The annual Met Gala is being held tonight and I’m starting to get excited-worried about the event. I’m worried – mostly – about the lack of advance buzz about the event. Usually, the weekend before the Met Gala is full of pre-gala gossip, an influx of celebrities into New York, fashion drama and more. It’s been suspiciously quiet this year. Anyway, Page Six is running an epic story about the history of the Met Gala, how exclusive it is and what it takes to actually be invited to this mess. Here are some highlights:
This year’s gala will be smaller than last year’s: A source close to the event said the number of guests for the Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons-themed ball was slimmed from last year’s 610 attendees “to make it more intimate and private. The party has shifted in size over the years according to theme . . . For the ‘Punk’ theme [in 2013] it was a slightly larger, more rambunctious crowd.”
The hosts, how money is raised: This year, the co-chairs are Tom Brady, Gisele Bündchen, Katy Perry and Pharrell Williams. The Met Gala was started in 1946 as a run-of-the-mill charity ball. Nowadays, the likes of Kanye West and The Weeknd perform, and it’s one of the biggest fundraisers in NYC. The 2016 event raised approximately $13.5 million for the Met’s Anna Wintour Costume Center.
Anna Wintour ultimately determines the guest list: Just because you have the pedigree and money — tickets start at $30,000 per person and, according to sources, go as high as $50,000 — doesn’t mean you’re invited. That’s true even if you’re one of the 100 members of the Friends of the Costume Institute, the committee that helps raise funds for the center. “Anna is extremely restrictive on who can buy a ticket,” said a socialite, who has attended the event for years. “Many people I know who are Friends, [and] who have the money to pay, have been turned down. Anna decides they can’t go. Period.”
Friends of the Committee: The socialite said that, in the past, members, who already donated $10,000 a year to be on the committee, would be given discounted ticket rates. Now, “there aren’t as many tickets for them,” she said. “Plus, the Friends tickets cost more. I think [the Gala team is] more concerned with getting celebrities to fill the seats. [Vogue contributing editor] Lauren Santo Domingo and [Estée Lauder creative director] Aerin Lauder will get to go. But I know at least 10 people who are Friends who were told no.”
Some socialites aren’t allowed to bring their husbands: “I know people [on the Friends committee] who get really frustrated that they can’t bring their husbands,” added Cameron Silver, founder of luxe vintage shop Decades in Los Angeles, who has been to the gala five times. “It becomes a very expensive girls’ night out.”
Some people get banned: Celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe was invited to sit at shoe designer Brian Atwood’s table in 2007, but was then disinvited, allegedly, because she had boasted in a New York Times interview that she was more influential than Wintour. “Project Runway” star Tim Gunn dished on E!’s “Fashion Police” that his invitation was rescinded when he told The Post in 2006 about watching Wintour being carried down five flights of stairs at a fashion show by two bodyguards. After being asked by Vogue flacks to make a retraction — and refusing — Gunn claimed he had officially become persona non grata: “We’ve had an open war ever since.”
The tables & the designer’s celebrity guests: Corporate sponsors like Apple, Warner Bros and Valentino buy “tables” for anywhere between $275K to $500K, although it often costs more than that when corporations are looking for cross-branding within the pages of Vogue (which can cost millions of dollars). Even then, the sponsors still have to submit their guest lists to Wintour. She also determines which celebrities “go” with which designers.
Arrival times: Gala guests — whom are instructed to dress in theme — are given staggered arrival times. After the red carpet, there is a receiving line with the hosts. Then, everyone proceeds to the exhibition, which kicks off that day, before continuing on to cocktails and, finally, a sit-down dinner and concert. Since Wintour took over the gala, Glorious Food owner Sean Driscoll has catered every time.
You can’t skip: If you’re lucky enough to win Wintour’s seal of approval, make sure you don’t miss a bash — ever. “I know people who decided not to go one year because they weren’t around or didn’t like the theme,” the socialite said. “Once you do that, you’re not invited back unless you’re triple A-list.”
