Fashion's biggest night of the year is mere months away and we're not sure you're ready for. Yes, we're talking about the 2022 Met Gala and if you're thinking "wait a second, didn't we just have a Met Gala" well yes, you're right. But as with most things, the pandemic really threw a spanner in the works and so the 2021 event took place on a different schedule, because underneath all the build up and excitement, at its core the Costume Institute Gala is a fundraiser and so, the show must go on.
2022 marks the year that the Met Gala will return to its usual slot in the first week of May, on Monday, 2 May — a mere eight months since the last. However, there will still be a few key differences. That's why below we've covered everything from the guest list, to who is hosting and what's up with that oddly similar theme? For a guide to the 2022 Met Gala, read on.
What is the theme of the 2022 Met Gala?
Some of you may have missed the part last year where Andrew Bolton, curator at the Costume Institute, announced that the theme for the 2021 and 2022 Met Gala's will take place in two instalments. Both would centre on Americana, a decision he came to in the hopes of championing the US fashion industry which was ravaged economically by Covid-19.
As we saw last year with the theme In America: A Lexicon of Fashion, it focused on the power of language and its ability to shape ideas, drawing on social and political movements like #BlackLivesMatter for inspiration. It was intended to spotlight up and coming designers and many anticipated sartorial political messages around "who gets to be American" on the red carpet. Unfortunately, this hardly happened which some attribute to the hefty price of admission usually shouldered by large European fashion houses who invite celebrities to event on the condition that they wear their designs.
The Met Gala theme, and thus the Costume Institute exhibition, for 2022 pivots away from language instead turning its gaze to film with In America: An Anthology of Fashion. According to Andrew Bolton the exhibition and theme will explore "unfamiliar sartorial narratives filtered through the imaginations of some of America’s most visionary film directors".
Anna Wintour, who famously organises the whole soiree, has narrowed the scope of this year's theme, by adding a further brief of 'Gilded Glamour' to the dress code. The aim being to zero in on Hollywood's golden age, and also to raise the formality of the event which was notably casual last year. Guests are encouraged to bring the glitz, gold and decadence.
As part of the Costume Institute exhibition, Andrew Bolton has tapped eight directors to design cinematic vignettes that will transform the period rooms of the museum's American Wing. The directors on board are Sofia Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Regina King, Tom Ford, Chloé Zhao, Julie Dash, Autumn de Wilde and Janicza Bravo.
Who will host?
Last year we were graced with a lineup of Gen-Z hosts, namely Billie Eilish, Timothée Chalamet, Naomi Osaka, and Amanda Gorman. However, this year the hosts have been plucked from a broader age range. Met Gala royalty Blake Lively will co-host alongside her husband Ryan Reynolds. Regina King is also onboard, as is Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Who is set to attend?
After last year's influx of influencers and TikTokers – a decision made by Anna Wintour that garnered a lot of criticism – we can't help but wonder if there will be any other deviations from the norm with the guest list for 2022. Naturally, we're hoping to see Zendaya return to the red carpet this year after being absent from last years festivities due to a scheduling conflict with Euphoria. There is also a question mark around the attendance of Met Gala royalty, Rihanna, who is believed to be due to give birth around the same time as the event. What is a ball without the queen? It seems we may have to find out.
Another absence we can expect is from Indya Moore, who after attending their first Met Gala in 2021, indicated on Instagram that it would be their last, noting the "cognitive dissonance" required to ignore the "people protesting and arrested in the name of what so many of us who attended, care deeply about".
“I am going to think long and hard about why I came and if it is truly in alignment with what I want to accomplish in this life, the stories I want to tell and the messages I want to share,” they continued. “We organize millions for a museum, on stolen land that black and brown people suffer on unless white supremacy thinks they are exceptional – but not for the people? can't we be substantially generous in ways that alleviate suffering and poverty?”.
As for the rest of the attendees, it's a guessing game as the guest list usually remains a mystery until days before the Met Gala takes place.
Ready to revisit our favourite looks from the 2021 Met Gala red carpet? Enjoy. Otherwise, you can dig into the archives and look at our the most iconic Met Gala red carpet moments of all time.
