The Met Gala, fashion’s biggest night chaired by Vogue editor Anna Wintour for almost two decades, has morphed into fashion’s biggest bank, powered by Hollywood.
“The Met Ball is now all transactional,” said Stefano Tonchi, the former editor in chief of W Magazine. “More so every year.”
The theme of this Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute Exhibit, “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” was wrangled in sponsorship from Chanel, one of several old brands with deep pockets. Not that Lagerfeld — after 60 years of designing Chanel, Fendi, Chloe, Patou and his eponymous label – isn’t deserving. But is it coincidence that the last decade’s exhibits and related galas had themes that sucked in sponsors Apple, Yahoo, The Gap, Amazon?
Madame Wintour has now raised hundreds of millions to keep The Met Costume Institute afloat – an achievement that will likely never be matched.