On May 1st, 2023, the Met Gala took place at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City yet again.

The Met Gala is considered one of the biggest fashion events, along with Fashion Week. The Met Gala was founded by Eleanor Lambert in the late 1940s. The purpose of the event was to raise money for the Costume Institute, but today’s proceeds also go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Besides having the goal of raising funds, the Met Gala also served as a celebration of fashion.

The masterminds of the event are considered to be Anna Wintour, Andrew Bolton, and many other people. Andrew Bolton is known as the Costume Institute’s chief curator, meaning he has a say in the theme of the Met Gala. Every Met Gala has a different theme for the attendees to go along with. This year, the theme was “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty.” The theme was meant to be an honorable tribute to the late fashion designer, Karl Lagerfeld. Lagerfeld had a career with brands like Balmain, Chloe, and Chanel.

Anna Wintour is one of Vogue Magazine’s editors and head chairwoman of the Met Gala. The well-known British journalist decides who’s invited to the event. Celebrities such as Blake Lively, the Kardashians, Zendaya, and more have shown up. Once the celebrities have walked the carpet, they have dinner and drinks. The dinner’s seating chart is also made up by Wintour. She also chooses who will act as co-chairs for the event. These co-chairs are also the event’s hosts.

In order to go to the Met Gala, you must receive an honorable invitation from Anna Wintour. This year, many famous celebrities came to the Met Gala and displayed amazing outfits. Some celebrities also had quite a unique interpretation of the theme. For example, Jared Leto showed up in an actual cat costume. Why dress up as a cat? Karl Lagerfeld was known for having a pet cat named Choupette! Other celebrities who had a different approach showed up in classic outfits as a nod to Lagerfeld’s sense of fashion.

The moment on the carpet is a chance for all the guests to show off their interpretations of the theme. For most celebrities, the process that goes into Met Gala preparation is memorable. A lot of famous designers come together with invited celebrities to create a look. Marc Jacobs himself worked with Paris Hilton to create an elegant black dress with a touch of sparkle. In an interview with Vogue, he says he thought “it would be interesting and exciting to see her in a black gown,” given that Paris is known for wearing bright colors like pink. He says the brand, “approached her with the idea, and she was all game and everything.” When brilliant designers join celebrities to create a fashion piece, the result can make jaws drop.

The Met Gala has always been the perfect opportunity for designers to display their work. Andrew Bolton said, “Karl [was] never tired of telling me that fashion did not belong in a museum… He would say, ‘Fashion is not art—fashion belongs on the street, on women’s bodies, on men’s bodies.”