Fashion’s biggest night out just broke the bank. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute’s annual gala shattered records this year, raising a staggering $31 million before the event even started — its highest gross in 77 years. As A-list celebrities, fashion icons, and the cultural elite made their way onto the Met’s blue carpet on May 5, the Met Gala had already made its mark as a philanthropic powerhouse.
“It’s gone beyond what a fundraising event usually is,” consultant Rachel Feinberg said in an interview with The New York Times. “It’s not necessarily the cause that everyone’s coming for; it’s to be a part of the event.” While the gala may have had its humble beginnings as an intimate fundraiser back in 1948, it has since grown to become one of the most exclusive and expensive fundraisers to get into. Assuming you make it onto Met Gala mastermind and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour’s highly-curated guest list, individual tickets are priced at $75,000, while tables for 10 start at $350,000. Only a select few are able to secure their spot at the event, where access itself has become a symbol of status and cultural capital.
However, it’s all for a good cause. Proceeds from the gala directly support the Costume Institute — the only department at the Met that depends entirely on fundraising to operate and produce its influential, often culture-shaping exhibitions. This year’s exhibition is no exception: Superfine: Tailoring Black Style is the museum’s first fashion exhibition exclusively dedicated to designers of color, centering the artistry, innovation, and cultural impact of Black style. The exhibition explores Black Dandyism, a rarely explored style of fashion known for its tailored suits, bold patterns, and origins in the Atlantic slave trade. As Black identities slowly emerged across the United States and Europe, the figure of the Black dandy emerged as both a form of resistance and self-definition, challenging stereotypes through impeccable style.
While the gala has been criticized in the past for its less than inclusive themes and dress codes — Wintour herself has also been called out for creating an unwelcoming work environment at Vogue for Black employees — this year’s gala seems to signal a long overdue shift towards welcoming diversity. This year’s star-studded co-chairs, including ASAP Rocky, Lewis Hamilton, Colman Domingo, Pharrell Williams, and LeBron James, have all lent their voices and takes on style while working alongside Curator in Charge Andrew Bolton and guest curator Monica Miller to ensure that the gala is more than just a performative show of allyship.
And as the night’s guests poured in, it was clear that most of them had taken the theme to heart. Zendaya rocked an all-white Louis Vuitton three-piece zoot suit, complete with a dapper floppy hat to match. Teyana Taylor’s custom Marc Jacobs ensemble featured a black-and-red pinstripe suit and a durag-feather-hat combo. André 3000 wore a tailored Burberry suit, all while carrying a giant grand piano (a metaphor for the music industry?) on his back. “Our resistance is actually having beauty and love,” said Domingo in an interview with GQ. “And it’s got to be reflected in your clothing.”
