It鈥檚 the first Monday in May, which can only mean one thing: The Met Gala 2024 is upon us. (Also: tree pollen is off the Richter scale, but that鈥檚 not nearly as chic.)
Here鈥檚 everything you need to know about this year鈥檚 so-called 鈥fashion Oscars,鈥 otherwise known as the annual charity gala that reliably raises tens of millions for the Metropolitan Museum of Art鈥檚 Costume Institute in New York City鈥攁nd is a reliable showcase for sartorial peacocking by a guest list that鈥檚 hand-plucked from the style and celebrity firmament by Vogue鈥檚 editor-in-chief and the event鈥檚 driving force, .
The Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson at the press conference for the 2024 Met Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 06, 2024.
Slaven Vlasic/Getty ImagesWhat is the theme of the 2024 Met Gala?
This year鈥檚 official dress code is 鈥淭he Garden of Time,鈥 which Vogue, the official media mouthpiece of the Met Gala, says was inspired by a 1962 short story by the English novelist J.G. Ballard. Coles Notes: It鈥檚 dystopian science fiction about a garden filled with flowers that can slow down (but not stop) the passage of time, and there鈥檚 an angry mob en route to attack the garden鈥檚 aristocratic owners.
It seems the Met Gala will lean more into the enchanted garden鈥檚 nature theme than the juxtaposition of a countess playing her harpsichord as the downtrodden proletariat storm the walls of her Arcadia in a society plagued by inequality. Says Vogue, 鈥淲e’ll likely see many a floral and botanical look grace the famed Met Gala red carpet.鈥 Some have pointed out the 鈥渄elicious irony鈥 of an event that charges $300,000 for a table choosing this story as its theme in a time of financial hardship, such as
As is tradition, the broader theme is tied to a new exhibit at the Costume Institute. This year, it鈥檚 鈥淪leeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,鈥 which will feature 250 鈥渞are鈥 items from the museum鈥檚 collection that encompass 400 years of fashion history, and will include high-tech simulacrums of pieces that are too fragile to be displayed. The exhibit is loosely organized into land, sea and sky-themed zones. 鈥淚t is very much an ode to nature and the emotional poetics of fashion,鈥 says curator Andrew Bolton.
A delicate piece from The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute gala exhibit, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion,” on display at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
AP Photo/Julia NikhinsonWho are the co-chairs for this year鈥檚 Met Gala?
This year鈥檚 co-chairs are Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny and Chris Hemsworth. This A-list group bring guaranteed star power to the event, but apparently are also put to work helping to curate the guest list and nail down the theme. They also give a speech on the night, not that we plebes will ever see it: While the red carpet is a public spectacle, once guests enter the museum itself the event is a strictly no camera zone where a veil of secrecy over proceedings descends.
Jared Leto arrived dressed as Choupette, Karl Lagerfeld’s cat, at The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit gala on May 1, 2023.
Mike Coppola/Getty ImagesWhich celebrities will be at the Met Gala this year?
It鈥檚 never guaranteed until they actually show up on the famous carpeted stairs, but this year鈥檚 rumoured guests include Beyonc茅, Ariana Grande, Pamela Anderson, Gigi Hadid, Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried, Lea Michele, several Kardashian-Jenners, crowd favourite Blake Lively and previous co-chair Dua Lipa.
Rihanna, who made a dramatically late entrance to last year鈥檚 Met Gala, has actually confirmed she鈥檒l be attending, and that she鈥檒l be wearing something from one of her Fenty brands. (Whether that鈥檚 skincare, makeup or lingerie is unclear.)
We鈥檝e also got a few confirmed 鈥渘o鈥 RSVPs, notably Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, and Jared Leto, who last year attended dressed as .
The Met Gala tent at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in New York.
AP Photo/Julia NikhinsonIs there any controversy surrounding the Met Gala this year?
Doubling down on that 鈥渄elicious irony鈥 aspect of the theme, there鈥檚 a strong chance that this enchanted garden of rarified privilege may have its own dissatisfied crowd to deal with. Unionized workers from Cond茅 Nast, the media company that owns Vogue, have threatened to set up a picket line outside the event. 鈥淢eet us at the table or meet us at The Met on Monday,鈥 the union posted on social media on Saturday.
There’s also an Italian model, Eugenio Casnighi, currently going viral on TikTok for claiming he was “fired” from working as a greeter on the red carpet after he “upstaged” Kylie Jenner at last year’s gala when the Internet couldn’t get enough of him when he appeared in the background of a picture of her.
How can I watch the Met Gala?
Vogue will be live streaming it on and we will be sharing the highlights from the red carpet on as the evening gets underway.
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