Brief History Of The Met Gala: A Fundraiser To A Prominent Fashion Extravaganza

The Met Gala has been one of the most prominent fashion events across the globe. Celebs from all over the world come together and walk the red-carpet flaunting outfits from varied fashion designers. While the focus is mainly on raising funds, but over the years, it has also become an event for showcasing the talent of the numerous fashion designers.

While people across the world always keep sharing pictures of celebs and their quotes from the Met Gala, not many would know as to how it all began, and how it has changed over the years. So, without further ado, let’s go down memory lane and check out a brief history of the famous Met Gala.

How It All Began

A prominent fashion publicist named Lambert established the Met Gala in 1948. It was done in order to raise funds for the Costume Institute. It was supposed to also start a yearly exhibition and celebrate fashion in general. In addition to this, Lambert also is renowned for founding the Council of Fashion Designers of America back in 1962. The Museum Of Costume Art, which was originally the name of the Irene Lewisohn and Aline Bernstein-founded Costume Institute, merged with the Museum of Metropolitan Art in 1946. Soon afterwards the Met Gala was inaugurated as a fundraiser for the institute.

It would surprise many of you to know that the tickets for the initial supper of the Met Gala was priced at just $50. It might also surprise you to know that the event wasn’t held on the first Monday of May, as it is now. It was held in December. Not only this, the event was not hosted at the Met, where it is held now. Until 1971, it was held in locations including Central Park, the Rainbow Room, and the Waldorf Astoria.

What Was The Purpose

The initial purpose of the Met Gala, as mentioned before, was to collect money for the Costume Institute. It also served as an inauguration marking the commencement of its yearly exhibition. The exhibit remains on display in the museum for quite a few months after the Met Gala night, which ends up becoming the talk of the town much more than the exhibition itself.

The Met Gala is still regarded as one of New York City's largest fundraising events. The Costume Institute has received more than $175 million in donations, all thanks to the Met Gala. The inauguration night and the subsequent exhibition brings in a great amount of money for the institute which it uses for varied purposes.

The Shift To A Social Event

Following her time as the editor-in-chief of Vogue, Diana Vreeland became a consultant for the Costume Institute. It was under her guidance that the entire focus of the event shifted. From being just a fundraise, it turned the wheels and became more of a social event which helped not only raise money but also pushing the boundaries of moder fashion as we know. The event's focus in terms of culture became quite different, and it became even more popular than it was already. It, sort of, started becoming a social status symbol.

As the years passed by, the guest list grew to include some of the biggest names in the celebrity world. Elizabeth Taylor, Diana Ross, Elton John, Cher, Andy Warhol, Liza Minnelli, Halston, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Bianca Jagger, and many others started becoming regulars at the event. Under Diana Vreeland's leadership, the Met Gala started becoming more and more elaborate with celebrities becoming a centre piece drawing the focus of the world towards itself. It was now a celebration of fashion and getting an invitation for walking the red carpet of Met Gala started becoming a matter of pride for celebrities across the globe.

It was also during Diana Vreeland’s leadership that the event shifted location for the last time. It began taking place at the Met, where it still happens every year on the first Monday of May. Also, the themes were brought to place, and every year the celebrities and fashion designers started being given a theme for the evening, which would be strictly followed by all and sundry. Soon, it was more of a party rather than being just a traditional charity gala.

Soon afterwards, Pat Buckley joined the Met Gala. He was married to William F. Buckley. Under his guidance the Met Gala established itself as the largest and the most prestigious charity events of the calendar – a social event that no one wanted to miss out on.

Extravagance Of The Costumes

The Met Gala received a lot of press coverage and publicity under Diana Vreeland. It was mainly because of her superb contacts that the event increased its popular culture associations.

It was in the year 1973 that she introduced the very first Gala theme. It was called ‘The World of Balenciaga’. She also contributed to the Met's ‘La Belle Époque’, ‘Vanity Fair: A Treasure Trove’, and ‘Romantic And Glamorous Hollywood Design’ themes, which became hugely popular among others.

