The Met Gala 2025: Its origins, impact, rules, and how to be part of the biggest fashion event of the year

Time of India

06-05-2025

The Met Gala, which began as a New York high society charity event, has evolved into a globally influential fashion night. The 2025 Met Gala, held on May 5th, celebrated Black fashion and dandyism with a blue-themed red carpet. This exclusive event raises funds for the Costume Institute, showcasing fashion as a living art form.
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Guest List for 2025
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How it Started
How does the Met Gala work?
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Can the public attend or watch?
Met Gala Rules
What started as a charity event for New York 's high society has become the most influential fashion night globally. The Met Gala , held annually at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is now a place where art, fashion, celebrity, and cultural commentary collide on a carpet.This year's Met Gala, held on May 5, 2025, embraced the theme 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,' celebrating the history of Black fashion and dandyism.The red carpet felt like a dream this time, turned all blue. Celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan, Shakira, Rihanna, and Emma Chamberlain stood out, but the real spotlight was on the art of fashion itself.The Met Gala 2025 guest list features a diverse and star-studded array of celebrities, fashion icons, and cultural influencers. Notable attendees include global superstars like Shah Rukh Khan, Rihanna, Emma Chamberlain, Cardi B, Zendaya, and Hailey Bieber. The list also includes prominent figures from various industries, such as Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish, J Balvin, and the iconic Kim Kardashian. Fashion designers like Thom Browne, Prabal Gurung, and Marc Jacobs, along with influential figures such as Anna Wintour, Ava DuVernay, and Spike Lee, are also part of this event.The Met Gala was founded in 1948 by Eleanor Lambert, a legendary fashion publicist who also helped launch the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and the International Best Dressed List. The inaugural event was a simple fundraising dinner to support the newly established Costume Institute at the Met. Tickets were $50, and the guest list was comprised mostly of New York's elite class.The Gala was then more of a society calendar footnote than a global phenomenon. It rotated through various venues and had no strong ties to the Costume Institute exhibition.The turning point came in 1995 when Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour took over as chair of the Met Gala. Wintour transformed it into a curated, themed, celebrity-driven event. Her vision reimagined the Gala as an extension of fashion's cultural and creative power, aligning it with Hollywood, music, and social media before the term even existed.Under her leadership, each year's Gala began to revolve around a specific theme, ranging from historical eras to subcultures to the works of individual designers.From Alexander McQueen tributes to explorations of Catholic imagination, camp aesthetics, and American identity, each year's theme has pushed fashion into bold, sometimes controversial, territory.The Gala serves as a fundraiser for the Costume Institute, the only department of the Met that must fund itself. Tickets now cost around $75,000, and a table can go for over $350,000. The money supports the museum's fashion exhibitions, conservation, and research. But buying a ticket doesn't guarantee attendance. Even if a brand purchases a table, Anna Wintour must approve every guest.Each year's event centers on a specific theme, tied to the Costume Institute's exhibition. Guests are expected to dress in alignment with that theme. Designers often attend alongside the celebrities they dress, making it a collaborative red carpet performance.The Met Gala itself is a private event, and there's no public access to the inside of the party. However, the red carpet is broadcast online, typically via Vogue's website, YouTube, and major entertainment outlets. Millions around the world tune in to watch arrivals and fashion reveals in real time. After the Gala, the Costume Institute exhibition opens to the public, giving visitors a chance to see the fashion on display up close.Inside the Met Gala, there are several strict rules that guests must follow. Smoking is prohibited, and selfies are not allowed, as the event is meant to maintain an air of exclusivity and sophistication. Social media activity is also heavily controlled, with attendees discouraged from sharing moments during the event to maintain the focus on the fashion and the art. Anna Wintour, as the chair of the event, has also set the rule that no one under the age of 18 is allowed to attend. Additionally, all guests are expected to adhere to the event's formal dress code, and Wintour's word is considered final.The Met Gala has grown from a small charity event to a global fashion spectacle, a night where style becomes a living and breathing piece of art.