From the date to the theme and everything else in between, here's all you need to know about the Oscars of the fashion world: the Met Gala 2019.
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| Gigi Hadid at 2019 Met Gala |
What is the Met Gala?
The Costume Institute Gala at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art is the biggest event on the fashion fundraising calendar. Founded by publicist Eleanor Lambert, the benefit was first held in 1948 to encourage donations from New York's high society. In its modern incarnation, the most famous faces from the realms of fashion, film, music and art come together to raise money for the Met's Costume Institute and celebrate the grand opening of its latest exhibition. The night is centred on the theme of the new exhibition, with previous themes encompassing everything from Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination, to Manus x Machina, Punk: Chaos to Couture and China: Through the Looking Glass. This year's exhibition theme is Camp: Notes On Fashion.
Since 1995, the event has been chaired by US Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, who enlists public figures to serve as her co-chairs. Past hosts have included Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Amal Clooney and Rihanna. The Met Gala 2019, which marks the event's 71th anniversary, was co-chaired by Lady Gaga, Alessandro Michele, Harry Styles and Serena Williams.
Forty-eight per cent of the guest list comprised actors, including Emily Blunt, who wore a custom Michael Kors look comprising 510,000 sequins; Tracee Ellis Ross, who was transformed into a literal work of art by Jeremy Scott; and Rachel Brosnahan, who wore an Erdem dress that was an acidic tribute to cross-dressing and Italian aristocracy. Fashion, meanwhile, represented 32 per cent of the 2019 committee, as Tom Ford, Donatella Versace, Miuccia Prada, Pierpaolo Piccioli and Clare Waight Keller all bought tables.
When is the Met Gala 2019?
The Met Gala takes place on the first Monday of May, which this year fell on May 6.
Where will the Met Gala 2019 take place?
The Met Gala always takes place in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The night begins with a cocktail hour, in which guests walk the red carpet and explore the new exhibition, before sitting down to dinner and the evening's performance, which this year came courtesy of Cher.
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