Fashion’s dearest night of the year came and went.
The 2022 Met Gala took place Monday, May 2, at 6 p.m. EST at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Its theme, "In America: An Anthology of Fashion," was a follow-up to the first part exhibit from September of 2021, "In America: A Lexicon of Fashion."
The Costume Institute’s head curator, Andrew Bolton, told Vogue, “The stories really reflect the evolution of American style, but they also explore the work of individual tailors, dress-makers, and designers.”
“What’s exciting for me is that some of the names will be very familiar to students of fashion, like Charles James, Halston, and Oscar de la Renta, but a lot of the other names really have been forgotten, overlooked or relegated into the footnotes of fashion history. So one of the main intentions of the exhibition is to spotlight the talents and contributions of these individuals, and many of them are women,” Bolton said in an interview with Vogue.
In short, Bolton wanted to address and explore the question of “Who gets to be an American?” with a focus on inclusivity.
The invitations stated the dress code for the event would be “gilded glamour,” and The Cut disclosed specific instructions read “white tie,” not black tie.
If you’re wondering what “white tie” dress entails, it practically translates to the most formal of all formalities and traditional excess. The Cut described it as “floor-length gowns for women and a black jacket or coat with tails for men.”
Essentially, “The 2022 Met Gala will ask its attendees to embody the grandeur — and perhaps the dichotomy — of Gilded Age New York,” says Vogue.
Traditionally, the Met Gala is held annually, on the first Monday of May, as a way to fundraise for the museum's Costume Institute.
However, due to the pandemic, the 2020 event was cancelled and the 2021 event was rescheduled for September of the same year.
For fashion gurus, it comes as a blessing in disguise that viewers only had to wait a mere eight months for their favorite red-carpet attendees and celebrities to reappear in the most extravagant, intricate garments, and Vogue promised “this year’s ceremony is sure to serve even more memorable looks.”
It is no secret that fans of the event were saddened when the queen of the Met Gala, Blake Lively herself, was a no-show to the gala in September. Don’t fret though, Lively was back and better than ever this year as she was one of the gala’s hosts alongside husband Ryan Reynolds, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Regina King.
Per usual, Anna Wintour served as an honorary co-chair, given Wintour has been a formative component to the show’s success since 1995. Designer Tom Ford and Instagram’s Adam Mosseri also served as honorary co-chairs.
For those at home who wanted to be a part of the exclusive, star-studded event, Vogue livestreamed the gala on its digital platforms in addition to its socials such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, where Vogue editor at large Hamish Bowles hosted with actor and singer Vanessa Hudgens and actor and television personality La La Anthony.
In regards to who will be attending this year’s gala, a lot of faces remain uncertain given Vogue does not disclose who is on it until shortly before celebrities, designers, industry paragons, muses and young creatives make their debut at the event.
However, considering the September 2021 gala was smaller and more intimate due to COVID, both familiar and unfamiliar faces were seen for the first time in two years, now that the event is back in full force.
Only time will tell who will be decked out and best dressed in an either incredibly outlandish ensemble or in one worth praise.
