Monday marked the annual Met Gala, a fundraising event for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. The event always captured the best fashion had to offer.
Designers checked the last-minute details, photographers set up their cameras and fashion fans waited in anticipation to see the first looks that hit the Met Gala stairs.
But even with all the glitz and glamour, the Met Gala has been missing its usual spark.
One of the problems with the Met Gala in recent years has been the overall theme, which is determined based on what exhibit is being shown at the museum that year.
The theme of the event, also based on the current exhibit at the museum, was an ode to designer Karl Lagerfeld, aptly titled “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty.”
Lagerfeld, an influential designer who was known to be the creative director for fashion houses like Fendi, Chloé, and most notably Chanel, also happens to be a very controversial figure.
While his designs will go down in fashion history, it’s odd to celebrate a man who was known to be a bigot.
HF Met Gala high fashion fan group, who regularly covers the Met Gala every year on social media, made the decision not to cover the event due to its controversial theme. Even some celebrities who were invited did not attend because of it.
The theme is one of the most important aspects of the Met Gala. If the theme turns people away, it shouldn’t be the theme in the first place.
I understand that the theme has to coincide with the Met exhibit, but I think the problem with that is the theme always ends up being way too specific.
A good theme should be broad and up for interpretation, so that designers can truly show off their creativity. If a theme is too specific, everyone ends up looking the same or not on theme at all.
Some examples of proper Met Gala themes might include 2018’s “ Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination” and 2019’s “Camp: Notes on Fashion.”
These themes were perfect because they were broad enough for fashion designers to have fun and really let their creativity shine through, birthing some of the most iconic Met Gala looks to date.
Another issue that has been plaguing the Met Gala is the guest list, as the event is organized and hosted by Vogue.
Anna Wintour, Vogue’s editor-in-chief, is the one person who approves the looks and the guest list. Before Wintour, celebrities were not often featured in Vogue.
She was a pioneer in bringing celebrities to Vogue and into the fashion world itself.
With that being said, the Met Gala guest list is typically filled with celebrities. But as one of the biggest fashion events of the year, some of these guests tend to underwhelm with their looks.
This might be because a lot of guests are not famous for their fashion, they’re famous for acting, singing or dancing. The Met Gala should prioritize bringing celebrities who are actually influential in fashion, not just any random celebrity who is popular at the moment.
The guest list should also be broadened to people who work in fashion as well, even if they are not extremely famous. This event is a celebration of fashion and there should be more people there who work in the actual industry.
In order to bring that magic back to the Met, the Gala needs to start making it a point to celebrate both the people who influence fashion and the people who make the industry.