The First Monday in May

A story of stars, sublimity and style. 

Launched on the first Monday in May 2015, The exhibition, China: Through The Looking Glass and Met Gala, held by the The Costume Institute within New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art , was a sparkling, elegant, oriental success, that tore down the borders between fashion and art, and posed the question; can fashion be art?

During the film's 90 minute duration, we, as fashion enthusiasts, are drawn into an enchanting, fairytale world of celebrities, designers, and high fashion garments from the likes of Dior, Yves St Laurent, H&M, Alexander Mcqueen, Gucci, Dolce and Gabbana and Versace. It is an enticing film to watch; one that gives an expert view on the amount of behind the scenes work and planning that goes into the Met Gala.

The exhibition and Gala was curated by Andrew Bolton, head Curator at the museum and the man behind the Savage Beauty exhibition for Mcqueen, and was organised by Anna Wintour, fashion's equivalent to Sir Alan Sugar and Chair of  The Met Gala. The pair, along with teams of designers including Karl Lagerfeld and John Galliano, and numerous businessmen, gathered together 140 stunning examples of haute couture from decades ago and presented them against a vibrant background of Chinese painting, films, porcelains and buildings. The couture garments were all orientally inspired, so as well as aiming to show the fluent transition between fashion and art, the exhibition also aimed to pay respect to the connection between the Eastern and Western world, while celebrating oriental traditions through clothing, interior design, film and music.

From watching the film, it really bring to light the amount of planning and thought every little detail of the event has. From who sits next to who on the night, which celebrities each designer is dressing and bringing, the price of the celebrities, the borderline controversial oriental references, even the positioning of staff and table designs is touched upon. No stone is left unturned for one of the biggest events in the fashion calendar. It's somewhat a little stressful just watching it. Who said fashion is all about glitz and glamour? It's a good job Anna Wintour can make fast decisions... 

At the end of the film we are privileged to watch the final outcome of the event from the red carpet perspective, as celebrities emerge from hours of hair and makeup looking dazzling and very orientally styled. They looked like they were having a wonderful time, as were we, the viewers. But that's not all. Overall the Gala made an extravagant amount of  $12.5 million for the museum. Fabulous.

Until next time
Anna xx    



Image references;
http://thefollowaffair.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/met-gala-china-through-looking-glass.html
http://blog.mannequinmadness.com/2016/01/what-does-rihanna-mannequin-madness-have-in-common/
http://www.cpp-luxury.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/The-Met-%E2%80%98China-Through-the-Looking-Glass%E2%80%99-exhibition.jpg