It’s Met Gala Time Again — Here’s What We Know So Far

German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld acknowledges the applause of his models at the end of the show he designed for the French fashion house Chanel, for the 1993-94 Fall-Winter haute couture collection in Paris, July 20, 1993. (AP)
German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld acknowledges the applause of his models at the end of the show he designed for the French fashion house Chanel, for the 1993-94 Fall-Winter haute couture collection in Paris, July 20, 1993. (AP)
TT

It’s Met Gala Time Again — Here’s What We Know So Far

German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld acknowledges the applause of his models at the end of the show he designed for the French fashion house Chanel, for the 1993-94 Fall-Winter haute couture collection in Paris, July 20, 1993. (AP)
German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld acknowledges the applause of his models at the end of the show he designed for the French fashion house Chanel, for the 1993-94 Fall-Winter haute couture collection in Paris, July 20, 1993. (AP)

Last year, it took 275,000 bright pink roses to adorn the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the Met Gala, the biggest night in fashion and one of the biggest concentrations of star power anywhere.

It remains to be seen how the museum’s Great Hall will be decorated come the first Monday in May, but one thing is not in question: those entering it will look spectacular. The theme centers on the late designer Karl Lagerfeld, who made an indelible mark on luxury fashion in his long career at Chanel, Fendi and elsewhere. It is a theme not without controversy — Lagerfeld was known for contentious remarks about everything from #MeToo to curvy bodies.

Want to know what to expect as the big day approaches? Not to worry. The Associated Press dusted off its annual guide with some key updates.

What is the Met Gala anyway?

It started in 1948 as a society midnight supper, and wasn’t even at the Met.

Fast forward 70-plus years, and the Met Gala is something totally different, one of the most photographed events in the world for its head-spinning red carpet — though the carpet isn’t always red.

We’re talking Rihanna as a bejeweled pope. Zendaya as Cinderella with a light-up gown. Katy Perry as a chandelier morphing into a hamburger. Billy Porter as an Egyptian sun god. And Lady Gaga’s 16-minute striptease. And, last year, host Blake Lively’s Versace dress — a tribute to iconic New York architecture — that changed colors in front of our eyes.

Then there’s Kim Kardashian, bringing commitment to a whole other level. (It’s reasonably safe to expect her again this year, because why wouldn’t she be coming?) One year, she wore a dress so tight, she admitted she had to take breathing lessons beforehand. Two years ago, she wore a dark bodysuit that covered even her face. But then last year she truly stole the carpet, showing up in Marilyn Monroe’s actual, rhinestone-studded “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” dress (borrowed from Ripley’s Believe It or Not! museum), changing the minute she got inside to protect it. There was controversy later over suspicions, denied by Ripley’s, that she’d caused some damage. But still — that was an entrance.

It’s important to note that the party has a purpose — last year, the evening earned $17.4 million for the Met’s Costume Institute, a self-funding department. Yes, that’s a heckuva lot for a gala. It also launches the annual spring exhibit that brings hundreds of thousands of visitors to the museum.

But it’s the carpet itself that draws the world’s eyes, with the guest list — strategically withheld until the last minute — featuring a collection of notables from movies, music, fashion, sports, politics and social media that arguably makes for the highest celebrity wattage-per-square-foot of any party in the world.

Who’s hosting this year?

This year’s five hosts are drawn from television (Emmy-winning writer, actor and producer Michaela Coel); the movies (Oscar-winning actor Penélope Cruz, who has worked with Chanel for more than 20 years); sports (recently retired tennis superstar Roger Federer); and music (Grammy-winning songstress Dua Lipa). Finally, there is Vogue’s Anna Wintour (do we need to tell you she’s in fashion?) running the whole thing as usual.

Is there always a theme?

Yes. As mentioned above, the theme is Karl Lagerfeld, and the exhibit, “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” looks at “the designer’s stylistic vocabulary as expressed in aesthetic themes that appear time and again in his fashions from the 1950s to his final collection in 2019.” Once again, it has been created by the Met’s star curator, Andrew Bolton.

Does everyone follow the theme?

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 tied to “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” and Rihanna came as the pope, Zendaya channeled 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? 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 $50,000 for an individual ticket, and tables start at $300,000.

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 favorite 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.

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. Timothée Chalamet has been known to greet fans.

Do we know who’s coming? And who isn’t?

