The Metropolitan Museum of Art held its first Costume Institute Gala, now more commonly known as the ‘Met Gala,’ in 1964.
The event which was started as your standard charity ball is now famous for being the biggest, most exclusive, celebrity red carpet event of the year, thanks to the appointment of Vogue‘s editor-in-chief as the gala chair in 1995.
Just take one look at the red carpet arrivals and it’s clear that the invite list is packed to the brim with the most famous faces in the world, but as Page Six reports, it takes more than just fame to get a golden ticket and don an iconic outfit.
After an investigation into the politics behind the annual ball, here are some of the most highly-kept Met Gala secrets you need to know.
1. Who Decides The Guest List?
Anna Wintour decides the Met Gala guest list. Even if you buy a whole table—which, reportedly, costs US $350,000—Anna still has to give the Ok to anyone hoping to sit there! (Remember when Carrie and co went to the Met Gala in And Just Like That? Yeah, we don’t see that happening…)
2. The Cost Of A Met Gala Ticket
A ticket to the Met Gala can go as high as $75,000 for an individual, or $350,000 for the table. And that’s in US dollars.
Celebrities also have to cop the price, unless they’re specifically invited as a guest of a designer, Wintour or corporate sponsor.
3. Nobody Is Guaranteed An Invite To The Met Gala
Even if you’re on the committee that raises funds for the Met, that doesn’t guarantee you an invite. In past years, Friends of the Costume Institute were given discounted tickets for already donating to the museum. Now, they’re lucky to be on the guest list at all.
4. There Are No Plus Ones
Unless your plus one is also an A-list celebrity, and therefore already on the list, there are no plus ones at the Met Gala.
“I know people [on the Friends Of The Costume Institute committee] who get really frustrated that they can’t bring their husbands,” Cameron Silver, founder of luxe vintage shop Decades in Los Angeles, told Page Six. “It becomes a very expensive girls’ night out.”
5. Don’t Get On The Wrong Side Of Anna Wintour
Celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe was invited to sit at Brian Atwood’s table in 2007, but was then disinvited, allegedly, because she said in a New York Times interview she was more influential than Wintour. Meanwhile, Project Runway’s Tim Gunn said on E!’s Fashion Police that his invitation was rescinded when he told reporters an embarrassing story about the Vogue editor.
6. Why You Don’t Turn Down An Offer To Attend The Met Gala
If you do get an invite but decide to skip a year, chances are you won’t be invited again. Unless you’re ridiculously famous, don’t decide to sit out for a year.
7. Selfies Are Banned
Little is known about what happens inside the Met Gala because Anna apparently doesn’t like the outside world seeing the party. So, people who take selfies or who share photos of the dinner are reportedly uninvited from future years. However, we’ve seen the likes of Kylie Jenner, Billie Eilish and Kim Kardashian post some cheeky snaps in years prior, and still be invited back.
8. Anna Decides The Seating Chart
Of course she does. She also suggests which celebs designers should choose to invite as a guest and dress.
The good news is, once you get to this point, who cares? You’ll all be in the bathroom taking selfies, eventually. Right?
