Politics – personal, contemporary and historical – was near the surface on the Upper East Side of New York on Monday night when 600 guests invited to celebrate the gilded era of America at the Met Gala offered their own interpretation of style and the many meanings it carries. the dress, then as now.
Singer Alicia Keys wore a cloak celebrating the union’s history in New York. New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who said he was “dying to go fundraising” for years, arrived on the red carpet wearing a jacket with decorative forearms and lapels that pays homage to the city’s transit system. On the back of his coat was written “End to Violence with Weapons” in red letters.
New York Mayor Eric Adams with his partner Tracy Collins. Photo: Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton came in a dress inspired by friendship quilts with the names, she explained, to the “brave women” of the 19th and 20th century liberation movements.
But the celebration of women’s progress toward equal rights came when news emerged that the U.S. Supreme Court had voted to suspend Rowe v. Wade, a remarkable decision that legalizes abortion across the country, according to a draft statement from Politico.
The politics of the event returned when Kim Kardashian appeared on the red carpet in the iconic dress Marilyn Monroe wore to celebrate President Kennedy’s 1962 Happy Birthday.
Hamish Bowles, editor of World of Interiors, wearing a lush mustache of an idol and a golden tiara, said: “Tonight our hearts are with the people of Ukraine and the victims of war and displacement around the world. The publisher, the main sponsor of the event, made a donation to the Red Cross and encouraged “those who can, too.”
Lady Anna Wintour’s Ball on America’s Anthology of Fashion kicks off at the Metropolitan Museum of Art with Priscilla Presley to present Baz Luhrmann’s upcoming film about Elvis, Anderson. Paak in Gucci from Head to Toe and Ashton Sanders offering Blade Vampire Council.
Reese Ahmed, wearing a T-shirt and a work shirt, said he was “trying to elevate and celebrate working class immigrants.” Amy Schumer said: “When Gabriella Hearst offers to get dressed, you put Spanx right on your cesarean scar. Janelle Monáe is promoting her science fiction book. Blake Lively came as the Statue of Liberty.
Amy Schumer. Photo: Angela Weiss / AFP / Getty Images
The Met Gala is a commercial proposition, light years since its creation in 1946 by publicist Eleanor Lambert, who is credited with bringing European fashion to America.
The influential business magazine Business of Fashion said that this year’s event could be the “most important Met Gala” in Wintour’s career. After a two-year hiatus – one canceled by Covid-19; another under-visited due to international travel bans and vaccine requirements – Monday’s gala concert was reportedly back in full force.
With tables ranging from $ 200,000 to $ 300,000, last year’s event raised $ 16.4 million for the Costume Institute in September. But he also makes money on Vogue. According to the newly published biography of Amy Odell for Wintour, now global CEO of Condé Nast, the publisher has to sell advertising. This year is also a site for the sale of online subscriptions to Vogue.com and visitors to the fences at the Met Museum.
“This is an extremely important fundraiser at the end of the day,” Anna-Lisa Jabsley, Condé Nast’s digital strategy manager, told BoF. “Everything we do in terms of content is about raising awareness and getting people through the door.”
Vogue is charging $ 1 million for two, six-second seats in its live stream of the Met Gala for two hours, according to the BoF. Tracking data shows that the stream garnered 16 million views, along with 260 million views related to the social media gala.
According to tracking firm Launchmetrics, the night generated $ 543 million worth of media exposure or the effect of placements and mentions – compared to $ 520 million for the Super Bowl. According to BoF, the more Vogue can offer the Met Gala as the Super Bowl of fashion, the more it will be able to charge.
Kim Kardashian, pictured with Pete Davidson, in the iconic dress of Marilyn Monroe. Photo: Stephen Lovekin / BEI / Rex / Shutterstock
Earlier Monday, the first lady, Dr. Jill Biden, launched a preview of the show, which includes nine films commissioned by directors, including Rada Blanc, Yanika Bravo, Sofia Coppola, Julie Dash, Essen de Wilde and Chloe Zhao, last year’s Oscars. winner for best photo.
The films celebrate neglected figures in early American fashion, especially female designers, and especially colorful ones. Costume Institute chief curator Andrew Bolton said at the show’s announcement that they “have been forgotten, ignored or listed in a footnote in the annals of fashion history.”
The Met Ball itself, fashion activists have said, has long been an opportunity for greater inclusion than the structure of the publisher or its pages, which adopted until the racial protests in 2020.
In his speech, Biden said: “Style helps us to express things that cannot be expressed in words.
“The way we behave, how we shrug our shoulders when times are tough, or offer a friendly smile, even when we disagree. How we choose to show ourselves to our communities – the small acts of kindness that are remembered long after they are offered. “
She continued, “And that includes what we wear.”
Add Comment