On Monday, May 6, the Metropolitan Museum of Art held its annual gala. Hundreds of Hollywood’s biggest celebrities attended the event dressed in their best attire to fit this year’s theme, “The Garden of Time.”
The Met Gala is a charity event hosted by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. It takes place on the first Monday of May every year, and each gala has its own extravagant theme. The purpose of these themes is to raise money for the Metropolitan Costume Institute, which is the only department that has to pay for itself. Since 1948, the gala has raised over $223 million.
This year’s theme, “The Garden of Time,” is intended to bring back timeless fashion trends and styles to represent how history repeats itself in all ways. This theme is also honoring the Costume Institutes current exhibit, “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.” The attendees honored this by wearing vintage designer outfits adorned with nature-related elements such as florals, precious metals and natural colors and patterns.
Each year brings new fan favorite outfits for the varying themes. In 2022, it was Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, and in 2023 some of the best outfits were Jared Leto who dressed as a burmese cat and Anne Hathaway in a white tweed Versace gown.
OHS senior Sadie Fox said, “I love Elle Fanning and I thought her dress was really flattering and fit the theme very well.”
Actress Elle Fanning attended the gala wearing an off the shoulder Balmain gown that looked as if the fabric was actually glass. The dress was not only delicate looking, but timeless and classic–perfect for this year’s theme.
Some of the other praised looks from this year’s gala are Lana Del Rey and Emma Chamberlain. Singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey attended the event wearing an Alexander McQueen gown adorned with thorny branches draped in tulle, an ode to the designer’s winter 1996 collection. Social media star Emma Chamberlain has been an avid attendee of the gala in past years, so it was no surprise to see her on the carpet once again. This year, she wore a custom Jean Paul Gaultier corset dress.
OHS junior Sarah Kess said, “It is always so cool to see how celebrities interpret the theme. I am a huge Lana Del Rey fan, and her outfit was so unique and fit her style well.”
The entertainment and funds that the Met Gala brings in each year are sure to keep this event running for many years to come. Keep an eye out for next year’s theme, and be ready to watch and interact with the event on May 5, 2025.