It’s funny to me that many of the socialites who spend tens of thousands of dollars cozying up with Anna Wintour through the committee will sometimes not even get tickets, or they’ll only get one ticket and they can’t bring their husbands. Man, that’s harsh. I also didn’t realize that Wintour “puts” celebrities with various designers. I would imagine that most designers have their own shortlists of celebrities, but those lists get to be culled by Wintour personally. I wonder how this year’s smaller guest list will pan out, celebrity-wise.
We’ll have full Met Gala fashion coverage starting bright and early tomorrow morning! Come and check it out, it should be fun.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Yeah, not buying this as restrictive. The kardashians keep getting invited, so obviously taste and class mean nothing.
My thoughts exactly.
It seems like the Kardashians and the couch dress made the event jump the shark. After that, people started publicly bitching about it, it seems like. Or maybe that is just hindsight that makes it appear that way.
Exactly. And several celebs had publicly stated that it has become a joke. It’s an important fundraiser, but it’s become an embarrassment of self-aggrandizing behavior by both the host and those who attend.
It’s not about taste, class or design, it’s about money and fame. If it’s more restricted this year it’s because they couldn’t sell as many corporate tables.
And it is about social status. To “belong” or to “not be”. 😉
AW loves Kanye.
What is the “Anna Wintour Costume Center”? What kind of charity work do they do?
I have a feeling this year will be more “intimate” because they couldn’t get anyone to come lol.
I have the same feeling. Wintour wants to keep the guest to celebrity ratio the same as last year so people don’t start talking about how this event is over. Fewer celebs = fewer guests.
Yep, exactly, they try to get some “class” and much missed dignity and art back into the fundraiser. If that fundraiser would become permanantly Kardashian-ised then the Rich won’t turn up any more nor donate.
That Tim Gunn story, no matter how many times I read it, just makes me love him more and more as the days go on.
+1
I adore Tim Gunn. Have you read his books? He is all about compassion and common sense but also tells really great stories about J Edgar Hoover.
Me, too. I don’t watch PRW anymore, but when I did, I always loved how he could give designers critical feedback in the most incredibly positive way. He is a special person.
I did not know that he wrote books. I will now have to look into that.
I love love love Tim Gunn and dislike Wintour intensely. She sounds worse than Pippa with her guest list!
She sounds and looks like a right bitch. Why people put up with her is beyond understanding; they should just walk away. The predicted poor attendance suggests that people have better things to do with their money, time and self-esteem than give Anna Wintour a second thought. Is there anything more pitiful than people demeaning themselves just to be acceptable to someone who has the gall to think they are the only arbiters of taste, fashion, society et al? As for Pippa – again, why indulge someone of such little ability, except to climb? Despite the expensive educations, none of the Middleton adult children have any level of competence, or work ethic. Oxygen thieves.
This is a big Monday for NY entertainment news! Wondering if Ryan Seacrest will be there too.
The Botox contest between him and Kelly will be epic.
Haha, they really are a good match, aren’t they?
With the lack of face movement, it is really hard to tell Brittney.
Hopefully this year there will be fewer celebrities like Lena Dunham and Amy Schumer who get undeserved invitations and then do nothing but complain. Sorry you were bored because there were too many fashion industry people at the event, Amy. Perhaps you should consider not going to fashion industry events if you hate socializing with fashion industry people.
Sorry, LOL, how does one become “deserving” of attending an event that’s too elitist to recognise financial contributors because they don’t work in fashion? The celebs sweeten the pot with some star power. Maybe it’s just boring?
Good point. If fashion industry donors can’t even get in, the celeb list has never really been about fashion either. It’s all about making Anna look good.
I would say a celebrity is deserving of an invite if they are involved in the fashion industry and have demonstrated an interest or influence in fashion, such as Rihanna or Sarah Jessica Parker. Even actresses like Sienna Miller and Kate Bosworth don’t bring the biggest starpower, but they do have fashion connections.
Lena Dunham and Amy Schumer both dress like crap and routinely diss the fashion industry. Lena was there complaining about how boring it was and how the models were making her feel bad about herself. They both only went because their publicists told them it would be good for their careers to be seen, so good riddance if they don’t like it.
