What’s that smell wafting through the breeze in New York City? Is it the incoming dew of spring? Is it a pile of garbage marinating on the sidewalk that we’re going blame Eric Adams for? Perhaps it’s the scent of a gaggle of celebrities prepping — spray tans, hairspray, infrared-sauna detox sessions — to walk the red carpet at the Met Gala on May 6. This evening, the stars will (literally) align in their best, and sometimes wackiest, dressed on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Below, we answer nearly every question you could possibly have about the most anticipated fashion event of the year.
What even is the Met Gala?
Essentially, it’s many of the most famous, and wealthiest, people you know getting gussied up to spend some dough in support of art and fashion. The Met Gala is an annual fundraiser for the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Each year’s gala has a specific dress code to celebrate different themes.
What is the 2024 Met Gala theme?
The exhibition put on by the Costume Institute is titled “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion.” This might sound like a win for sleepy girls worldwide, myself included. But the focal point of the exhibition will be dormant dresses (not people) and forgotten, fragile garments spanning over 400 years of history.
While contemporary work from designers like Phillip Lim, Stella McCartney, and Conner Ives will be included, according to Vogue, the exhibit will also feature archival designs from classics like Elsa Schiaparelli, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, Hubert de Givenchy, and more. Andrew Bolton, the Wendy Yu Curator in Charge of the Costume Institute, explained that around 15 pieces that are too fragile to be worn again (music to Kim Kardashian’s ears) will be on display, including an Elizabethan bodice and an 1887 silk ball gown by Charles Frederick Worth.
What does the Met Gala red carpet look like?
Based on early photos of the entrance — which, of course, is all we have to go on, since photos inside are strictly forbidden — very green. Organizers seem to have really run with the “garden” aspect of the theme, running flower-studded topiaries up the steps and lining the walls with a tree-filled backdrop. As for the carpet, it appears to have been splattered with seafoam-hued dye along each side, giving it the distinct look of a home-tie-dyed shirt. How celebrities — who themselves will probably be in a lot of leaf-heavy looks — will look against all this foliage remains to be seen.
What’s the 2024 Met Gala dress code?
The dress code for this year’s Met Gala is “The Garden of Time,” inspired by a short story written by J.G. Ballard in 1962, which chronicles the tale of a count and countess living in a blissful villa: “But with each passing hour, an angry mob slowly begins to encroach their home, with the only way to fend them off involving the count plucking the petals of a time-reversing flower.” Sounds blissful …
The dress code has been a point of discussion among fashion editors, prompting speculation as to how exactly attendees might plan to interpret it. Kat Thomas, a fashion editor at Condé Nast, thinks guests might take the dress code literally, hypothesizing that someone could even arrive covered in moss: “I really do feel like the people love sea moss right now,” she said. “They love eating it. So why not wear it?”
Ana Escalante, an associate editor at Who What Wear who’s been on the Met Gala carpet, sees celebrities and stylists leaning heavily into foliage as well. “What jumps out to me is that celebrities and stylists are going to rely heavily on the garden aspect of the theme. I can see things like flowers, greenery, moss, very literal stuff,” she said. “This idea of a garden and being whimsical in your fashion choices can be fun. A lot of the funniest flops tend to be way too on the nose.”
Escalante is hoping to see something from Loewe, with its notorious anthurium dress, or Dior’s archive on the carpet. “I went to the [Dior] exhibition in Paris a few months ago and there’s an entire garden section. Maybe a celebrity will pull that. Maybe Zendaya,” Escalante said. “God, I can’t wait to see what she wears.” Same, Ana, same. But as of the weekend before the gala, Zendaya’s dress hadn’t even been made yet, so I’m sure the star also can’t wait to see what she’ll be wearing.
Who is hosting the 2024 Met Gala?
Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Chris Hemsworth, and Bad Bunny are all sharing the responsibility of co-chair alongside Vogue’s Anna Wintour, who’s been running the show there since 1995.
Who else is attending the Met Gala?
The list of around 450 attendees is under tight lock and key until the red carpet starts. The Met provides a tip sheet for reporters on the carpet, something I will be dashing for the second I get into the greenroom.
But an anonymous source spilled some alleged beans to “Page Six,” noting that Olivia Rodrigo, Uma Thurman, Sarah Paulson, and Cara Delevingne are expected to attend, along with Gisele Bündchen (please, let her bring her beautiful jujitsu boyfriend), Kendall Jenner, Rihanna, Lily Gladstone, and Irish icons Ayo Edebiri and Barry Keoghan. Also, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, and their notorious fashion taste, are expected to make an appearance.
Is Beyoncé attending the Met Gala?
If Bey can make it to Bushwick to watch her nephew walk in a fashion show this year, I hope she can make it to the steps of the Met! Consider this a prayer.
Is Taylor Swift attending the Met Gala?
As our culture writer Danielle Cohen put it: “The last Met Gala Taylor Swift attended was eight years and three boyfriends ago.” But Swifties have always held out hope. Her fan base has done all the calculations, as they often do, and with the European leg of her tour not beginning until May 9, Swift and Travis Kelce have plenty of time to make a pit stop in Manhattan, no?
How much does it cost to attend the Met Gala?
It’s reported that tickets can cost $50,000 a head, but even then, guests allegedly all have to be vetted by Wintour. I suppose it’s all worth it, considering last year’s gala raised $22 million for the Costume Institute.
What if I’m hungry for more?
We’ll be on the red carpet, live-blogging and sharing real-time video on our Instagram and TikTok! If you have cable or certain streaming services, you can tune in to NBC or E! at 6 p.m. ET or watch the Vogue livestream.
