The coronavirus prevented the MET Gala from taking place in 2020 , although a thematic exhibition: About Time: Fashion and Duration was created instead. This year, on the other hand, and to make up for that leap, two in one will be held, a double event with a common thread: a tribute to North American fashion.

THE MET GALA THEME: AMERICAN FASHION

“We have wanted, in a very conscious way, to turn this event into a celebration of the American fashion community that has suffered so much during the pandemic,” explained Andrew Bolton in the statement accompanying the announcement last April. There has been no further explanation about the theme or how it will materialize, but the motto, In America: A Lexicon of Fashion , has been detailed .

“This two-part exhibition will consider how fashion reflects America’s evolving notions of identity and will explore a multitude of perspectives through presentations that speak to some of the complexities of history with powerful immediacy,” explains Max Hollein, director of the MET museum. The first part of the exhibition will not only reflect on the heritage of American fashion, but also on its new forms of expression, its shift towards pragmatism and its involvement in issues such as equality, diversity and inclusion, with the implication in the fight against machismo and racism very present.

DATE AND PLACE OF THE MET GALA

As always, the MET Gala will take place at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the date chosen is next September 13 . In 2022 it will return to its characteristic date: the first Monday in May, that is, the 2nd.

THE MET GALA EXHIBITION:

The MET Gala itself is one night, but the exhibition is permanent. To prepare it, the Anna Wintour Costume Center will be transformed into a giant imaginary house with transparent walls in which each room will represent a particular emotional quality, such as nostalgia, joy or well-being. “For the porch, which represents warmth,” Bolton commented, “the idea would be to have a Bonnie Cashin blanket coat that we will combine with an André Walker coat made from Pendleton blankets. In the garden, which represents playfulness, the idea is to have a Mainbocher floral print dress with the Oscar de la Renta dress that Taylor Swift wore to the Grammys. “

Designs from pioneers of North American sports fashion will be displayed alongside work by a diverse group of contemporary designers with the goal of illustrating a changing emphasis on American fashion defined by those emotions. Thus, creations by Christopher John Rogers, Sterling Ruby, Prabal Gurung or Conner Yves can also be seen . The centerpiece of Sterling Ruby’s Veil Flag , an American flag made from denim, will open the show, and director Melina Matsoukas will create a film for the show that will evolve over the weeks.

Andrew Bolton, the Costume Institute’s chief curator scholar, added that the pandemic “has placed a greater emphasis on sentiment about practicality” for American fashion, and that the first part of the exhibition will reflect this change, while the second “will investigate. further the evolution of the language of American fashion through a series of collaborations with American filmmakers who will visualize the unfinished stories inherent in the period rooms of the Metopolitan Museum. “

GUESTS AT THE MET GALA: TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET, ROSALÍA AND BILLIE EILISH

The guest list is always the main attraction of the night. At the moment, we know that Timothée Chalamet would be the host along with Naomi Osaka , Amanda Gorman and Billie Eilish . Chalamet is a devotee of European designers like Haider Ackermann and Miuccia Prada , but is also friends with Virgil Abloh, who designed his infamous sparkly harness.

The presence of the usual big stars of the red carpet tonight is also expected: Zendaya, Rosalía, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian, Lady Gaga, Penelope Cruz, Gigi Hadid, Naomi Campbell, Emily Ratajkowski, Jennifer Lopez, Carlota Casiraghi, Harry Styles, Alessandro Michele, Cara Delevingne, Kendall Jenner, Dua Lipa, Cardi B, Salma Hayek, Dakota Johnson, Saoirse Ronan, Kate Moss or Kristen Stewart, among many others.