Met Gala 2024: It’s never too soon to get ready
While many of us are preoccupied with the upcoming holiday season, the fashion world is already preparing for the biggest event in the fashion world – The Met Gala. Consistently held on the first Monday in May (unless a global pandemic forces a reschedule), the Met Gala is an annual exhibition where actors, models, designers, athletes, politicians, and entertainers come together to promote the finest fashion. As always, this inevitably raises numerous online debates as fans quickly discuss the Met Gala’s theme, concepts, and the best (and worst) dressed attendees.
However, regardless of the amount of media coverage surrounding the Met Gala, little is known about the happenings inside after the carpet, given that the prestigious event holds a strict no-phone and no-social media policy. Nonetheless, we can assume that behind closed doors, the evening is celebrated with a big-name performer and a dinner to follow.
Aside from just being a major star-studded event, the gala is a fundraiser dedicated to New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute for the annual spring exhibit held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (next year being held from May 10 to September 2nd, 2024). This is an intricate display of ‘art as fashion and fashion as art,’ which serves as a reminder of how both forms are intertwined and work together to shape our worldwide fashion culture.
The Met Gala theme is a vital part of the ordeal, dictating the dress code. Celebrities and designers are tasked with creating a costume that not only serves as a fashion statement but also adheres to the set concept for the event. Following on from last year’s affair, where the theme served as a tribute to the late Karl Lagerfeld, we can expect the 2024s focus to be a lot less controversial.
Having been recently revealed, the set title for the spring exhibition and subsequently, the theme for the 2024 Met Gala is “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion”! The exhibition will be centered around some of the most beautiful and historically significant items from the Institute’s permanent collection. It will feature work from modern influences, by designers like Philip Lim and Stella McCartney, while also highlighting archival designs from classic industry icons like Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Hubert de Givenchy, and more.
Beyond this, we can also expect to see historical pieces like a 17th-century Elizabethan-era bodice and an 1887 silk ball gown by Charles Frederick Worth. With some pieces being far too fragile to be worn again, an illusion technique known as ‘Pepper’s ghost’ will be used to revive some looks. Additionally, according to Nick Knight, the creative consultant for the exhibition, video animation, light projection, soundscaping, AI, and CGI along with other cutting-edge curation processes and technology will be used throughout the exhibit in order to demonstrate a deeper context to each piece.
Naturally, we can expect designers to unearth and draw inspiration from some of their most significant and influential items from previous collections for the carpet event on May 6th, 2024. Considering their great contribution to the exhibition itself, designers such as Dior and Schiaparelli will undoubtedly be a go-to for some of the A-list attendees. Additionally, brands such as Versace and Valentino, known for their extravagant, intricate, and show-stopping pieces, are likely to be making an early start on their custom-made creations.
While the guest list is left top-secret until the evening before the event, we can assume that those who regularly attend the Met Gala will make an appearance next year – from Beyonce and Rihanna to the Kardashian/Jenner sisters and Timothée Chalamet, we can be sure that the attendees will leave us star-struck. More often than not, we can also expect designers to attend with their muses, like Simon Porte Jacquemus with Bad Bunny, Marc Jacobs with Kate Moss, or Nicolas Ghesquière with Emma Stone.
Overall, in line with what we know so far about the 2024 Met Gala, it looks like there won’t be a great deal of disappointments next year!
