Unveiling the Met Gala: A Brief History of Fashion's Most Glamorous Event

Welcome to Part One of the Met Gala Countdown at Vintage & Coupe! To kick things off, the best way to start this series is to start at the beginning. Have you ever wondered how this whole thing started and became one of the most venerated nights in the fashion world? Or, if you are developing fluency in fashion, you may not be entirely sure what this event is. Well, I’ve got you covered. Without further ado, here is my Met Gala history crash course: 

The Met Gala is an annual fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. Theatre producer Irene Lewisohn founded the independent Museum of Costume Art in 1937. It merged with the Met in 1946 (a few years after Lewisohn’s death) and became a curatorial department in 1956. Unlike other museum departments, however, this one was (and still is)  self-funded. The first iteration of the Met Gala took place in 1948 as a midnight supper at the Waldorf Astoria. 

Fashion PR guru Eleanor Lambert spearheaded the hype around this, dubbed it “The Party of the Year.” By the way, Lambert helped launch New York Fashion Week. 

Diana Vreeland curated exhibitions for the Costume Institute from 1972 to 1987 and was the Editor-in-Chief of Vogue from 1963 to 1971. She is singlehandedly responsible for transforming what was initially a quiet(ish) fundraiser into a glitzy, star-studded event. Her 1973 exhibition, “The World of Balenciaga,” marked the first official Gala “theme.” It was also during her time that fashion designers began to attend the event. 

Socialite Pat Buckley served as chairwoman for the Met Gala between 1988 and 1995. As fate would have it, 1988 was also the year Anna Wintour became Editor-in-Chief of Vogue. 

Wintour took over in 1995 and has co-chaired nearly every year since (she was not co-chair in 1996 and 1998). Under her watchful eye, the glitzy occasion catapulted into the echelons of fashion, and she injected both star power and culture-dictating might. By 2001, the Gala’s annual date, “First Monday in May,”  was set in stone, and the annual party has been a calendar fixture since 2003 (except for the 2020 Met Gala, which was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

The first dress code, “Fashion Plate,” was introduced in 1971 during Vreeland's era. Attendees have been going all out on their outfits ever since. The dress code is also the most anticipated aspect of the event, with media outlets and fans highlighting the night's best (and worst). And in case you were wondering, yes, we at Vintage & Coupe will share our favorite looks of the night in May. 

What’s your favorite Met Gala theme? Let us know in the comments! 

Come back for Part Two of the Met Gala Countdown series on February 10th.