MODA and the Met!
A long weekend dedicated to fashion for once!
After deciding to pursue my degree in some combination of Semiotics and Rhetoric and more, I picked up French famed theorist Roland Barthes’ The Language of Fashion from my beloved Seminary Co-op which I finished this past Sunday. This book specifically came to my interest from perusing the Literary Criticism section of my beloved academic bookstore after finding great and lesser-known texts from Borges and Cortazar there previously. Not-so coincidentally, I attended the MODA Blooms show on Friday and watched the Met Gala Red Carpet on Monday.
Because of finals week steadily approaching, I cannot give each of them individually a whole sophstack post….however thankfully, my most recent MODA article (to be printed likely in the fall) discusses this annual and global event in great detail. Personally, as a New Yorker, I have a strong attachment to the Met Gala, being its the coalescing of fashion and art, two of my longterm passions. However, this event goes way beyond my own interests. As the spring issue of MODA focuses on the intersection of fashion and partying, it felt perfect to discuss at great lengths, both its ridiculousness as well as its incredible impact!
So here below, you will find what is to be out of my next MODA article: Not Just Another Monday…in its most raw, first draft formatting:
The Upper East Side is full of its own stereotypes…glamour, old money, Gossip Girl, and more. However, it has always exuded that consistent aesthetic that separates it and New York entirely from the prowess of celebrity held on its pacific counterpart of Los Angeles (and Beverly Hills and Bel Air). However, once a year, on the first Monday of May, this neighbourhood is transformed into the Super Bowl (although it does revenue more money than it) of the fashion world staged around America’s answer to the Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and specifically its Costume Institute.
Formally established as the Costume Institute Benefit in 1948 by New York Fashion Week founder, Eleanor Lambert, the event promoted the Met’s collection of costumes that inspired the growing theater scene in New York. The first gala, which catered mostly to the local elites, consisted of a dinner and tickets that were $50 a person (about $650 today) and hosted at various famed Manhattan venues including Central Park, the Waldorf Astoria, and the Rainbow Room.
The first Met Gala affiliated with Vogue Editor-in-Chiefs was in 1973 when Diana Vreeland became a consultant of this annual gala, which was it began transforming into the event both adored and abhorred today. It quickly became a global and star studded affair with high profile guests including Elizabeth Taylor, Andy Warhol, Bianca Jagger, and Madonna, among others socialising with the wealthy New Yorkers. Vreeland also established this gala to be formally hosted at the Met itself with an annual theme corresponding to the exhibit at the Costume Institute. Themes included “The World of Balenciaga,” “The Eighteenth-Century Woman,” to “Dance.” These transitions caused the Met Gala to raise in price from $85 in 1973 (almost $600 today) to $1,000 in 1995 (around $2,000 today).
That same year was Anna Wintour’s debut helming the gala with her co-chairs, Annette de la Renta and Clarissa Bronfman, one holding an attachment to the fashion world, the other to society. From the beginning, the gala was always an exclusive event but its association with Vogue and specifically Anna Wintour only broadened its exclusivity and increased its worldly success. This was shown through her guest list (and eventually co-chair) selection which now expanded beyond fashion and wealth to include elites from the worlds of entertainment, business, sports, and politics. Today, the Met Gala costs $50,000 to attend and has become an elaborate scheme for media publicity and impact as well as fundraising $22 million dollars for the Costume Institute it is dedicated to.
Within nearly eighty years, the gala has completely transformed a highlight of the New York city social scene to a complete worldwide spectacle. This shift has both benefited and challenged the reputation of this annual event. While many anticipate the outfits adorned by the A-list guest list, others remain disappointed with the lack of faithfulness towards the themes that complement the museum’s exhibition that year. Art, fashion, and entertainment have all been significant parts of my upbringing and I vividly remember attending the incredible exhibitions (ranging from “Punk: Chaos to Couture” to “Camp: Notes on Fashion”) for over a decade which truly show the intersectionality of these three and our greater global culture. However, beyond New York City, these are completely overshadowed by the gala itself and the outfits that are supposed to be inspired by the exhibits, to those who do not have the fortune to be based here.
With its hefty price tag and stagnant exclusivity, the Met Gala is an adequate depiction of the convergence of celebrity and wealth in the age of the internet. The 2024 co-chairs sound worlds away from thirty years ago, with actors and musicians Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya, Chris Hemsworth, and Bad Bunny, being announced through Vogue’s various social media platforms through a fake group chat simulation. This relatable moment contrasts the ethos of the event as anyone with a technological device (who could see these posts) has the capability to text. Despite all the ridiculousness found with the Met Gala, I am still excited to see how people embody and interpret the theme as it will always remind me of home.
Now, besides my little trinket that my mom gifted me from the Punk Show, I wanted to end this little spiel with photos from my favourite Met Gala inspired by UChicago alum: Susan Sontag’s novella: “Notes on ‘Camp’” as your residential semiotician idk that individualised degree got to get me somewhere ‘rents! Please ignore my questionnable cropping at the age of fourteen, my decisions around my middle school graduation were interesting to say the least and I will not go into more detail.
I know this was less-so a reflection of this year’s specific events but more so my personal take on fashion and its public capabilities but I feel both the Met Gala and MODA in their own ways are in debt to the famed Vogue megalith. Honestly writing all of this has made me want to rewatch the Devil Wears Prada especially as a fellow Chicago-based student and future subordinate in the greater fashion space.
Hope you all enjoyed this and the Gala on Monday,
Sophia x
I never knew the history of the Met Gala except for snippets here and there. Tell me why I thought the tickets were 11 million dollars (I read that somewhere). And even more unbelievable why I chose to believe it. This was a nice blend of history and art, just the perfect read as I enjoy my coffee!