Anna wintour approves every guest even if a company buys a table you won’t have final say who can attend she does.
But, I think Shumer and Dunham are invited to make this a more well-rounded group and this event is an investment in publicity for all of them.
It’s work. I’m bored at work sometimes too…..
Right? If you are there to network and it’s boring, suck it up for a few hours. Most of us have to endure boring networking opportunities for our jobs too.
It’s just plain bad manners to publicly say that a party you were invited to was boring and you had a terrible time. Keep your mouth shut and decline the invitation in the future. I don’t know how Gwyneth Paltrow stayed on good terms with AW after doing the same thing.
I do agree that AW is trying to make the event a little more interesting by inviting writers/unconventional celebrities like Amy and Lena. I think she did a HUGE favor to Amy by putting her on the cover of Vogue to promote her terrible book. She’s also given a lot of coverage to Lena and her projects. They both should be lucky and grateful for that.
Schumer is the famous niece of the Senior Senator from New York. That’s powerful political clout.
Dunham has some life long connection with Zac Posen.
I didn’t know that(about Schumer). It explains why so many kiss up to her when she really is or had nothing special
and even their grumblings bring attention to the even, probably more so than their praises. it’s the sad truth nowadays.
They’re cousins. (the Schumers, that is)
They’re second cousins once removed to be exact and she didn’t know him well growing up. Don’t think that connection had anything to do with her comedy or showbiz career.
Dunham grew up in NYC and her parents were artists, who may have known Posen.
@TheOtherSam
Well, if you want to be exact, they’re first cousins once removed. I didn’t feel the need to be so specific. Chuck Schumer and Amy Schumer’s father are first cousins.
Wikipedia and a few other sources say her dad and Sen Chuck are second, but you of course could be correct – apologies if so. Wasn’t trying to be pedantic about the genealogy, but opining that Chuck Schumer’s political fame wasn’t much assistance or influence on Amy’s entertainment career.
@TheOtherSam
Sorry. I wasn’t trying to sound as if I were jumping on you. Sometimes, it’s difficult to read tone in writing. I didn’t mean to direct anything toward you. Certainly, no need for you to apologize.
Why do people care so much about this gala? If the Kardashians are invited, I would stay home. As for Wintour, for someone who owns the fashion scene, she always dresses pretty bad. I loved Vogue but since everyone gets a cover nowadays, I skip it.
I used to be a Vogue subscriber for ten years before Wintour single-handedly destroyed a great magazine. I read the British, Spanish and Mexican editions when I can find them. They have Wintour’s magazine beat hands down.
This party just seems so hollow to me, so boring… They live for the photos on those stairs showing off a dress that should be about a certain theme… It feels more like work than fun. It’s a celebrity thing, much more than the Oscars I feel because at least you are celebrating films no matter what you think about the process. At the Met Gala the event seems to be about those photos, they don’t show much about the exhibition, there’s dinner and a concert and that’s it. It’s a try hard celebration of fashion in such a way that i find it off putting.
Please spare me with the “restricted list” nonsense! If the Kardashians are invited, the spin about “A-list” & “elite” attendees only is OVER.
I think less people are buying into Wintour’s antics so maybe people aren’t clamoring for an invite like they did in the past. She’s trying to cover for her less than A-list attendance this year by spinning the story of slimming down the guest list.
Isn’t this the same marketing technique that is used to sell a handbag for thousands of dollars?
It’s the “exclusive” narrative ^_^
Inviting the Kardashians and other lower-tier celebrities did have consequences. The elite philanthropists stopped going, which is a major issue for a benefit gala. The Costume Institute is shoring it up with corporate giving, but that’s not reliable funding. Add in the Met’s other PR issues of late, and you wonder if Anna’s reign can last much longer.
Lmao. This year will be more “intimate” just because a lot of a-lister are not coming. No JLaw, no Emma Stone, no Marion Cotillard, no Alicia Vikander, etc. Anyway we just need a few people to bring the drama.
