Met Gala Reveals “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” As Event Theme

Fashion Biggest Night, the Met Gala, will take place on May 2, 2022, at the Metropolitan Museum of Arts in New York City. This year’s Met Gala theme is “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” and will be gilded glamour, white-tie affair.

Per Vogue, “The 2022 Met Gala will ask its attendees to embody the grandeur—and perhaps the dichotomy—of Gilded Age New York. The period, which stretched from 1870 to 1890 (Mark Twain is credited with coining the term in 1873), was one of unprecedented prosperity, cultural change, and industrialization when both skyscrapers and fortunes seemingly arose overnight.”

What was “Gilded Age” Fashion?

Source: 1876 (Library of Congress)

During the Gilded Age, women wore restrictive corsets to achieve desired silhouettes. Men’s styles were predominately different variations of suits and women’s styles were floor-length dresses. During the Met Gala you may see various wardrobe changes as both men and women were expected to change clothing as many times per day as part of their social status during the Gilded Ages.

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art

We can assume there will be plenty of dresses with bustles at the Gala since one of the most iconic elements of women’s fashion in the 1870s and 1880s was the bustle. The red carpet will probably be filled with vibrant colors as there was increased use of synthetic dyes during the Gilded Age. During that time period, women’s clothing featured multiple colors in the same outfit, something that was uncommon prior to this decade. Furthermore, it was fashionable to layer vibrant colors on top of dark ones with popular combinations of plum and navy blue.

There will probably be several full-length opulent gowns at the gala since the “princess line” style became popular around 1876. Long sleeves and high necklines were also features of this style during that time period, which was named for the Alexandra, the Princess of Wales.

Source: Library of Congress

The menswear of the 1870s featured multi-piece suits, the most popular among which were the morning coat and frock coat as everyday styles. A top hat could be worn with either. Among the working class, the sack coat became a favorite, which was often worn with a bowler hat. Facial hair was also all the rage.

The Met Gala is a private event but viewers at home will be able to view the stream of the Met Gala red carpet on various outlets. Vogue has yet to announce an official live stream, it typically is available to watch directly on the publication’s website and many other Condé Nast brands.

To learn more about the Met Gala please visit: https://www.vogue.com/tag/event/met-gala.

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Source: Vogue, MET

Photo Source: 1880s Worth ball gown (Metropolitan Museum of Art), Worth wedding dress, 1890s (Metropolitan Museum of Art), A tea gown (Metropolitan Museum of Art), Library of Congress