Entertainment
The MET Gala: 2018 & 2021
Tara Goold and Megan Miller, Writers | 11/08/2021
The MET gala. An iconic event that happens annually, with the top celebrities dressing to the highest standards. The history of the MET gala goes back to 1948. Eleanor Lambert initiated this event, with tickets being around $3,000 at the time (now they are around $30,000-$50,000). This yearly event was to raise money for the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute. This Institute has clothing in the museum, and Anna Wintour is the head of this. From then to now, this is an event that is extremely hard to get into. The chief editor of Vogue, Anna Wintour, is the one to pick the high-stakes guest list - Oh, and she is super picky.
The 2018 Met Gala was a memorable year for the fashion industry, having looks go down in met gala history as iconic and elegant. The theme was Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination. Fashion designers like John Galliano, who created Rihanna’s one-of-a-kind dress, nailed the theme. Since 2018 was an incredible year for the Met Gala, it brought more awareness to the Costume Institute. According to The New York Times, the Gala has raised over $145 million for The Costume Institute since 1995. The event takes place on the jaw-dropping red carpet on the iconic museum stairs at the New York City’s Metropolitan Museum. 2018 holds some of the people's favorite looks, like Blake Lively and Sza.
Below K-pop star Rose stuns in a custom Saint Laurent dress.
Izzy Skrivanie, a student here at PHS, shares her thoughts on Sza’s dress. She states, “The matching boots and dress added an elegant edge, while the sparkles made the look stand out and unique.” Shailene Woodley's dress had many controversial opinions. Many people say she didn’t fit the theme, while others say it's too basic. The 2018 Met holds one of the most iconic years, with all the famous and elegant looks shown.
As you might have seen over social media the past months, the MET gala fashion in 2021 was like no other. The theme was “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” and people interpreted this in many different ways. Billie Eilish went for an old Hollywood look with her blush ballgown dress. Another fan favorite was Emma Chamberlain’s outfit done by Versace.
Addison Young, a student here at PHS, shares her thoughts on her dress. She states, “Emma Chamberlain's outfit was simple but elegant.” But not all the fashion was fan favorites. ASAP Rocky's outfit had a controversial review. Some say it looks elegant and that it created a twist on the theme, and critics state that it resembles Captain Crunch, the cereal. For something to be fashionable and groundbreaking, an outfit can not be trendy and basic. It has to be out of the box. Once stated by Karl Lagerfeld, “Trendy is the last stage before tacky,”.
The MET in 2018 and 2021 have both similarities and differences. 2021 is a whole different world, with COVID changing the world, safety precautions were made behind the scenes. However, there was a difference between the fashion displayed and also in the money raised. The Met Gala raises money for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in NYC. In 2021, the gala raised a record-breaking $16.75 million. While, 2018, raised a total of $13+ million.
As there are many aspects to the Met Gala, the looks are the most critical. Some people say that 2021 was the better year because they had to make up for the 2020 year as well, they also had almost 2 years to create the looks. Whereas, some people think 2018 was the better year because the fashion looks were more elegant and straightforward with the theme. It was hard to determine what year was the best because they were so different and brought different dynamics to the Met Gala.
Overall, the MET is a one-of-a-kind event and has a history for it. With new looks being shown every year, it never disappoints.