In 2015, I became intrigued by the Met Gala based on Rihanna‘s entrance in Chinese couture made by Guo Pei. Riri blew us away in an imperial yellow, fur-trimmed cape with embroidered flora and it was the talk of the town.
Fast forward to 2016 and I find myself in a documentary-watching phase on Netflix and I stumble upon The First Monday in May, which follows the creation of the 2015 Met Gala where the theme was “China: Through The Looking Glass”, an exploration of Chinese-inspired fashions. The documentary gets its name due to the fact that the gala occurs on the first Monday in May.
Digging even deeper, I learn that the Met Gala, also known as The Costume Institute Gala or the Met Ball, is The Metropolitan Museum of Art‘s most attended fashion exhibition in history. This annual fundraising gala benefits the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City and marks the grand opening of the Costume Institute’s annual fashion exhibit. There is a different theme every year that celebrates the theme of the exhibition, and guests are expected to choose their fashion to match the theme of the exhibit. Although some would argue that many chose to go their own way this year which was inspired by Japanese fashion designer Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons. The Met exhibition overview says Kawakubo is known for her avant-garde designs and ability to challenge conventional notions of beauty, good taste, and fashionability.
The Gala is one of the most exclusive social events in New York. Last year, the gala raised $13.5 million in sponsorship and ticket sales which were in the $30,000 range per person or $275,000 per table. And even if you could afford a ticket, there is a waiting list for invitations and every guest is hand-picked by the gala’s chairwoman and Vogue magazine editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour.
Below is the pin board of my top picks for best dressed at this year’s gala, but the feature image* of this blog, model, designer and body activist, Ashley Graham in an H&M design inspired by Rei Kawakubo, is by far my favourite look from the night.
*Feature image courtesy of ENews, Who What Wear & Glamour
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