Get ready to wake up bright and early tomorrow if you want to catch it live.
Normally held on the first Monday of May, this year’s MET Gala is set to happen in New York on September 13 (September 14 at 5:30 A.M. in the Philippines) through a smaller event compared to years past. The ball was canceled last year due to COVID-19.
Known as fashion’s biggest night of the year, the Gala celebrates and raises funds for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.
Based on the exhibit, its annual guest list of Hollywood’s biggest stars, designers, and models dress to a theme. Past themes have included: a tribute to Alexander McQueen (2011), fashion in the age of technology (2016), and religious iconography (2018).
This year, the theme is titled In America: A Lexicon of Fashion. With this concept, everyone at the MET Gala will don looks celebrating American fashion in its entirety.
“I’ve been really impressed by American designers’ responses to the social and political climate, particularly around issues of body inclusivity and gender fluidity. And I’m just finding their work very, very self-reflective,” Andrew Bolton, the curator in charge of the Costume Institute, told Vogue.
He adds that with the way young designers are “at the vanguard of discussions” about diversity and inclusion, he believes that American fashion is currently undergoing a “renaissance.”
Who’s hosting
Every MET Ball is headed by a panel of co-chairs and honorary chairs, who vary yearly. They help with the guest list, food, decor, and “general feel of the evening,” according to British Vogue. Past co-chairs included Lady Gaga, Harry Styles, Amal Clooney, and Donatella Versace.
This year, Gen Z trendsetters from various fields are helping out with organizing the glamorous Gala. There’s French-American actor Timothée Chalamet, singer Billie Eilish, tennis star Naomi Osaka, and American poet Amanda Gorman.
In contrast, those in the honorary chair team have professional backgrounds in the fashion industry.
These fashion industry veterans include Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, American designer Tom Ford, and Instagram head Adam Mosseri. Although it’s not disclosed what each individual specifically does for the MET Gala, it’s known that Wintour’s job is to approve each guest on the list.
How to watch
As the MET gala’s known for providing a history of memorable fashion moments, you may want to see the look your favorite A-List star arrives in—but we can’t promise they’ll be there. (Unless you’re sure Anna Wintour likes them, they may not even be invited.) That’s because the event’s guest list remains top-secret until you see stars arriving.
Hosted by actress Keke Palmer and writer and comedian Ilana Glazer, Vogue’s broadcasting a live stream you can watch online. More than getting an inside view of the event, you can also expect humorous interviews and narration by Palmer and Glazer.
To watch Vogue’s official live stream of the event, you can watch it live through their Twitter account.
Banner photo from @metmuseum on Instagram.
