Met Gala 2022: Gilded Glamour

The first Monday in May is a national holiday, The Met Gala! The Met Gala is a yearly event for the most elite, originating in 1948 by fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert. Eleanor began the Met Gala as a fundraiser for the Costume Institute to mark the opening of its annual exhibit. The Costume Institute is responsible for a collection of over 33,000 items. The institute preserves these items that come from all over the world, and from many different centuries. In the 1970s, Diana Vreeland, the former editor-in-chief of Vogue, took over the Met Gala and made it more into the big event that it is today. After Diana, Anna Wintour, current editor-in-chief of Vogue, took over the Met Gala in 1995 and has been in charge of it ever since. Wintour handpicks every guest that can attend the Met Gala, as it is known as her “Party of the Year”. Anna also has to approve each look from each guest. What happens at the Met Gala is very secretive, but we know the guests get an exclusive look at The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s new exhibition from the Costume Institute. This year the exhibition was presented across 13 of the American period rooms in the museum. To go with this year’s theme, 9 iconic filmmakers transformed these period rooms, including Sofia Coppola and Martin Scorsese. 

   The Met Gala took place on May 2nd, 2022. The theme for this year’s Met Ball was part two from last year’s theme. The theme last year was “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” followed by 2022’s, “In America: An Anthology of Fashion”. This two part theme honors American fashion designers and iconic fashion trends throughout the years. “The stories really reflect the evolution of American style, but they also explore the work of individual tailors, dress-makers, and designers”, says Andrew Bolton, the head curator of the Museum of Modern Art’s Costume Institute. This year’s dress code was “gilded glamour”, meaning fashion trends from 1870-1900. There’s a debate on whether or not the guests’ attire fit this theme or not, and it seemed like many celebrities misinterpreted the theme. Many guests went for a 1920’s old Hollywood vibe, when they needed to go for more of a Bridgerton-esque vibe. For example, Kim Kardashian wore a vintage Jean Louis gown, famously worn by Marilyn Monroe when she sang “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy. Marilyn Monroe wore this dress in 1962, which was not in the time period of this year’s theme. Some guests who really nailed the gilded glamour look included Billie Eilish, Lizzo, Evan Mock, Emma Corrin, Paloma Elsesser, Riz Ahmed, Questlove, Rosalia, Laura Harrier, and more! Many looks were inspired by and based on different things from the time period that isn’t immediately noticeable for people who don’t know fashion trends from that era. Such as Riz Ahmed, who wore an ensemble by 4S Designs, was inspired by the “immigrant women who kept the Gilded Age going”, and Questlove, who wore an ensemble honoring Black women of the Gilded Era. We are all looking forward to what the celebrities bring at the next Met Gala. Until next year!