The Met Gala theme for 2024 is Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion, and as part of this, the exhibition will highlight the importance of sustainability in the fashion industry. Now, while there is great excitement to see who will turn up and how, we figured it also might be important to do some revision to answer a few basic questions. How did that ‘cat dress’ land on Jared Leto? What was the inspiration behind Rihanna’s yellow gown with train that basically covered the whole venue?
Well, here you go.
1. 2013: Punk: Chaos to Couture
Attendees donned their most stylish punk outfits, showcasing a prevalence of fishnets, mesh, and edgy cuts on the red carpet. It was also said that they pushed their boundaries in doing so.
2. 2014: Charles James: Beyond Fashion
Charles James was an influential fashion designer of his era. Renowned for his expertise in crafting ballgowns, he became the focal theme for the 2014 Met Gala, where numerous elegant ballgowns adorned the red carpet.
3. 2015: China: Through the Looking Glass
In 2015, the Met Gala commemorated the impact of China on Western fashion, a lasting influence evident on the catwalks of Fashion Month over the years.
4. 2016: Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology
Met Gala highlighted the indispensability of technology in our daily lives, specifically emphasizing the fusion of fashion and technology. Claire Danes notably stood out in a luminous dress designed by Zac Posen.
5. 2017: Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between
The Met Gala paid tribute to Comme des Garçons designer Rei Kawakubo, a rare acknowledgment for a living designer through a retrospective.
6. 2018: Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination
The 2018 Met Gala was about the historical impact of Catholicism on fashion. Attendees showcased this theme with notable ensembles, such as Katy Perry donning the attire of a literal angel.
7. 2019: Camp: Notes on Fashion
Camp: Notes on Fashion paid homage to Susan Sontag’s renowned essay, which characterized camp as an appreciation for the unnatural, artifice, and exaggeration. The Met emphasized that the most fitting way to promote a camp-themed exhibit is through the use of pink.
8. 2021: In America: A Lexicon of Fashion
The event “In America” commemorated a diverse range of American designers throughout history. It delved into the concept of American identity, emphasizing the notion that despite our differences, there is a unifying thread that connects us all.
9. 2022: Gilded Glamour
This drew inspiration from the Gilded Age in New York, a period marked by extravagance and grandeur that defined both the era and the fashion of those decades.
10. 2023: Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty
The theme for the Met Gala 2023 paid tribute to the influential designer Karl Lagerfeld, renowned for his creative directorship at Chanel, as well as his contributions to Chloé and his own eponymous brand.
Celebrities’ interpretation of these themes is what makes the event particularly unique.