It’s secret. But reports slip out, often about who is not coming and why. You can count on various celebrity Chanel ambassadors showing up. Watch this space.

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 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., but the most famous — or those who plan to make the biggest entrance — sometimes come (fashionably) later.

Around 8 p.m., 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?

Occasionally, someone says no. Tina Fey, in a comic rant to David Letterman in 2015, described the gala as a “jerk parade” and said it included everyone you’d ever want to punch, if you had millions of arms. Amy Schumer left early in 2016 and said later she felt awkward and like it was “a punishment.”

So they never came back, right?

Wrong. Schumer was back in 2017. And then last year again.

Hey, this is the Met Gala.



It’s Met Gala Time! Get Yourself Suitable with This Guide on What to Expect

Met Gala celebrity chair Lewis Hamilton speaks at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute during a press conference October 9, 2024. (AFP)
Met Gala celebrity chair Lewis Hamilton speaks at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute during a press conference October 9, 2024. (AFP)
TT

It’s Met Gala Time! Get Yourself Suitable with This Guide on What to Expect

Met Gala celebrity chair Lewis Hamilton speaks at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute during a press conference October 9, 2024. (AFP)
Met Gala celebrity chair Lewis Hamilton speaks at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute during a press conference October 9, 2024. (AFP)

As springtime sunshine finally hits New York City, the Met Gala beckons — one of the most anticipated and visible parties in the world.

This year, the theme — “Tailored For You" — is focused on classic tailoring. As always, the dress code is inspired by the spring exhibit at the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” is the first Met show to focus exclusively on Black designers, and the first in more than 20 years to have a menswear theme. The show looks at the evolution of Black style over the centuries through the lens of dandyism.

Here are some key things to know as fashion's biggest night approaches:

When is the Met Gala? The gala happens the first Monday in May — this year, May 5.

What exactly is the Met Gala? Not everyone knows that the gala is actually a fundraiser for the Costume Institute, the only self-funding department at the Met. Last year the evening brought in a whopping sum of more than $26 million to the museum's coffers.

Was it always this big? Definitely not. It started in 1948 as a Manhattan society midnight supper – held at various places like the Waldorf Astoria and the Rainbow Room. It took many years before it turned into a global event and one of the starriest nights of the year.

Who's hosting the 2025 Met Gala? Each year brings a new group of celebrity co-chairs. This year they are Pharrell Williams, Lewis Hamilton, Colman Domingo, and A$AP Rocky — along with Anna Wintour, the influential Vogue editor who always oversees the proceedings. NBA superstar LeBron James is honorary chair.

Who else is attending the Met Gala so far? Word on attendees trickles out slowly in the weeks leading up to the event. But this year there’s also a huge additional host committee with stars from various fields. (They don’t have specific host duties, other than showing up and, it goes without saying, looking fabulous.)

It includes athletes Simone Biles and husband Jonathan Owens, Angel Reese and Sha’Carri Richardson; filmmakers Spike Lee, Tonya Lewis Lee and Regina King; and actors Ayo Edebiri, Audra McDonald and Jeremy Pope, and musicians Doechii, Usher, Tyla, Janelle Monáe and André 3000.

Also in the group are author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; artists Jordan Casteel, Rashid Johnson and Kara Walker; playwrights Jeremy O. Harris and Branden Jacobs-Jenkins; and fashion figures Grace Wales Bonner, Edward Enninful, Dapper Dan and Olivier Rousteing.

Can anyone buy a ticket to the Met Gala? In a word: No. You cannot just buy a ticket. The right question is: If I were famous or powerful and got invited, how much would it cost?

If I were famous or powerful and got invited, how much would it cost? Individual tickets start at $75,000. Generally, though, companies buy tables. A fashion label, for example, would then host its desired celebrities. A table of 10 starts at $350,000 this year, as it did last year. There will be approximately 400 guests.

How strict is the dress code? The code is meant to be a guide, not a hard rule, and loose interpretation is encouraged.

How do guests spend the evening? Guests enter the museum and walk past an enormous flower arrangement in the museum’s grand lobby – always a talking point. Often there is an orchestra playing nearby. At the top of the grand staircase, Wintour and her co-hosts form a receiving line. Guests then head to view the exhibit, which is followed by dinner. The most hotly anticipated guests sometimes arrive around dessert time for maximum impact (we're looking at you, Rihanna).