Met Gala 2024: Here’s what to know about fashion’s big night

Zendaya attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit gala or Met Gala celebrating the opening of the “Camp: Notes on Fashion” exhibition on May 6, 2019, in New York. Image: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

NEW YORK — Attention all you fashionistas: It’s Met Gala time. Yes, the first Monday in May is upon us.

Looking to follow along? Here’s a quick primer on what you need to know about the palooza of A-list celebrities from film, fashion, music, sports, politics, and social media.

What’s the point of the Met Gala?

It’s a party, for sure, with cocktails and dinner for about invited 400 guests, but it’s also a huge fundraiser for the Met’s Costume Institute, the only department at the museum required to pay for itself. Last year, the gala raised about $22 million. Anna Wintour, a Met trustee for whom part of the institute has been renamed, organizes the whole shebang. No phones are allowed, adding to the allure.

What’s this year’s Met Gala theme?

There’s a dress code each year tied to the museum’s spring exhibition. Some guests, not all, step up at the request of Wintour. This year’s theme is “The Garden of Time,” inspired by J.G. Ballard’s 1962 short story of the same name. It’s a squishy fashion ask considering how specific last year’s theme was: all things Karl Lagerfeld. Florals, and more florals, are expected this time around. Vintage will likely be big, too.

What is the museum exhibit this year?

It’s called “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.” But we’re not talking fairytales or Disney princesses. It includes 250 items from The Costume Institute’s permanent collection, including some garments very rarely seen in public and so fragile they need to be under glass.

Curators wanted to engage all the senses, including that of smell. They worked with a “smell artist.” And there’s a garment that actually grows. Part of the idea is to pay tribute to the natural world. The exhibit opens to the public Friday and runs through Sept. 2.

Who are the Met Gala co-chairs?

Getting called up by Wintour as a co-chair is a big deal. This year’s class is Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, and Chris Hemsworth. It’s Hemsworth’s first Met Gala. Shou Chew, chief executive officer of TikTok, and Jonathan Anderson, creative director of Loewe, are honorary chairs. The companies are also gala and exhibition sponsors.

Rihanna attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit gala or Met Gala celebrating the opening of the “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” exhibition on May 1, 2023, in New York. Image: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

Who’s going to the Met Gala?

Who attends is top secret but Rihanna has spilled she’ll be there. She’ll likely be accompanied by her partner A$AP Rocky. Other high-profile partners are likely to attend because their significant others are hosting: Ben Affleck and Tom Holland.

Lily Gladstone has said she’ll attend. Who we want to see: Ayo Edebiri.Taylor Swift is looking like a no, and her boyfriend Travis Kelce will definitely not be there. Dua Lipa is going.

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