MET GALA 101. HISTORY, SIGNIFICANCE & EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW!

The Met Gala, often known as the Met Ball, was once known as the Costume Institute Gala or the Costume Institute Benefit. It is an annual fundraising gala for the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Every year's celebration commemorates the theme of that year's Costume Institute exhibition, and so the exhibition sets the tone for the evening's formal attire, as guests are asked to choose their costumes based on the theme of the exhibit.

The Met Gala was established in 1948 to generate funds for the newly established Costume Institute and to commemorate the inauguration of its yearly display.

The inaugural Met Gala took the form of a midnight dinner with tickets costing $50 each. The legacy that former Vogue editor-in-chief Diana Vreeland gave to the Costume Institute has made the Met Gala what it is today. Since 1973, the Met Gala has been known as a lavish, blockbuster event and is regarded as the gem in New York City's social crown.

The Gala is widely regarded as one of the world's most significant and elite social events, as well as one of the most important fundraising nights in New York City, with a little more than $9 million generated at the 2013 event and a record of $12 million the following year. The Met Gala is one of the Institute's most noteworthy sources of revenue, with donations expected to top $200 million following the 2019 event since Anna Wintour took over as chairman in 1995.

Eleanor Lambert, a fashion publicist, organized the Met Gala in 1948 as a fundraiser for the newly formed Costume Institute, which marks the start of its yearly show. The Met Gala was considered a basic event among the annual staged for New York philanthropic institutions for the first several decades of its existence. As a result, the first Met Gala attendance were nearly completely from New York society or the city's fashion sector.

The event was hosted in many locations from 1948 until 1971, including the Waldorf-Astoria, Central Park, and the Rainbow Room.

When Diana Vreeland became a consultant to the Costume Institute in 1972, the Gala began to evolve into a more glamorous affair while maintaining its focus on the societal set. Taylor Warhol, Bianca Jagger, Diana Ross, Elton John, Liza Minnelli, and Cher were among the many celebrity-oriented attendees who mixed with the city's elite. The Gala was originally staged at the Met during the Vreeland years, when the concept of themes was introduced. Each year's Gala has a theme that recalls the forthcoming exhibit's debut.

As previously stated, the Met Gala is a major fundraising event that also contributes significantly to the Costume Institute's financial support. The occasion marks the start of the Institute's annual fashion exhibit, when experts from many professions come together to network and promote their work. Although the event is only for one evening, the exhibit is on display for several months thereafter. The Met Gala is renowned as the Fashion World's Red Carpet Event.

The Met Gala, currently recognized as the Fashion World's Red Carpet event, is not considered completely exclusive. Tickets for the event can be purchased, but only in limited quantities. The tickets were initially priced around $30,000 USD before being hiked by $10,000 USD. The annual number of tickets accessible to the general public is between 650 and 700. The majority of the event participants are handpicked and invited exclusively by Anna Wintour, the Vogue Editor in Chief and Chairwoman of the Met Gala Event since 1995.

The Met Gala is given a theme each year, which includes a cocktail hour and a formal dinner. Guests appear on the red carpet and view the exhibit during cocktail hour. They are then seated for the dinner party as the evening's entertainers perform.

The theme not only sets the tone for the exhibit, but also for the guests who go to support the event.

This event also serves as a forum for numerous premium businesses and individual labels to display their work through the celebrities who attend. This event, being the most popular fashion event, provides an opportunity for fashion critics to make statements on the costumes that attendees arrive in, as well as photographers to get a glance and demonstrate their talent in their profession.

Every fashion aficionado is on their toes, waiting to see which celebrity will make a strong statement and which will accomplish the most exquisite look at the Met Gala. Every theme chosen for the event depicts a time of fashion, both bringing back and setting trends. The Met Gala is a prominent event that allows many costume designers in the business to display their talents and capabilities.