The Met Gala 101

As we know, The Met Ball 2017 have just finished this month. But the news about this event that held on first Monday on May (May 1st 2017) still viral on the internet. What’s left from this party of the year? There is something you need to know about this.

Met Gala or Costume Institute Gala or Met Ball is an annual fundraising gala for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute in New York City. Each year’s event celebrates the theme of that year’s Costume Institute exhibition, and the exhibition sets the tone for the formal dress of the night, since guests are expected to choose their fashion to match the theme of the exhibit.

This year’s Met Gala is exhibit the Rei Kawakubo, Comme des Garcons: Art of the In-Between. What is about this Rei Kawakubo? According to NYTimes.com, Ms Kawakubo is a 74-year-old Japanese designer who founded her label, Comme des Garcons (pronounce Kom De Garhsong) in 1969. And her design always moving forward and never look back, never the same. BusinessOfFashion.com said "The idea that Kawakubo is a "designer's designer" help to explain why she was a natural choice for Andrew Bolton (the curator in charge of Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute) and a natural choice to be honored at an event that celebrates the fashion industry. And this make her will be only the second living designer to be given a solo show at the Met. The first was Yves Saint Laurent in 1982.

That’s mean Rei Kawakubo didn’t pay anything to The Art Costume Institute or Metropolitan Museum of Art to get her creation to be exhibit. It is fully a recognition from the chairman of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute that Rei Kawakubo deserve this prestigious exhibit.

About the event itself, of course you should have your own invitation to get inside the gala. This invitation not for free, as we know this event are the benefit fundraising event. There is a price you should pay to seat at the table with other celebrities. But, it doesn’t mean if you have money, you can buy the table. Not that easy!

Met Gala is the invitation only event and there is waiting list to get on the list. You have to get the list too before on the waiting list. So, there is another list before the list. You should have a big achievement or at least be the “it” person and people all over the world talking about you. Not just about the money. In this case, you could get the invitation for free. 

Celebrity didn’t pay for they invitation, they got from designers or Fashion PR who pay for them. But in return, they (celebrity) should wearing the designers dress and accessories who they represent. This is a big advertisement for designers or label when their celebrity walking at Met Gala red carpet and it’s no secret, at the Met Gala red carpet event was the main thing to be commercialize in a very elegant way. And what happen inside? It’s a secret!

NYtimes.com said this year ticket prices was US $30.000 (less than ID Rp. 400.000.000) a piece and one table for US $ 275.000 (less than ID Rp. 3. 700.000.000). The party and the exhibition are sponsored, that’s mean all the money from ticket sales goes to The Costume Institute. The invitation this year around five hundred and fifty people. 

Well, if you are nobody, let say you have the money to pay the ticket. But it doesn’t stop there. In this level red carpet, you might be wearing a major designer’s clothes that in line with the exhibit theme, jewelries and the limo to deliver and pick you from the event. Are you sure if your looks worth for 1 mio and you rides an uber or yellow cab? And not to mention world class make-up artist and fashion stylist, hotel you stay in, and you have to change your outfit for the after party.

But still, if Anna Wintour, the chairwoman of The Met Gala, editor in chief of American Vogue and Artistic Director of Conde Nast said you can’t enter the party, you just can’t! "Miss. Wintour has final say over every invitation and attendee, which means that even if a company buys a table, it cannot choose everyone who sit at its table: its must clear the guest with her and Vogue."  

Interior at the Rei Kawakubo Comme desGarcons: Art of the in Between Met Ball. Photo courtesy of Vogue.com 

Chrissy Taigen wear Marchesa dress and John Legend wear Burberry suit at the Met Gala red carpet

Jennifer Lopez wearing customize Valentino dress by Pierpaolo Piccioli & Piaget timepiece and Alex Rodriguez 

Helen Lasichanh and Pharrel Williams wearing Comme desGarcons 

Rihanna wearing Comme desGarcons dress, Dsquared sandals and Chopard jewelry

Jessica Chastain wearing custom dress Prada and Piaget jewelries

Jaden Smith wearing head to toe Louis Vuitton 

Nick Jonas wearing Ralph Lauren Purple Label 

Photo courtesy of Getty Images 

Source : NYTimes.com, AOL.com, Vogue.com, businessoffashion.com, theguardian.com