Yeah, nobody wants to come to your party, Anna.
Look Here, if I’m paying five digits and no decimals for a ticket somewhere, I get to bring who I want and wear what I want.
If I contributed that much as a donor and then was told, no you can’t buy a ticket to our biggest gala even though you support our cause, I’d send my money elsewhere the following year, and when asked to re-up my contribution, I’d tell them to take a hike. Donor recognition is fundamental to consistent fundraising, and someday these people will start to ask themselves why they are trying so hard to impress Anna Wintour.
I wondered the same thing, Izzy. If it costs an annual $10k just to be a “Friend”, why wouldn’t they get the first invites? This is not to say that one expects favours because they contribute, but generally, charities will show their appreciation to large or regular patrons in some way. For example, I am a regular donor to our wonderful Taronga Zoo. They have many interesting and fun events through the year (not like the Met Gala!) and we regular donors always receive the first invites. I rarely attend, because I don’t donate for any benefits I might receive, and I’m not even donating tens of thousands each year. I have a feeling these wealthy people are a bit over the Met Gala and have withdrawn support, hence the pared-back, “more intimate” spin.
Good point about the pared back part. Wouldn’t surprise me if this was the case.
So since Emperor Bigly is not attending this year, does that mean he won’t get an invite next year?
and Ivanka and Jared (too busy baby fist sitting) and Melania (too busy, not baby fist sitting).
Is she playing the “exclusive” card?! 🙄
This leads me to wonder if Kanye was banned this year. People announced Kim would be going solo this year without Kanye since he’s staying in LA, supposedly watching the kids and working. Also with his public breakdown last year right after Kim got robbed in Paris, he also has cut down on public events according to People. (Not sure if this is true but I don’t pay attention to Kanye’s official appearances). It’s probably just as well he’s not attending since whenever he is out in public, we are forced to listen to his crazy rants that follow no logic and make no sense. However, since I’m assuming Kim is easier to deal with than Kanye and has been known to be more professional than him, I’m wondering if Anna told her to leave her husband at home. It really wouldn’t surprise me. I don’t think Anna wants anything to do with Kanye ever since he used her naked likeness in the Famous video. I would be pretty mad and use that as an excuse to disinvite Kanye myself.
Anna clearly seems to prefer him (remember when she cropped Kim out the official pics of the event so that he appeared alone?). Obviously he’s not needed to babysit. I think he’s probably just not up to appearing, and I think it’s actually nice that he’s taking a break from the madness. Or maybe he and Kim are over. Either way, I would prefer they both stay home.
Yep, Anna loves Kanye. Though who knows with the stuff he’s been dishing out this year. But Kanye has always been Kim’s ticket into the fashion world, not the other way around.
@Bridget – Kanye was the entire Klan’s ticket into high fashion, since Anna and the designers considered them too downmarket before.
It’s no coincidence that even the model one started getting high fashion bookings only after Kanye married Kim and began toting her around to fashion show front rows. They owe him.
This just ticks me off. So much money … for costumes?? There are literally thousands of nonprofits that actually BENEFIT people that are struggling for the slightest little boost in support and these folks are throwing all this money chasing after WIntour to just play dress up. I don’t know why I thought they actually did something substantial with this. Guess I had my head buried in the sand.
It’s art. The Costume Institute is dedicated to preserving and showcasing fashion and textiles as art. I get it if it’s not your thing, but it’s not like it’s just a museum for movie costumes.
Once I wasn’t invited to e party/ceremony I helped organize AND also I deserved to be there because it was a recognition of MY work and some colleagues of mine. At the last minute (like 1 hour before the event itself) I received a phone call basically ordering me to get ready and to come asap at the party. Someone at the top saw the guest list at the last minutes and realized they had invited people from all different institutions of the city but not a single one of their own people for which the party was held. I mean there was going to be a little ceremony and they were going to call us by name in the speech and thank us but we wouldn’t even be there. I didn’t go citing as a reason that I was outside at dinner with my husband and kids (I am not even married lol). The person who called me knew me well and the poor guy had to lie to his boss that he didn’t reach me on the phone. The speech was not read and the purpose of the party got lost.
