Every year on the first Monday in May, New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art hosts a fundraiser for the museum—but to the world of fashion and celebrity, this night means so much more.
This event also signifies the opening of the Met Costume Institute’s fashion exhibition. Every year, the dress code for the gala is of the same theme as the exhibit itself. 2018 brought with it “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” and last year’s outrageous theme was “Camp: Notes on Fashion,” in which anything and everything was acceptable dress.
This year is particularly exciting at the Met, however, because the museum is celebrating its 150th anniversary. For the gala, this means amazing celebrity hosts, over-the-top décor, and a retrospective theme: “About Time: Fashion and Duration.” This philosophical theme reflects on the way fashion mirrors the time in which it is found, and according to the Costume Institute’s curator, Michael Bolton, both time as a structure and time divided into creative epochs will be influential to the exhibit.
We, of course, are not yet clear on how various celebrities will interpret this theme. Some may be in timeless pieces that have been popular over various decades and styles, some may dive deeply into a specific trend, and I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot of vintage designs and designers this year (with Kim K highlighting this trend last year in her Thierry Mugler original). This year’s theme is broad and lends itself to plenty of creativity, so it’s certain that celebs will be pulling out all the stops.
Though this event is still months away, Anna Wintour and her celebrity hosts are always early to begin planning this party of the year. This year, we are in for an extraordinary night because Louis Vuitton designer Nicolas Ghesquière, Emma Stone, Meryl Streep, and Lin Manuel Miranda are among the hosts.
This defining moment in may will be here before we know it, and this year’s event is sure to be a blast.