The Met Gala is one of the biggest fashion event’s in the calendar every year and it’s taking place this month.
The world’s biggest stars including Lady Gaga, Kim Kardashian and Beyoncé flock to the annual fundraising gala organised by Vogue in their best attire, but 2020’s event was cancelled due to COVID-19.
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As the pandemic continues, there has been uncertainty over whether the Met Gala, originally set to take place in May and now planned for September, would still take place to raise money for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City.
Luckily the world is slowly edging back to normality, so it’s still set to happen next week.
Vogue recently confirmed the news and has finally let us in on a little more info about what we can expect – including the date of the event, the theme and more about the exhibition that comes with the red carpet soiree.
Here, we take a look at what we know so far. To read everything else about the Met Gala 2021, including tickets, time, theme and more, read our updated guide.
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When is the Met Gala 2021 and 2022?
The Met Gala usually takes place on the first Monday of May every year, but the next scheduled event is looking a little different.
This year’s Met Gala will be split into two parts, with the first taking place next week on September 13. The second part will be on 5 May, 2022 and will be entitled In America: An Anthology of Fashion.
Vogue confirmed the news, adding that September’s event will be ‘smaller’ than usual and will be timed to coincide with the close of what will ‘hopefully be an in-person New York Fashion Week.’
There’s been plenty of discussion over the guest list, which is even more exclusive than usual. 600 people are usually invited, but this has been reduced to 450 due to the pandemic.
Page Six recently published a piece that claimed that the once exclusive Met Gala had become ‘full of influencers’.
A celebrity publicist told The Post, “I’ve been told that a lot of influencers are on the guest list. I’ve heard that Facebook and Instagram have taken so many tables, and that’s put a lot of people off going, alongside the mask mandate.”
Another publicist with ‘A-list clients’ added, “Personally, I don’t think the Met is cool anymore … It’s gone from super prestigious to [being] full of influencers.”
As well as the celebrity event, the Costume Institute’s two-part exhibition is set to be presented over 2021 and 2022 in two areas of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The date of the 2021 Met Gala, known as ‘fashion’s biggest night out,’ purposefully takes place at the end of New York Fashion Week. NYFW has been on hold for the past 18 months due to Covid, replaced with the American Collections Calendar, but it’s set to make its return in September with a host of exciting shows.
NYFW runs from 8th September – 12th September, with the Met Gala taking place the following day.
Why was the Met Gala cancelled last year?
While the news is positive for 2021, the Met Gala didn’t take place in 2020 due to COVID-19.
In a statement on Vogue.com, the magazine’s Editor-in-chief and Condé Nast’s global content advisor Anna Wintour at the time said: ‘Due to the unavoidable and responsible decision by the Metropolitan Museum to close its doors, About Time, and the opening night gala, will not take place on the date scheduled.’
Stars including Katy Perry and Julia Roberts shared their would-have-been outfits to social media, giving us a glimpse of what we missed.
Various awards ceremonies have taken place this year with social distancing measures in place. The Golden Globes saw a small number of celebrities invited to the Los Angeles ceremony, while most attended via Zoom.
Meanwhile the Grammys also took place outdoors in downtown Los Angeles, with the Staples Center serving as the backdrop and The Oscars also went ahead in 2021.
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What’s the theme of the Met Gala in 2021?
The official invite lists American Independence as the dress code.
In terms of the exhibition, the theme of this year’s Met Gala is In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.
Vogue revealed that ‘every room will incorporate a particular theme such as joy, rebellion, warmth, nostalgia and more, and and be occupied by an ancestor.’
The second part, taking place next year, will have the theme of In America: An Anthology of Fashion and will focus on inclusivity in fashion.
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Who will host the Met Gala 2021?
On May 3, when the Met Gala was originally set to take place, the hosts of the 2021 event were announced.
Actor Timothée Chalamet, musician Billie Eilish, poet Amanda Gorman, and tennis superstar Naomi Osaka will co-chair the event, while designer Tom Ford, Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri and Anna Wintour will act as the evening’s honorary chairs.
Gorman quickly rose to fame after her appearance at President Joe Biden’s inauguration earlier this year. Since speaking at the event, the 23-year-old was signed to IMG Models and appeared on the cover of US Vogue.
In a recent interview with Porter, she said of her appearance in the line-up, “The closest analogy is feeling like Cinderella going to the ball.
“Co-chairing with Timothée, Naomi and Billie – it feels like being a freshman at a party with seniors.
“There is something unifying in us being young and fresh-faced but, at the same time, we have become somewhat emblematic of our industries. We are the new generation – and you’d better watch out.”
Billie Eilish also recently hit the headlines when she became British Vogue‘s June cover star. She took to Instagram to share images from the shoot, writing, “I love these pictures and I loved doing this shoot. Do whatever you want whenever you want. Fuck everything else.”
Eilish broke records in doing so, with one photo becoming the fastest to reach 1million likes in under six minutes.
Will there be a red carpet?
While the event will be smaller than in previous years, Vogue has confirmed that there will still be a red carpet, from which to enjoy the fabulous fashion.
However masks are set to be mandatory, presumably inside the event.
