How the Met Gala Evolved From a $50 Dinner to Fashion’s Biggest Night

The history of the Met Gala can be divided into three eras: Eleanor LambertIs the founder, Diana Vreeland Renaissance and Anna WintourEmpire.

Without these style icons, the Met Gala would be only a fundraiser rather than a party of the year. One could also say that without these trailblazers, fashion would not be included in works of art that are currently displayed to the general public at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Instead, these timeless pieces will remain in the vaults of the famous Alliers, collecting dust.

But Eleanor Lambert, among others, had a different vision for the ensemble. Christian Dior, Coco Chanel And designers around the world. As a fashion campaigner who established the Council of Fashion Designers of America and New York Fashion Week, Eleanor believed that, contrary to popular belief, clothing and other textiles hold greater importance as the next value. Picasso or Michelangelo, Thus earning a place among other historical objects.

Of course, an effort was made to convince intellectuals of this idea and a lot of money.

But earning her a place among the elite in New York had its advantages. For one, Lambert had access to people with deep pockets. Secondly, his experience as a publicist saw him as a way to attract attention for a noble cause.

With these two points in mind, invitations were sent to higher-ups from New York’s Upper Field and the fashion industry in 1948, welcoming an elegant dinner and reminding them to bring their checkbooks — they needed it Will be.

In the early years, dinner was attended by $ 50, the equivalent of $ 550 in 2020, and held in New York City hotspots such as the Rainbow Room, Central Park, or the Waldorf Astoria. It was a quirky, intimate soirée for the aristocratic elite that would save the Costume Institute for years to come.

However, Lambert’s dinner marked the opening of a new exhibition, which, as tradition dictates, had not been introduced to the subjects until then the trendIs a former editor of Diana Vreeland Came into picture in 1972.

Refresh his role as Editor-in-Chief the trend, Vreeland was seeking a new position to fuel creativity and his lust for all the paranormal. Entering his A-list, which included Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Is aware of such wishes and is rumored to have “raised enough money to fund his salary for the first two years,” according to Architectural digest.

With funding, Diana was brought on as a consultant to the Costume Institute in 1972, thus sparking changes that changed the course of history. The drones were having dinner at the Waldorf Astoria and were replaced by grand themed parties at the Met.

From that time on, the event would be recognized as the Met Ball, a more appropriate name for the assembly of its stature. However, it was informally dubbed “Party of the Year” or “Oscar of the East Coast” due to its rapidly growing guest list with entertainers, politicians and actors.

Unlike his predecessor, Warland was open to entertaining all guests, even though he was not considered to be New York’s aristocrat. It didn’t matter to him if Bianca Jagger And Diana rossWere mingling with politicians or socialists. Weatherland was more concerned with small details, such as the smell of the Met basement.

according to this New York Magazine, he once requested to pump the scent of opium into a room for a 1980 performance about China. On another occasion, she told of the channel Cuir de Razi.

Such demand was unconventional for the time, but as stated by a museum official The New York Times Magazine In 1981, “Forget his lack of integrity for a period; he gives visibility to the Costume Institute no money can buy.”

Diana admitted in the same piece that it was “difficult” to work with her, but she would not compromise for anything less than beautiful. Like 18th-century women, Varyland considered, “it was a duty to give pleasure and be attractive.”

She continued to hold these beliefs until the end of her life in 1989. Her last performance was The Age of Napoleon, although many say that Array Wintour ended a year earlier in 1994, while Anna Wintour would arrive in cannons.

By 1995, the relationship between the trend And the Met was strongly demarcated, so it only made sense for the latest editor-in-chief to assume the role of chairman. As of 2005, the Met Gala was not just “party of the year,” it was “Anna Wintour’s Party of the year. “

Aesthetically, the editor did not change anything. The Met Ball was still as grand and over-the-top as Diana Vreeland had imagined. However, what Anna Wintour did was an air of sophistication and uniqueness. Diana may have welcomed Star Power, but Ana did so much more.

In a 2005 documentary, First monday in may, It turns out that Anna’s influence was beyond the seating arrangement. Although the documentary was largely focused on performance, Wintour was seen deciding which celebrities would be allowed to invite each designer or brand, thus determining the stars’ appearance.

As a Hollywood reporter The source previously stated, “the trend Brings designer clothes to the magazine. She completed it and then combined celebrities with designers and her gowns. The level of control is amazing. The invasion of Baghdad was nothing compared to this. If Michael Kors is coming, Anna is deciding which celebrity Michael Kors will wear and which Michael Kors will wear celebrity. “

She and the Met team went a step further when they said on their 2014 invitation that “gentlemen are to wear white tie” while women will be wearing evening gowns. In addition, he enforced a strict social media ban in 2015 — though celebs found a flaw in this by taking a now-historic selfie in the museum’s bathroom.

Although he never gave any reason for this request, anyone can surprise it because Anna found it necessary. In 2005, he told New York The magazine felt he had “lost his glamor” to the ball.

And while it is not strictly necessary to follow the theme, it is expected that attendees dress in appropriate fashion.

Such rules, spoken or otherwise, help elevate this gala and charity to a new level, not only in terms of popularity but also in its ability to raise money. 2019 was a record-breaking year for the Costume Institute Camp notes The ball raised $ 15 million.

In the future, planning for the Met Gala will prove to be a challenge, as Wintour and his team try to top it over previous years. But the gala is postponed indefinitely until 2020 due to coronovirus, it seems the fashion world will have to wait patiently to see what magic they can draw About time Exhibition.