The first Monday in May means only one thing, the MET GALA. The MET GALA does not instantly make you excited for the opening night of one of (if not the) most exquisite fashion exhibition of the year but gets you excited to see what the guests will be wearing.
Over the last decade the MET GALA has been growing in notoriety, it gets more traction and attention than any of the many Fashion Weeks around the globe. And why? Because it's so exclusive, you need to be asked to attend, you can't take pictures inside, there is a theme to match your outfit to and you are judged by what you wore. This red carpet is more important than the Oscars, there I said it. It's a stage, for the designers and guests to get creative. And everything is a stage and considered to the last tiniest detail.
It starts with the invitation. A clue to what the show will look like, a clue to what the co-chairs and guests will wear.
This the invite to Alexander McQueen's Savage Beauty exhibition and Sarah Jessica Parker on the night wearing McQueen, the same tartan.
There are 3 iconic places in the MET on that Monday night;
1. The staircase. It seems the thought process is to set the guest on a journey, the steps are covered in the art relevant to the theme, the walls are covered and usually encroach. This journey up the steep flight of steps leaves the outside world behind and for one evening the theme is your world.
In the documentary the First Monday in May, the designers and GALA creators have pitched the creative of the staircase with 2 big, vibrant dragons on either side, this was agreed upon but at the last minute (oh the drama!) Anna Wintour explained in a very nice way that she felt it didn't work. And this was the result, an elegant natural tranquil forest of bamboo. Genius.
2. The entrance hall. The sculpture piece is always breath taking. This is the backdrop for the official photographs (remember no cameras). A piece of art purely for one night only to confirm the theme in one huge swop.
Punk Chaos to Couture in 2013 had a chandelier made from thousands of razor blades hanging over a bed of thousands of red roses. Again genius.
3. The table setting. Everything is considered, the pattern on the table cloths, the napkins, the cutlery, the chair coverings, nothing is left to chance.
Schiaparelli & Prada Impossible Conversations, is one of my favourite place settings, the use of the designers patterns on the seat coverings, the chaos of the colours. Above is the invite, part of the entrance hall sculpture and the dining hall, showing the magic of how these all tie together.
The magic of the MET GALA is not just the fashion it is every little detail that goes into making this the iconic night that it is. Now all I need is an invite.
Image credits: Vogue & The Metropolitan Museum of Art Institute