For the second time in less than a year, the most iconic event in fashion took place. The Met Gala, held at the Metropolitan Museum in New York City, is a recurring fundraising event that takes place on the first Monday of May every year. The annual event introduces the theme of the Costume Institute exhibit for the year. 

   Getting an invitation to the gala isn’t easy, ticket prices are around $30,000 a piece, with table prices at $200,000 to $300,000. Though celebrities often don’t buy their tickets, a designer will often buy one or two tables and invite celebrities to sit at their table if they represent their brand on the carpet and at the event. 

   Then, the last piece of information at the bottom of the invitation is arguably the most important, the theme. This year the Met had a two part theme, since they held a Met Gala earlier this year in September instead of May. The first part of the Met was “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” with the second part being “In America: An Anthology of Fashion”. 

   The meaning of the “Anthology of Fashion” theme was to show the evolution of fashion over the years, while also highlighting the work of multiple dressmakers and designers. It was exciting since we saw some looks from very famous designers, and some looks from designers that are overlooked, or forgotten.

   This years hosts Regina King, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Blake Lively, and Ryan Reynolds. In my opinion, Blake Lively stole the show with her quick change on the red carpet. Lively’s outfit was many people’s favorite, with her dress representing some of the famous landmarks in New York City such as, the Empire State Building, The Statue of Liberty, and Grand Central Station. 

   On the carpet, many celebrities revealed their jaw dropping outfits while posing for the cameras. This year, I feel there were many surprises and unexpected outfits, such as Kim Kardashian wearing Marilyn Monroe’s iconic 1962 dress. Monroe wore the dress the night she sang happy birthday to the present president, John F. Kennedy. Although, Kim is getting a lot of backlash for wearing such an important part of history, for possibly ripping or stretching the dress. 

   Billie Eilish wore Gucci on the carpet, and was one of the few people to wear an on theme outfit. From the corset, to the colors, to even the flower on the dress, Eilish showed everyone what fashion used to look like, while still adding a touch of her personality in her goth-like jewelry. Surprisingly, the artist/singer Cardi B doesn’t come to play when Gilded Glamour. Hitting the theme perfectly in her all gold outfit that took over 1,300 hours to make by Versace. 

   One of the more surprising outfits of the night was worn by Kylie Jenner wearing a wedding dress, but the reason she wore it was super heartwarming. Jenner wore Off-White as a tribute to the founder of the brand, as well as one of her close friends Virgil Abloh, who passed away on November 21, 2021 at the age of 41. Kylie revealed that she and Virgil were supposed to attend the Met Gala together this year, and Kylie thought it was only right if she wore an outfit in tribute to Virgil Abloh. 

   Next year’s theme is still undecided, and we won’t know it for a while. I’m excited to see if next year’s Met Gala theme makes everyone come out the best they’ve ever dressed. While not everyone followed the theme, we still saw amazing looks, I can’t wait to see what’s in store for next year.