The Met Gala is fashion’s biggest night, and celebrities have the chance to peacock with stars like no other occasion. With “Gilded Glamour” as the theme of this spring’s event, there would seem to be no limits to how big, bold, and bejeweled the evening’s looks might go.
The VIP party is a benefit for Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. It is a tradition that dates back to 1948 and will continue to celebrate the museum’s achievements. In America exhibition. This year’s party will celebrate Part Two of the showcase. Celebrities can now move on from last years’s mind-boggling theme.
The 2021 benefit, “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion,” was moved to September due to the pandemic, created an unfortunate parade of conflicting aesthetics: Some stars went the Western route (see: Jennifer Lopez); others opted for Old Hollywood (see: Billie Eilish); and still others seemed to forego the theme entirely in favor of a personal branding statement (see: Kim Kardashian). The evening—ostensibly built around the question “Who gets to be American?”—largely lacked the cohesiveness and creativity of previous Met Gala themes, such as 2019’s infamous “Camp: Notes on Fashion” and 2018’s “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.” But 2022’s “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” is meant to be more of a “historical retrospective,” according to Vogue. (New York Times fashion reporter Vanessa Friedman confirmed the theme to be “Gilded Glamour.”) A clear nod to the United States’s Gilded Age, a time of immense economic growth between the Civil War and the turn of the 20th century, the theme seems certain to manifest gold and over-the-top opulence.
We know what this year’s celebration looks like as the stars start to put on their clothes.
When is the 2022 Met Gala happening?
The big event will take place at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2022. Last year, VogueThe red carpet was streamed live on YouTube and is expected to be streamed again.
Who are the co-chairs for this year?
The fascinating group of actress Regina King, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds will host this years’ festivities. Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda. Honorary co-chairs will be Anna Wintour, Adam Mosseri and Tom Ford.
What is the theme?
Drawing off of the official theme of “In America: An Anthology of Fashion,” the secondary—or perhaps more straightforward—theme seems to be “Gilded Glamour,” as first reported by Friedman. Given that the official exhibit will be presented in the museum’s period-centric rooms, “Gilded Glamour” theme is likely intended as an homage to American history, particularly that of the Gilded Age, which ran roughly from 1870 to 1900. The era is also known for major industrialization. This was when business titans such as John D. Rockefeller or J.P. Morgan made huge fortunes. The moniker of the era was derived from Mark Twain’s novel The Gilded Age: Today’s Tale, which probed the underlying issues of that period. After all, “gilded” does not mean “golden,” but rather a thin covering of gold veneer. The name also refers to the hypocrisy that was prevalent in the age, when the façade of wealth could not conceal enormous income inequality, political upheaval, or post-Civil War racist views.
Rockefeller’s ability to accumulate large estates while ordinary citizens live in tenements will likely resonate with modern-day observers who are watching billionaires fly into space and the country reel from the effects of a pandemic. With that in mind—and the fact that the Met Gala was frequently criticized for its tone-deaf festivities, even pre-COVID—the theme is an interesting, and potentially controversial, choice.
Who’s invited to the Met Gala?
There are no confirmed rumors or a list of official guests. The co-chairs of the event will be there, but fans can expect to see some familiar faces, including Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga and Billie Eilish. Selena Gomez and possibly Rihanna, though with a baby in the mix, all bets are off.
It is also likely that the eight film directors tapped to curate “cinematic vignettes” for the Met’s period rooms will attend. They include: Janicza Bravo, Sofia Coppola, Julie Dash, Tom Ford, Regina King, Martin Scorsese, Autumn de Wilde, and Chloé Zhao.
Can I attend the Met Gala?
If you’re famous—maybe! If you’re not—well, tough luck. Tickets cost $35,000 per ticket. Invites are limited and tables range from $200,000 to $300,000. New York Times. Unless you have VIP credentials or cash to burn, you will likely have to watch the rest from the couch. Don’t worry. We promise to make admiring from far as just as enjoyable by providing live coverage.
Source: elle
