Kardashian’s choice to wear this dress because they saw it as disrespectful to Monroe’s legacy and believed that Kardashian would ruin the integrity of the dress since it was custom-made for Marilyn Monroe to fit her perfectly. In response to the backlash, Kardashian claimed that she was a shape-shifter and could fit into the dress without changing or ruining it. On the other hand people also argue that the dress was on theme because it related to both America as well as fashion.
Overall, the Met Gala has changed drastically since it started due to Anna Wintour’s role in shaping it. Wintour, who is a very successful British editor that started her fashion career very young, took over as chair of the Costume Institute in 1995 and revolutionized the entire Met Gala into a hub for emerging fashion as well as a global fashion event millions of people look forward to every year.
Works Cited
Waxman, Olivia. “The History behind the Met Gala.” TIME, 1 May 2024, time.com/6972918/met-gala-history/.
ARJONA, ANA . “Anna Wintour: The Icon Who Shaped the Met Gala and Redefined Fashion | Vogue College of Fashion.” Vogue College of Fashion, 2025, www.voguecollege.com/articles/anna-wintour-the-icon-who-shaped-the-met-gala-and-redefined-fashion/.
“Condé Nast.” Condenast.com, Condé Nast, 2024, www.condenast.com/news/thr-met-gala-viewership.