Not really. Some eschew it and just go for big and crazy. But expect some guests to carefully research the theme and come in perfect sync. It was hard to beat the carpet, for example, when the theme was Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination and Rihanna came as the pope, Zendaya channelled Joan of Arc, and Perry navigated the crowd with a set of enormous angel wings. For Lagerfeld, the clothes may be a bit more, er, down to earth.
HOW MUCH DO I HAVE TO PAY FOR A MET GALA TICKET?
Wrong question. You cannot just buy a ticket. The right question is: If I were famous or powerful and got invited, how much would it cost?
OK, IF I WERE FAMOUS OR POWERFUL AND GOT INVITED, HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST?
Well, you might not pay yourself. Generally companies buy tables. A fashion label would then host its desired celebrities. This year, the cost has gone up, as it does every few years due to rising expenses: It’s now US$50,000 for an individual ticket, and tables start at US$300,000.
SO WHO GETS INVITED?
This year, there will be roughly 400 guests – similar to recent years but still lower than pre-pandemic highs of 500-600. Wintour and her team still get to approve every guest.
Trying to predict? Take out your pen and jot down some of your favourite names, the buzzier the better. Newly minted Oscar winners, for example, are a good bet. Broadway is a special favorite of Wintour’s. She also loves tennis – this is not fashionable Federer’s first Met Gala. Now, cross everyone off your list except the very top. At this gala, everybody’s A-list.
THAT MUST BE AN EXAGGERATION.
Not really. Ask Tina Fey. She went in 2010 and later described walking around trying to find somebody “normal” to sit and talk with. That ended up being Barbara Walters.
HOW CAN I WATCH?
You can watch the whole carpet unfold on a Vogue livestream. If you’re in New York, you can also join fans across the street, behind barricades, on Fifth Avenue or even further east on Madison. Timothee Chalamet has been known to greet fans.
DO WE KNOW WHO’S COMING? AND WHO ISN’T?
It’s secret. But reports slip out. You can count on various celebrity Chanel ambassadors showing up. Lively left some fashion fans disappointed when she revealed she’s not attending this year.
WHAT HAPPENS INSIDE?
Entering the museum, guests walk past what is usually an impossibly enormous flower arrangement in the lobby, with perhaps an orchestra playing nearby, and over to cocktails. Or, they head to view the exhibit. Cocktails are 6pm to 8pm, but the most famous – or those who plan to make the biggest entrance – sometimes come (fashionably) later.
Around 8pm, guests are summoned to dinner – perhaps by a team of buglers (“Are they going to do that between every course?” actor Gary Oldman asked aloud one year).
IS IT FUN FOR EVERYONE?
