THE HISTORY OF THE MET GALA: FROM CHARITY EVENT TO GLOBAL CULTURAL ICON

The Met Gala wasn’t always the spectacle we know today. It began with Eleanor Lambert, the woman who created fashion’s most exclusive event long before Anna Wintour took the reins.

Every first Monday of May, the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York become the most important stage in the fashion world. The Met Gala, officially known as the Costume Institute Benefit, is not only one of the most anticipated nights on the international cultural calendar but also a media phenomenon that brings together art, fashion, history, politics, and celebrity.

The history of this event began in 1948, thanks to the vision of Eleanor Lambert, a key figure in the institutionalization of fashion as part of American culture. Known for founding the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and promoting New York fashion on the international stage, Lambert conceived of a charity dinner to raise funds for the Costume Institute, which had just joined the Metropolitan Museum. The entrance cost $50, and the event gathered New York’s social elite. There was no media presence, theatricality, or spectacle, which would define the gala decades later.

The turning point came in the 1970s when legendary fashion editor Diana Vreeland took on the role of special advisor to the Costume Institute. Her influence was decisive. Under her leadership, the event moved to the museum, conceptual themes were introduced that guided both the exhibition and the attire of the guests, and prominent figures from culture and entertainment like Elizabeth Taylor, Bianca Jagger, Andy Warhol, and Cher joined the gala. Vreeland turned the event from a simple fundraising dinner into a cultural phenomenon with international impact. Her sophisticated style and theatrical sense gave the gala a unique identity that still resonates today.

In 1995, Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue, took control of the event and transformed it into what we know today. Her influence has been so decisive that since 2014, the main room of the Costume Institute has been named after her. Wintour professionalized the gala, centralized its curating and media management, imposed a careful and rigorous aesthetic, and turned it into a global platform for fashion and power. It is now estimated that the gala can raise between $15 and $20 million per night for the Costume Institute. A single ticket costs around $30,000, and a table can reach up to $300,000. Moreover, the guest list is rigorously selected by Wintour, who not only approves each name but often decides which designer will dress each celebrity.

The impact of the Met Gala is so powerful that many designers prepare outfits for months or even a year to be seen for only a few minutes on the red carpet. It is, without a doubt, the most talked-about fashion show in the world. Each edition becomes a visual manifesto: it’s not just about looking beautiful or striking, but about telling a story, making an aesthetic, even political statement. Over the years, the themes have paid tribute to great designers like Yves Saint Laurent, Gianni Versace, Alexander McQueen, Karl Lagerfeld, Rei Kawakubo, and Schiaparelli, and have explored concepts such as punk, Catholicism, technology in fashion, orientalism, and camp.

In the age of social media and instant viralization, the Met Gala has reached an unprecedented level of influence. Images like Rihanna dressed as the pope, Zendaya as Cinderella, or Lady Gaga changing outfits four times on the same red carpet have become icons of contemporary pop culture. The event has also been depicted in films like Ocean’s Eight, series, documentaries, and countless digital contents.

But beyond the spectacle, the gala continues to fulfill its original purpose: to fund the curatorial and academic work of the Costume Institute, which today houses one of the most important collections of clothing in the world, with over 33,000 pieces that narrate the evolution of dress from the 15th century to the present day.

The Met Gala is not just a party or a red carpet. It is a manifestation of how fashion has managed to occupy a central place in the cultural discourse of the 21st century. A space where clothing speaks, provokes, honors, denounces, and moves. An event that, every year, redefines the boundaries between art and fashion, spectacle and content, tradition and reinvention.