Met Gala trivia: 65 amazing facts about the fundraising event!

Met Gala is a fundraising event that is held annually. Every year the women that walk on teh carpet steal the show with their gowns!

But do you know everything there is to know about it?

1. The Met Gala, formally called the Costume Institute Gala and also known as the Met Ball
2. It is an annual fundraising gala for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City
3. It marks the opening of the Costume Institute’s annual fashion exhibit
4. Each year’s event celebrates the theme of that year’s Costume Institute exhibition
5. And the exhibition sets the tone for the formal dress of the night
6. Since guests are expected to choose their fashion to match the theme of the exhibit
7. The Met Gala was established in 1948 by fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert
8. As a way to raise money for the newly-founded Costume Institute and mark the opening of its annual exhibit
9. The first gala was a midnight dinner
10. And tickets were fifty dollars each
11. For the first few decades of its existence the gala was simply one of many annual benefits held for New York charitable institutions
12. Accordingly, the attendees of the early galas were almost entirely members of New York high society or the fashion industry
13. From 1948 to 1971, the event was held at venues including the Waldorf-Astoria, Central Park, and Rainbow Room
14. When former Vogue editor-in-chief Diana Vreeland became consultant to the Costume Institute in 1972, the Gala began to evolve into a more glamorous affair
15. Although one that was still aimed at the societal set
16. The event started to become more celebrity-oriented with attendees like Andy Warhol, Diana Ross, and Cher
17. They were intermixing with the city’s elite
18. It was during the Vreeland years that the Gala was first held at the Met
19. And that Gala themes were introduced
20. By the time Vreeland died in 1989, the Met Gala was well known as a luxurious, blockbuster event
21. It was considered “the jewel in New York City’s social crown
22. Institute Gala is a major fundraising benefit that serves as an opening celebration for the Institute’s annual fashion exhibit
23. Following the event, the exhibition runs for several months
24. The 2014 exhibition was scheduled to run from May 8 until August 10, 2014
25. The Gala is widely regarded as one of the most exclusive social events in the world
26. And one of the biggest fundraising nights in New York City
27. With US$9 million raised in 2013
28. And a record of $12 million the following year
29. It is one of the most notable sources of funding for the Institute
30. The affair, attended by personalities from the arts, fashion, high-society, film, and music, has been held at the Met since 1948
31. And is considered to be the fashion industry’s premier annual red carpet event
32. Its red carpet fashions are widely photographed, reviewed, critiqued, and emulated
33. The museum is closed to the general public on the first Monday of May due to the gala occurring
34. Anna Wintour oversees both the benefit committee and the guest list
35. She is Vogue editor-in-chief and a chair of the event since 1995
36. Vogue staffers are helping assemble the list of invitees
37. In 2014, the individual tickets cost US$30,000 for those outside the official guest list
38. After prices were raised by $10,000 to increase the exclusivity of the event
39. The annual guest list is limited to approximately 650 or 700 people
40. Each year the event has a theme
41. And includes a cocktail hour
42. And a formal dinner
43. During the cocktail hour, guests arrive to walk on the red carpet
44. Tour the year’s special themed exhibition
45. And be seated before the dinner party that includes entertainment from the preeminent entertainers of the day
46. The theme not only sets the tone for the annual exhibit
47. But also for the guests who attempt to dress to uphold the theme of the year
48. Oftentimes causing runs on certain fashion themes among the world’s leading fashion retailers
49. Sometimes, such as in 2013, the theme is a bit befuddling because it does not provide a clear stylistic directive
50. While at other times, such as in 2014, the theme may be far more challenging to one gender than the other
51. When the Met Gala announced a white tie dress code in 2014, a number of media outlets pointed out the difficulty and expense of obtaining traditional white tie
52. Even for the celebrity guests
53. In 2015, the theme “China: Through the Looking Glass” was previously named “Chinese Whispers: Tales of the East in Art, Film and Fashion”
54. The same year’s theme was met with critics saying it was “A reminder of the subtle institutionalised racism that’s been compounded by centuries of Asian isolationism across the board, and enduring Western stereotypes exacerbated by ignorance and the meme-able nature of social media”
55. In 2016, Madonna, whilst channeling the theme “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology”, provided one of the most controversial outfits in the gala’s history
56. She appeared in an ensemble designed by Givenchy creative director Riccardo Tisci exposing both her breasts and buttocks
57. Madonna hit back on her official social media channels
58. She stated: “We have fought and continue to fight for civil rights and gay rights around the world. When it comes to women’s rights we are still in the dark ages. My dress at the Met Ball was a political statement as well as a fashion statement”
59. The 2018 Gala had a Roman Catholic theme
60. And included Rihanna wearing a papal mitre
61. Critics on social media called it “blasphemous” and “sacrilegious cosplay”
62. Even though the Catholic Church lent more than forty papal vestments from the Vatican and Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan attended
63. Kyle Smith argued that the Catholic Church was in fact “abetting the mockery of its symbols”
64. Catholic apologist Michael Voris has criticized Cardinal Dolan for attending the 2018 Met Gala
65. As of 2018, Wintour announced that guests may not be allowed to attend the gala before the age of 18