The details of the 2021 Met Gala have officially been revealed. The Met Gala is a fundraising benefit for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute and sees celebrities, creatives and industry legends descend upon the museum’s iconic steps on the first Monday of May. Because of the pandemic, last year's event was cancelled, leaving a fashion-shaped hole in the hearts of many. However, it has now been announced that the 2021 Met Gala will take place on 13 September with the dress code "American Independence" in accordance with the exhibition In America: A Lexicon of Fashion. The real plot twist, though, is that the exhibition will be split into two parts. Part one, scheduled for 13 September, and part two, alongside an exhibition titled In America: An Anthology of Fashion which will take place on the first Monday of May in 2022.
September's Met Gala will be hosted by co-chairs Timothée Chalamet, Billie Eilish, Amanda Gorman and Naomi Osaka alongside honorary chairs Tom Ford, Adam Mosseri and Anna Wintour. According to Vogue, the Gen Z squad was chosen as "Each of the Met’s four co-hosts embodies the defining factor of American style: individualism. They may approach the concept differently, but their shared passion for expressing themselves through clothing connects with the exhibition’s theme. Chalamet, Eilish, Osaka, and Gorman have all developed a distinct visual language for their public personas, one that is informed by the legacy of iconic fashion made in the U.S.A.”
A timely theme given the social climate in the United States and the worldwide health crisis, Andrew Bolton, the Wendy Yu Curator in Charge of the Costume Institute, shared details of the exhibition in a virtual press presentation. "Over the past year, because of the pandemic, the connections to our homes have become more emotional, as have those to our clothes. For American fashion, this has meant an increased emphasis on sentiment over practicality,” said Bolton. In America: A Lexicon of Fashion will be staged to replicate rooms in a home, each of which will be representative of an emotional state to showcase the human connection to our clothes; rebellion, joy and nostalgia, for example. Speaking more on the selection of the theme itself, Bolton told Vogue, "The American fashion community has been supporting us for 75 years, really since the beginning of the Costume Institute, so I wanted to acknowledge its support, and also to celebrate and reflect upon American fashion...I really do believe that American fashion is undergoing a Renaissance."
The 2021 Met Gala will be a more intimate affair in line with social distancing protocols and has chosen its September date in the hopes that attendees will likely be vaccinated and government restrictions will be lifted. Every $275,000 table as well as the individual tickets - which will set you back $30,000 apiece - have reportedly already sold out, and we understand the excitement. The pandemic has permanently changed red carpets, with some celebrities opting to forgo them completely and show off their ensembles via Instagram at home, and so the return of the biggest event in fashion is a chance to remember what a pre-pandemic world - one with light-hearted moments, a gathering of friends and celebrity-lined red carpets - feels like. Whether Met Gala attendees opt for a literal translation of the theme and don red, white and blue or take a more interpretative route with a dash of patriotism, the world will be watching come 13 September.
Watch the virtual press presentation for In America: A Lexicon of Fashion below.
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Featured Image: Instagram/themetgalaofficial
