May 6 marked one of the most renowned social events of the year for fashion connoisseurs: the Met Gala. The met Gala is an abbreviation for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Gala. In essence, the function is an opening night fundraiser for their annual fashion exhibit that is curated by the costume institute.

Tickets are approximately $30,000. Big companies and fashion brands buy tables at about $200,000 and invite guests, but the nights true host, Anna Wintour gives the final word. The goal is to sell as many tables and seats as possible. According to a rep from the museum, the 2018 Met Gala raised over $13 million.

So, what do celebrities even do at the Met Gala? It is most famous for its Red carpet event before dinner, where guests arrive to have their pictures taken, get interviewed, and of course show off their designer outfits to the public. It also consists of performances by the hottest celebrities in the music industry.

Perhaps one of the most important parts of the Met Gala is its creative themes, that set the dress code for the night. This year the theme was Camp, based on Susan Sontag’s essay, “Notes on Camp.” Camp is something “deliberately exaggerated and the theatrical behavior or style.” Camp is generally extra and dramatic, therefore the outfits this year were pretty interesting to say the least, however each celebrity and designer interprets the theme their own way, which is what makes the night so interesting.

The night’s true host is the lovely Anna Wintour who has the final say in who attends and has turned the Met Gala into the speculation it is today. This year’s hosts included Lady Gaga, Alessandro Michele, Serena Williams, and Harry Styles. In addition, the whole evening was sponsored by Gucci.

This years Gala received plenty of attention and had the media raving and posting best dressed lists in no time. I even tuned into the event and watched all my favorite celebrities walk the Red Carpet on E. Some of my favorite looks were Lady Gaga, Cara Delevinge, Kylie Jenner, Hailey Bieber, Celine Dion, Janella Monae, and my absolute favorite Harry Styles.