
On the first Monday of May every year, the biggest and most opulent Senior prom in the world comes to New York. It’s called the Met Gala. At the price of a $30,000 ticket and the world’s eyes on you, you come out to show out. Each year there is a selected theme around the Gala that is well thought out by the high priestess of fashion Anna Wintour, this year the theme is Manus x Machina; Fashion in the Age of Technology. The progression of everything being handmade to now how innovation has crept into fashion. Here is the exhibition’s flowery overview;
With more than 150 ensembles dating from the early 20th century to the present, the exhibition will address the founding of the haute couture in the 19th century, when the sewing machine was invented, and the emergence of a distinction between the hand (manus) and the machine (machina) at the onset of mass production. It will explore this ongoing dichotomy, in which hand and machine are presented as discordant tools in the creative process, and question the relationship and distinction between haute couture and ready-to-wear.
The Robert Lehman Wing galleries on the Museum’s first floor and ground level will present a series of case studies to unravel the hand/machine conundrum. At the center will be an installation of toiles and prototypes presented as garments in the making or “monuments to ideas.” Emanating from this presentation will be a series of rooms based on traditional métiers of the haute couture, including embroidery, featherwork, artificial flowers, pleating, lacework, and leatherwork, which will be presented alongside versions that incorporate innovative processes, such as 3D printing, computer modeling, bonding and laminating, laser cutting, and ultrasonic welding. A room dedicated to the ateliers of tailoring and dressmaking will reflect the traditional division of a maison de couture.
If you aren’t really into fashion, that’s cool. But if you have been in New York this week there was no way around hearing about this event unless you didn’t watch television, go to Manhattan,or take in social media at all this week. personally, I love to look at the pretty clothes and see if everyone tried to stay on theme (which they rarely do), but like I said and its prom. Here are some of the most interesting of the prom pictures out of the huge bunch.
Did you watch the red carpet for the Met Gala? Are you a big follower of fashion? I’m always listening tell me in the comments below. If you are in New York the exhibition runs from May 5- August 14 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I will probably check it out as well.
This post is dedicated to my blogger friend Catherine at Atypical 60 because I know she’ll have a lot to say on the clothing worn to this event and her commentary will make me laugh.
Until our next rendezvous…
XOXO
Trudy
Wow! Quite the event! I have never even heard of it. Thanks for posting this. I enjoyed the slideshow and reading about it! ?
Thank you. Yes it’s a big deal here and in all the magazines the next month. Sort of like the East coast Oscar’s where they focus on everyone’s clothes.
They had a brief segment on this gala on CNBC this morning! Thanks to you I already knew about it. ?
Ha ha. Was it interesting?
Yes! Lady Gaga was wearing some interesting shoes! ?
Have a good week Trudy!
She’s always wearing something “interesting”. Haha.
I know! I remember her meat dress! ?
She said that her outfit last night took ten minutes to put together. Can you imagine her closet?
No ! ?
You as well Sabine!
I’ll be in NYC for Memorial day & think I might need to add this exhibt to the already too long list of things I am doing while in town!
Oh great! You picked an awesome weekend to come. There’s so much going on then. Keep in touch I’ll be adding more.
Hi Trudy! OMG. I feel like such an asshole. I thought I read and commented on this. And my thanks for the mention of my blog! This &(&)##$&*(#$ ING “part-time” retail hell job is killing me of both body and mind. That being said, I have a lot to say about the MET Gala. In the first place, I don’t think 3/4 of the attendees are even aware of the beautiful pieces of art and history the MET houses. I have issues with that. Secondly, the MET is losing money. How the hell can the MET be losing money if the price of a ticket to this farce is $30,000? Where is the money going? It’s true. The Times had an article a while back about the fact that MOMA is making money and the MET is losing.
Look. I love me a good red carpet but I’m not particularly a fan of costuming.And this gala isn’t “fashun”. It’s “Halloween with a dash of what you said–Prom”. I love GaGa, but she wasn’t fashionable. She was ridiculous looking. Sarah Jessica Parker’s panT was fugly. I”m tired of Wintour. I’m tired of celebrity. I wish this gala was old-school. That old school, old monied, helmet-haired ladies-who-lunch bunch who had taste and knew how to wear clothing where the clothing didn’t wear them. I may be liberal, but I want the Rockefeller ghosts back. I long for the return of elegance and class. Not new-monied celebrity trash.
This isn’t fashion. It’s “fashun”. I realize that this is just my opinion but a Jennerdashian and Gigi whatever-her-name is don’t set the bar for great taste! XOXOXOXO!!!
There’s no need to feel bad, I thought that you never saw the tag. The Met is financially stable for the next hundred years, because of events like this. The newspapers here have been reporting that they don’t need money (shoulder shrug). With this caché the Met will more than make up their money for the year, (from a family member who works there). This event makes tourists aware of the museum and keeps it a draw and ladies who lunch can’t do that so that’s where Anna Wintour comes in. Anyway I don’t mind the Gala but I do mind how many don’t keep the theme. I have seen the attendees get younger and younger but that’s Anna’s doing again because they are who read Vogue. When SJP explained her outfit I understood it much better because it just looked like she planned that last minute but it was an ode to Hamilton the musical. Gaga is always going to be weird and the models just promote the fashion houses. Basically Kardashian was Balmain Inc. that night. Last year was better but the coverage was bigger than ever.
And I don’t think Vogue us still sitting on top of the world like they used to because no one reads anymore., so it’s only a matter of time.
Wow, that’s glam and bling bling pure, well the least you can expect for 30K ? I am okay with watching it on tv, tho. Some of those dresses are really stunning.