Beyoncé may have brought her family and a skeleton-like silver and crystal outfit to her first appearance in 10 years at the Met Gala. Or that he looked like a venerable old man dressed in Zara. The Kardashians may have brought out the heavy artillery, and the corsets, for the most famous staircase in the world. But this year, beyond celebrities, beautiful dresses, a lot of necessary inclusion and messages about the conversation between art and fashion, the gala at the Metropolitan Museum in New York will be remembered for another issue, one that seems even more important than highlighting bodily diversity, or how fashion itself is also art: that of how wealth, changing in each generation, can modify the narrative, take over culture and rarify environments until it represents a change of era.
Yes, it was the first Monday in May and, as has been customary for eight decades, the Metropolitan Museum in New York was filled with celebrities, chaired by Anna Wintour, to celebrate the annual fashion exhibition, raise funds for it and celebrate the unequivocal link between art and fashion. But this time there was something more: the personal contribution, with a contribution of between six and ten million dollars, changed everything. It is not the first time that technology companies have financed the great event of philanthropy and global fashion. Not the first one the couple goes to. But, and under the Wintour seal of guarantee.
The Bezos have legitimized their access to the highest culture thanks to this event, preceded by walks through fashion shows and meetings with social and cultural representatives. The walls of New York have been wallpapered for days with protests against the fourth richest man in the world and his second wife, against Amazon’s labor policies, against its support for the Trump Administration. However, her millions seem to have been worth more to the ever-progressive Wintour and her sweetheart.
It wasn’t a particular tantrum. The opposition has been as discreet as the luxury that this event reflects can manage to conceal, but at times, frontal. There have been some, few, but loud, protesters in front of the event. Until . But Wintour has legitimized her protégés in every possible way. On the same Monday morning, at the presentation of the exhibition before the press, the owner and lady of the gala made an unprecedented gesture: after decades at the head of the event, for the first time she spoke before the press. And without sunglasses, a milestone.
in a play on words, that the exhibition was “for everyone, for all bodies” and praised the . But above all to Lauren S. Bezos, present there with her. He did not hesitate to explain profusely how the donor has attended “every important meeting full of enthusiasm and ideas.” He stated about her and the three celebrities that “they have a desire to change things when we all agree that changes are necessary.” Then he invited Bezos herself to speak, whom he described as “a great friend and great supporter of the museum.” In the afternoon, at the gala, they entered together, the first.
Even the director of the institution was asked about the matter. After the morning presentation press conference, Max Hollein responded to questions from several Spanish media, including EL PAÍS, about this gala and the controversial presence of the Bezos, and about a possible boycott. The guest list is never confirmed, therefore you never know for sure who is missing. But this year there are celebrities who have been absent, who knows if because of commitments or because of the uncomfortable presence of the magnates. “We are celebrating the museum, celebrating fashion,” Hollein explained. “We celebrate what we can offer millions and millions of visitors. This is an institution that depends on the generosity and support of our donors and philanthropists. And that is precisely what this exhibition has represented for many years and we will continue to do that,” he stated, avoidant.
For now, media attention remains immense. Dozens of celebrities pass by the famous staircase and, this year, very linked to that of the exhibition, Costume Artthe art of dressing (which can be seen from May 10). Hence, a lot of purely artistic inspiration has been seen, from paintings, paintings, sculptures, in jackets and dresses, from what arty Greco-Roman style: singer Sabrina Carpenter’s Dior dress was made from film reels; that of the model Paloma Elsesser, loaded with stains and paint chips; Blake Lively’s Versace tulle infinity was multicolored; that of actress Anne Hathaway, by Michael Kors, contained Greco-Roman drawings; The performers Elizabeth Debicki and Suki Waterhouse even wore wings on their heads, or the singer Madonna wore a boat as a hat. Many clothes showed semi-naked torsos and butts, such as the dresses of Gigi Hadid, Kate Moss, Simone Ashley.
There have been sculptural moments, among them, those of the Kardashians: Kim’s pointy-breasted orange plastic body; Kylie Jenner’s corset, with an unbuttoned Schiaparelli dress that revealed her supposed skin, with falsely marked nipples and navel; Kendall’s draped dress, also with a bare-chested trompe-l’oeil. They have also played the inspiration of art bustier gold with Hailey Bieber’s blue skirt (without Justin), Margot Robbie’s Chanel dress wrapped around her body and Olivia Wilde’s Degas ballerina bustle. There have been faces covered, such as those of Katy Perry, Rachel Zegler or Gwendoline Christie, with a mask imitating their own face, but few have played with the appearance like Bad Bunny, unrecognizable as an old man, in a nod more to the theme of the exhibition than to that of the gala.
The Puerto Rican wore Zara, with a look designed for this by the Galician brand and its team. There has been a good portion of Spanish brand fashion, because the velvet dress with a top hat worn by singer Stevie Nicks, at her first Met gala at the age of 77, was also from Inditex, specifically created , which will arrive in September. The , and her husband, Carlos Torretta, have also walked the red carpet, in what is officially their first Met gala. She, in dark blue, also went from Zara to Galliano; him, from Zara. In addition, Luke Evans’ erotic leather suit was created by Palomo Spain.
For her part, Lauren Sanchez Bezos has covered herself in a night blue corset dress by Schiaparelli, in a very clear inspiration to the painting Madame X by John Singer Sargent, the portrait of the wife of a wealthy French banker from the late 19th century. In case there were doubts about the inspiration. Of course, the strap game has been repeated in actresses like Julianne Moore and Claire Foy. Curiously, and despite the large check, Jeff Bezos has not appeared on the carpet.
When the staircase has emptied, after almost five hours of endless strolling, the guests have gone to dinner inside the Museum. Each ticket costs around $100,000 per person (prices are not public). The general public does not have access to the gala, at most, to watch through a gap in front of its entrance, on Fifth Avenue. The accredited press, very few, only reaches the steps, filled with hundreds of photographers staggering with their cameras in a tiny space.
In reality, the Met Gala in recent years, especially the last two decades, has become an increasingly inflated bubble. The final reason is philanthropy, but this incessant search for money can end up being the tomb of the event and who knows if the exhibition space. If the Fashion Institute becomes sustainable on its own, beyond the party—as it has been running a surplus for about a decade and saving for the future, and could fly on its own in two to four years—and Wintour’s figure fades, perhaps the event itself will too, or at least its nature will change. For now, the appearance of the Bezos seems to be more the hinge to a new era of billionaires in search of visibility and public power, and to a reflection. But the Met Gala is still very much alive.
