Slated for May 1, the 2023 Met Gala will be cohosted by “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” star Michaela Cole, Penélope Cruz, the now-retired tennis pro Roger Federer, pop star Dua Lipa and Anna Wintour. Just as this unofficial welcome committee represents entertainment, sports, music and media, the guest list will indubitably be packed with clickbait-worthy guests.
Describing the annual affair as an all-eyes-on-us occasion isn’t an exaggeration. Last year, the #MetGala hashtag received more than 9.4 billion impressions during the arrivals, and #MetGala2022 racked up 1.3 billion impressions, according to Brandwatch.
Formally known as The Costume Benefit Ball, the celebrity-studded sit-down dinner isn’t just a worldwide media bonanza for red-carpet arrivals. It is the chief source of annual funding for the fashion-focused department’s exhibitions, acquisitions and capital improvements — and doubles as the curtain raiser for the opening of the spring exhibition.
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In line with the upcoming exhibition “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” in May, guests are advised to dress “In honor of Karl.” Expect plenty of Lagerfeld-designed looks from Chanel, Fendi and the designer’s signature label. In addition to the spring exhibition, the dress code is also fitting, given that it and this year’s benefit are made possible by Chanel. Major support is also being provided by Fendi. And Karl Lagerfeld is providing additional funding along with Condé Nast.
Spanning Lagerfeld’s career from the ’50s to his final collection in 2019, the exhibition will showcase about 150 designs from Chanel, Chloé, Fendi and his namesake label Karl Lagerfeld, as well as from his time at Balmain and Patou. Lagerfeld died in February 2019.
Attendee attire isn’t the only analysis that The Met Gala generates.
New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for an undisclosed matter, which some media speculated was due to her attending The Met Gala. Another New York political figure, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, who was not reelected last year, is also under investigation for how she came to attend one Met Gala after initially being crossed off the list. Maloney has denied any wrongdoing. The Met has made a practice of inviting select community leaders and politicians to attend the gala each year. Individual tickets are $35,000 and tables cost $200,000. After the Office of Congressional Ethics announced it had extended its investigation into Ocasio-Cortez, a spokesperson for The Met said inviting select officeholders to the event would continue. The investigation is reportedly expected to be finalized this month.