The next monday I was called at my superior’s office as the word had spread out what I had told. He was trying to be angry at me for reasons. Well it didn’t go well for him. I was more angry and I told him that the biggest insult wasn’t not being invited in the first place it was the later and to never include me in a anything outside my work and send my thank you notes at my office thank you very much.
Maybe that’s what happened here after all these years and plays of exclusivity, people got fed up hence the limited and no fuss party.
What happened next? Did he say anything or was he to embarrassed and just told you to get out of his office?
@Alp lol Actually I am a very passionate person when i discuss. You can’t start an argument with me and expect me to just take it. My superior hates/loves that and what I say gets told around for people to laugh. I use mostly male language and if it wasn’t for my voice sometimes you would think you were arguing with a guy. He tried to silence me in the beginning (in vain) then he listened to me and said “Yep we f–ked it up, now tell me what you really did that night” and offered me a coffe. Oh I got to leave early that day as a compensation you know.
In the end nobody cares about us “little people”, I am sort of used to this but sometimes still hurts.
I would be so mad as well. I’m glad you held your own and didn’t back down!
This is all Gwyneth’s doing… Lainey posted recently about the Vogue Goop partnership and GP Instagram’d already that she’s attending after famously saying she’d never return because it’s too crowded and unfun. Also LOL the year rumor was she stunk at the party… maybe too hot for her too!
this. i was coming to speculate that goop might be the reason.
yep. co-sign.
Check out the First Monday in May documentary all about the Met Gala, what the Costume Institute is, Anna’s seating charts and more! Came out in 2016.
Anna Wintour controls every single aspect of this event – celebrities don’t buy tickets, they’re the guests of designers and design houses, and even then Wintour has to approve. For example, the year Justin Timberlake was supposed to attend with Jessica Biel, as a pair they were going to be dressed by Tom Ford, but when JT backed out Anna nixed the Biel-Ford pairing and instead matched her Giambattista Valli (who Biel has a relationship with on her own, so it’s not like it was draconian). Wintour also reportedly approves what gowns celebs wear. While some designers will happily take input from their celeb, I’m always surprised how few people know that this isn’t really the case of a celebrity choosing a gown for an event.
So am I just a total pleb, but how is there so little Commes de Garcons on the Met Gala carpet?
I was just thinking it looks like maybe 5 attendees did any sort of homework on/made an effort with the theme.
Also, is Jaden Smith carrying his dreads?
well, look at the red carpet the year of the punk theme. I’m not surprised most celebs are too scared to attempt anything inspired by Rei. Good on the handful who made the effort though – Katy herself, Tracee Ellis Ross and Solange.
Just went through a massive set of photos from this. There is a real absence of A-Listers. About five genuine (ie. talented) celebrities, the rest, models and meh.
I noticed that too – even as recently as last year, they had the recent Best Actress/Supporting Actress Oscar winners there. This year, there’s no one significant from the movies – music and fashion, sure. (Rihanna looks amazing)
But the kind of cachet that comes from movie stars (think Jlaw, heck even Scarjo, detested as she is, or Tilda Swinton) attending your event? None.
They don’t even have any of the actresses who actually have a rep for interesting fashion – no sign of SJP, Kirsten Dunst, Marion Cotillard… zero.
The biggest movie names they’ve got are Felicity Jones (who looks lovely fir once) and Daisy Ridley – but then Star Wars is not something that needs the Met Gala for promotion.
oops, my mistake – I see Isabelle Huppert and Julianne Moore were there too.
But that red carpet was still lacking.
so lena dunhum and amy schumer are both at the met ball this year even though they incessantly complained about it last year? ugh.
Kim, Kylie and Kendall are all there. That’s 4 spaces (2 for Kim’s behind) wasted.
Did I see Goop there?
I thought she said years ago that she hated it and it was boring?…she have a book coming out?
rofl. yes m’am, indeed-y.
Having seen some of the fashions – thank goodness I’ll never be invited. Utterly ridiculous.