Met Gala 2023: Everything we know about fashion's biggest night out
Although it feels like only yesterday that Kim Kardashian slipped into Marilyn Monroe's 'Happy Birthday Mr. President' dress for her scene-stealing moment on the 2022 Met Gala red carpet, the biggest night on the fashion calendar will be back in a matter of months, with the 2023 Met Gala will once again be held on the first Monday in May, per tradition.
After COVID-19 chaos, followed by a never-before-seen September date in 2021, the annual fund-raising gala for the The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute will return to its rightful, and traditional, date at the beginning of May for 2023.
Read more: All the Met Gala 2022 moments you missed, from bleached brows to topless guests
Year after year, stars from across the globe descend on the Met's famous steps to cash in their sought-after, $35,000 tickets to fashion’s biggest night of the year.
As the Met Gala 2023 theme is announced, here’s everything you need to know about this year’s star-studded event.
When is the Met Gala 2023?
The 2023 Met Gala will take place on Monday, 1 May at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
What is the 2023 Met Gala theme?
This year’s exhibition, curated as usual by Andrew Bolton, celebrates 'Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty', the late designer and Chanel creative director who died in 2019.
The exhibition will pay tribute to the legendary designer with a retrospective on his career from his days at the French fashion house, as well as his time at Fendi, Chloé and his own eponymous brand.
What is the 2023 Met Gala dress code?
The 2023 Met Gala event held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art will celebrate the late Karl Lagerfeld, and fittingly, this year’s Met Gala dress code will be "in honour of Karl".
Guests able to choose from the creative director’s vast archives at several designer brands, as well as Lagerfeld's impact on the fashion industry as a whole.
However, some campaigners have criticised the 2023 Met Gala theme and dress code, as Lagerfeld was known for his often racist and fat phobic comments to the media.
In addition, his hatred of the Me Too movement will be an interesting point of debate considering the event will host several of the movement's campaigners for the evening.
Read More: Blake Lively managed to match her outfit to the Met Gala carpet three years in a row
Who are the Met Gala 2023 hosts?
On January 18, Vogue announced that along with its editor-in-chief, and Met Gala chairwoman, Anna Wintour, its the 2023 Met Gala co-chairs will be actor Penélope Cruz and tennis star Roger Federer, along with British singer/songwriter Dua Lipa and British actor Michaela Coel.
It's the second time in recent history that a fashion designer hasn't been included in the night's co-chair line up. Hosts are chosen from industries across the arts, and often include stars from tennis, one of Anna Wintour's favourite pastimes to play and watch.
How can I watch the Met Gala 2023?
Vogue confirmed that the live-stream of the Met Gala red carpet for the past two years will return again for 2023, this time hosted by actor and producer La La Anthony, writer Derek Blasberg, and actor, comedian, and Saturday Night Live cast member Chloe Fineman. Internet multi-hyphenate Emma Chamberlain, meanwhile, will return as Vogue's special correspondent from the red carpet.
The 2023 Met Gala livestream will be hosted on Vogue.com from 11.30pm GMT, and will also be broadcast live across Vogue's social accounts, including YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Who is attending the 2023 Met Gala?
The Met Gala guest list is notoriously exclusive, so expect only the biggest celebrities and fashion royalty to make their way up the famous steps at this year’s event.
As for who tends to be on the Met Gala guest list? A selection of the Kardashian-Jenner family tends to show, with their designer friends in tow, as well as a number of celebrities from film, television and music.
Given the 2023 Met Gala theme in honour of Karl Lagerfeld, it would be expected that several notable names in fashion will be present in May.
How do you get invited to the Met Gala?
The Met Gala is one of the most exclusive events of the celebrity social calendar, and unlike other fundraising galas, the guest list is invitation-only.
Since 1995, the guest list has been carefully curated by American Vogue editor Anna Wintour and this year is no different.
Among those lucky enough to secure invitations are the Costume Institute’s benefactors who have donated (often a ton of money) to the museum.
Firstly, there are the individuals who have donated both time and money to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and then there are the fashion houses and companies who buy tables to the event, and can invite guests. (See also: celebrities in particular brands and walking the steps with the creative designer.)
Wintour still presides over the guest list and has final say on who is allowed in, so if she doesn’t like a brand’s guest, it's a no-go I’m afraid.
Elsewhere, invitations are typically based on a person’s status, according to The New York Times, so if you’re hella famous, or the latest model, designer or major talent in the world of fashion, film or music, you’re pretty much guaranteed the opportunity to buy a ticket.
How much is a Met Gala ticket?
According to The New York Times, tickets can go for $30,000 (£23,000), while tables cost between $75,000 and $250,000 (£211,000) depending on the size of the brand and its relationship with Vogue.
Whilst the tickets might seem an extortionate price to the average Joe, all of the money from ticket sales is donated to the Costume Institute, which is the only department of the Met Museum that has to fund itself. Just over £12 million was reportedly raised at the 2018 event.
Watch: Introducing the 2023 Met Gala's star-studded co-chairs