However, it was in 2004 that the Met Gala started including more elaborate costume elements. The theme, ‘Dangerous Liaisons: Fashion And Furniture In The 18th Century’ became a notable show in pushing the limits of traditional fashion. Amber Valletta donned a Marie Antoinette-meets-punk-rock ensemble that year. It was a memorable one as it was replete with an 18th-century hairstyle, a nude corset by Maggie Norris Couture, and a skirt by John Galliano. The pictures of Amber Valletta are still afresh in people’s minds even today.

A number of designers have also been the subject of exhibits over the years, including Yves Saint Laurent, Gianni Versace, Christian Dior, Chanel, Alexander McQueen, Schiaparelli, and Prada.

Diana Vreeland was employed by the Met up until her passing in 1989.

In 1995, Anna Wintour took over as chairperson, managing both the annual guest list of 650–700 persons, the benefit, the exhibition and everything else associated with the Met Gala. Additionally, she changed the date of the Met Gala from being held on the first Monday in December to the first Monday of May. The event used to start with a cocktail hour and end with dinner, but in more recent years, the meal has become more and more sophisticated.

Price Of Tickets

The cost of a single ticket has apparently gone up substantially over the years. It is now said to be approximately around $30,000. As per reports, the cost of entry was apparently kept less than $1,000 from the 1970s through the 1980s. The cost of a single ticket rose to $2,000 in 1998. After three years, it rose to $3,500.

With the advent of modern pop culture celebrities like Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, Beyoncé, Rihanna, the Hadid sisters, the Kardashian-Jenner family, and more in the 2010s, the Met Gala started to become a more celebrity-filled occasion. Now not only were the fashionistas coming to the Met Gala but even celebrities from different walks of life were getting invited and were coming to walk the red carpet. As per a report back in 2016, the ticket price was $25,000 and a table for ten could be acquired for $250,000. However, there is a catch.

The tables are typically bought by designers, who then stock them with the celebrities who're wearing their creations for the occasion. But paying the big bucks isn’t enough. Anna Wintour must approve each individual on the guest list. And she is very picky. There have been numerous reports stating that Anna Wintour allegedly refused a fashion designer from getting a certain guest on their intended guest list, as they were probably not upto the standards of the Met Gala. In such a case, the empty seats would get substituted by the Wintour and team by other celebrities, however, the designer would still be bearing the cost of that table.

What’s It Now

The Met Gala, sometimes referred to as ‘Fashion's Biggest Night’ in popular culture, is still one of the major fashion events of the present day. There hasn’t been an event that comes even remotely close to the kind of stardom that Met Gala has achieved over the years. It has to definitely do with the strict screening of celebrities and fashion designer, which has enabled the event to remain this exclusive. In the past, the Met Gala night was regarded as the pinnacle of fashion chic, which has slowly but effectively changed in recent years to become a stage for many celebrities and their designers to exhibit their more outlandish sides.

Celebrities including Madonna, Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner, Rihanna, and Kim Kardashian attend the VIP event in lavish, unique costumes designed by some of the greatest fashion brands.

There is a rigorous no-social media rule in place for the event, yet some celebs still manage to slip in a few images. The ladies' room used to be a popular location for selfies, where many designers and models would slip in and take a cigarette until the Met Gala authorities put a stern stop to it and banned it completely.

Also, many celebrities take the opportunity at the Met Gala red carpet to make a political statement.

Met Gala 2023

This year’s Met Gala theme of the evening and the ensuing museum display was ‘Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty’. It was kept in remembrance of the legendary fashion designer and former creative director of Chanel, who passed away in February 2019.

Celebrities from Alia Bhatt to Priyanka Chopra to Kim Kardashian to Jennifer Lopez walked the red carpet and made news for their pictures all over the globe.