The American Dream in Fashion: Met Gala and Why it Matters
It may look like a lavish party for the ones drowning in cash, but it’s much more tied down to earth.
‘Where does the red carpet lead to? Is it an award show? Why are only exclusive celebs invited? How do designers choose muses (celebs)? Is it like a soiree?’ were some of the questions I had when I had no clue why high-profile people dressed-up funny for a night to get photographed.
Come to think of it, most of us know Met Gala through Lady Gaga’s grandeur pink performance, accompanied by Kim K’s naked dress and the humanoid chandelier Katy Perry turned into.
Vogue on their site explains The Met Gala as a fundraiser for The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute (New York). The funds are gathered enough to establish a new branch of exhibition each year.
Met Gala 2021: The American Fashion Glory
Fashion’s biggest night may have hit the brakes last year, but the upcoming one has a lot to provide. The event, for the first time, will be livestreamed for everyone to be a part of it through their screens.
With vaccine and general pandemic regulations intact, the guest list will be donning what can be themed as the American soul of Fashion. There is also a mask mandate, meaning all of the costumes appearing on the red carpet may possibly have a mask worked into the design.
The past year’s plans of ‘Time: Fashion and Duration’ never making the cut, this year’s theme for the Met was taken afresh with ‘America: A Lexicon of Fashion.’
At first the title may seem like Met completely ignored more than half of the world, yet it is much more than that.
The theme’s title directly denotes America’s new face in fashion. Andrew Bolton, Head Curator of the Metropolitan Art Museum, mentions to Distractify, “American fashion is undergoing a renaissance. I think young designers in particular are at the vanguard of discussions about diversity and inclusion”.
The theme appreciates the fashion influences shifting to American designers at large.
Add on to the livestream bit, this will also mark in Met history as the show being held into two parts, one on September 13 2021, and the other half to be continued in the coming year. Rihanna also announced that she would be hosting the after-party, while Timothee Chalamet being the co-host for the event.
The continual titled America: An Anthology of Fashion will be held in 2022 (possibly in the decided ‘first Monday in may’).
Guest Lists and Misses
Albeit not the first Monday in May (the usual day the event is held), Met Gala’s updates got everyone on their toes. With a whole fake list of invited guests circulated over the internet, the promotion for the Met was no less than haywire.
Organized and supervised by none other than Anna Wintour, she has the veto to decide who will be on the guest list each year. Yet, the pseudo-list apparently had notable Tik Tok artists, along with the expected A-list stars.
How can someone dancing off or lip syncing to a music number be sitting next to the otherworldly Rihanna and Beyoncé right?
While you let that sink in, remember that it is a blatant reality that the exclusivity of the event is what gives it the podium of luxury we all inherently strive for. Such a tactic isn’t skewed per se, in fact is a marker for showing how high fashion and art can be.
With the mentions of guest lists, a while back Anna Wintour had to ‘spill her gut out’ on The Late Show to James Corden about how Trump won’t ever make it into the guest list.
How will Donald Trump won’t be invited to the Met when the theme is American? Such an astonishing world we live in today.
The Gala History
Dare you take it lightly, ’cause the Met stands at par with the Oscars, VMA’s, so much so that the costumes in Met inspire the garments of celebrities in the latter shows. So far, the Museum has 35K individual fashion pieces accumulated within a span of 600 years.
The Costume Art department of the Metropolitan Museum stays dependent on the funds raised at the annual event. Questions have bee raised about the same, and whether costume design and fashion is truly art or not still sparks a debate among philanthropists.
Diana Vreeland is what made The Met as how we know it today. Resigning as the Editor in Chief of Vogue gave her more insights about the Met Gala, which was no more than a high profile party back in 1972.
Vreeland soon became a major consultant for the event and combined the idea of themes with it, which were often inspired from new exhibitions annually. Thus, costume was no longer just a thing for screenplays, rather a part of life, our individual dialogues.
The Art in Fashion
‘Why does such a celebration matter to someone working in a cabin most of their lives though?’ You may ask.
At first glance, The Met Gala seems the way of fashion to increase finances in order to sustain their museums. However, the conglomeration of a theme with celebrities and performances makes it the highlight of the current zeitgeist.
“Fashion affects the art world as it provides a bridge of understanding and experience to all who participate in both.” mentions Patricia Field, a costume designer.
The event has the attention of those who define art, and those who wish to know as well. It is hitting it home and completing the cycle from celebs to common folk and back. A trickle across process is always at work with such events
Since it stays as a financially independent establishment, the Costumes designers create are devoid of consumerism and capitalism (which many might consider art to be too).
The free speech in garments also lead to an expression in creative endeavors, making Met a platform to truly depict what you think, instead of molding it for positive appreciation.
In these terms, the night is an embodiment of the influence fashion has on us.
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While Camp was a step in extravaganza, I hope the Lexicon of Fashion won’t disappoint. Feel free to take any information for your own use on credit. Is there anything you want me to cover? Let’s connect through Instagram or LinkedIn. You can also support my work by giving me a tip on Ko-fi!
