Overview
- The Met Gala, which took place Monday at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, centered on the Costume Institute’s “Costume Art” exhibition under the dress code “fashion is art.”
- Max Hollein, the museum’s chief executive, said the event raised a record $42 million for the Costume Institute, up from about $31 million last year.
- Beyoncé returned as a co-chair in a crystal skeleton gown by Olivier Rousteing and walked with Jay‑Z and 14‑year‑old Blue Ivy, whose debut came with an exception to the Met’s usual 18+ rule, a moment Tina Knowles said made her shed tears.
- Technical couture drove viral moments, including Eileen Gu’s Iris van Herpen dress with 15,000 glass bubbles and hidden microprocessors releasing real bubbles, Bad Bunny’s prosthetic aging transformation, and BLACKPINK’s Lisa in a Robert Wun gown with two 3D‑scanned extra arms.
- Debate over lead sponsors Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos remained part of the backdrop, and the linked “Costume Art” exhibition opens to the public May 10 in the Met’s new Condé Nast Galleries.