The Met Gala, a fundraising event for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, gathered guests including Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, and Venus Williams on Monday. The event, centered on the dress code “Fashion is art,” serves to raise money for the institution through a spectacle of luxury and exclusive access.
The Spectacle of Capital
The dress code called on guests to “express their relationship to fashion as an embodied art form,” aligning with the spring exhibition, “Costume Art,” which will “examine the centrality of the dressed body.” This framework positions high fashion, a luxury commodity, within the realm of cultural legitimacy.
The gala’s focus on fashion prompted discussion on whether attendees would wear archival pieces or custom creations from fashion houses, highlighting the ongoing cycles of production and display within the luxury fashion industry.
Historical collaborations between artists and fashion houses were cited, including Elsa Schiaparelli’s 1937 work with Salvador Dalí on a white silk dress with a lobster print, 89 years ago. Yves Saint Laurent’s 1965 shift dresses, 61 years ago, were filled with Piet Mondrian’s blocks of color.
Marc Jacobs’ 2002 collaboration with artist Takashi Murakami, 24 years ago, added Murakami’s designs to Louis Vuitton. These instances demonstrate the long-standing integration of artistic concepts into high-value commodities, serving to elevate brand prestige and marketability.
The late designer Alexander McQueen's Spring 1999 show, 27 years ago, concluded with a piece of performance art in which machines sprayed Shalom Harlow’s white dress with black and yellow paint as she posed on a rotating turntable. This event was cited as an example of performance art within the fashion industry, showcasing the spectacle inherent in luxury presentation.
Art as Commodity
Historically, the relationship between fashion and art has been contentious. Art historian and author Nancy Hall-Duncan wrote in her book, “Art X Fashion: Fashion Inspired by Art,” that in the 19th century, art was perceived as classical while fashion was deemed frivolous.
When Yves Saint Laurent held the Met’s first fashion exhibit in 1983, 43 years ago, the exhibit was met with heavy criticism. Since then, the museum has hosted countless fashion exhibits, and institutions around the world, including the Louvre last year with its “Louvre couture” exhibition, have followed suit. This trajectory demonstrates the gradual absorption of fashion, a commercial enterprise, into the institutional art world.
Anna Wintour and Andrew Bolton, the Met’s Costume Institute curator, set the dress code. Hall-Duncan described this as the “final seal of approval” that fashion is art, stating, “Isn’t that a giant step?” and adding, “It will indeed change perceptions.” This declaration from institutional authorities solidifies the redefinition of luxury goods as cultural artifacts.
Broadcasting Inequality
For those who did not secure tickets or a place on the guest list, the red carpet spectacle was made available through online livestreams. Vogue’s livestream, starting at 6 p.m. on Monday, featured Ashley Graham, La La Anthony, and Cara Delevingne as hosts, with Emma Chamberlain interviewing guests throughout the night.
The Associated Press also provided a livestream, beginning at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, of celebrities departing New York hotels on their way to the gala. This offered the first chance to see what attendees would be wearing before they reached the carpet. This widespread broadcasting ensures the spectacle of elite consumption reaches a broad audience, making the display of accumulated wealth a public event without altering its exclusive nature.