Let these people have their fun.
And in the immortal words of Andy Warhol: "So what!"
It's a terrific spectacle, immensely fun watching, there's some amazing artistry on display and given the horrendous state of this country and the world at large oddly appropriate.
And P.S.
I don't watch the Kardashians; I don't care about the Kardashians; but I find all the Kardashian-bashing racist and offensive.
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Of course all the lefty wealth redistributionists are commenting away at the waste of money etc... why aren’t they supporting the environment etc.
This is the biggest fund raiser for the met. What? Now we shouldn’t support the arts because climate change?
Come on people.
2
Fashion is fun, to be sure but this event seems more about ego fodder for the one person who approves the guest list. Isn't that akin to kissing a ring?
I suspect the celebrities get invited for free and the rest pay mightily to gawk.
Ah well, to 99.99% of the world this doesn't matter. To the .01% it probably matters too much.
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I love the Fashion showings at the Metropolitan. Last year’s not so much, but over the years they’ve been spectacular. If the Gala raises money for that cause, I see no issue with it.
Also, many of the attendees work hard and if they chose to spend their earnings for a memorable night, I don’t believe it’s my business.
2
And these are the people who lecture us about climate change and how it is important to curb conspicuous consumption.
Hypocrisy is the calling card of these people.
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If the NYT calls some party "the party of the year", it's assuredly not.
This Met Gala is the place to be seen by a certain navel gazing set.
Submitted May 6th 3:50PM Eastern
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Please god, someone lock the gates and keep the Kardashian trainwreck far away from this event. They ruin everything.
20
The planet is crumbling,
and time is vanishingly short.
What on earth are you doing?
13
Vanessa Friedman, do you get to attend the Met Gala?
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If you didn’t write about it, I’d never know. Same for the “so-called’s” tweets. Makes one wonder about the media.....
2
Thank you for this article. I was under the impression that the Met Gala was a classy, sophisticated event. Rather, it appears to be boorish, elitist, wasteful and quite ridiculous. Please remove my name from the invitation list.
35
The other pressing question is, who cares? And why should anyone?
14
Versailles, redux. Storm the gates!
13
Another example of American excesses and vulgarity. Where else would one witness such display of bad taste.
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Niles; I thought you prided yourself on supporting the arts!
Frasier; The Arts Niles, not the Crafts.
6
Obscene waste of money. Good causes are more than abundant that could make use of the millions squandered on this high society bacchanal.
17
The ultra rich circulate their collections through these institutions, many times charging to have them exhibited, greatly enhancing the work or collection value by doing so. This can be followed by donations with inflated values which act as tax shelters, offsetting gains from their other art sales. This is followed by these garish ultra exclusive self congratulatory events where public spaces act as private clubs, effectively subsidized by the tax paying public because of the institutions non profit tax status. Like almost everything else in the USA, the rich further enrich themselves under the guise of good works and deeds. Congratulate themselves for altruistic acts yet 99% of this type patronage is self-serving, and the true cost, offset, opaque and hard to track is borne by the working public. If appreciation and preservation of art is the goal - fund schools and art programs. Art is not the domain of the rich to confer on the masses, the Times needs to deconstruct this story along those lines.
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met gala = studied triviality
12
I just read the article about one million species heading toward extinction, juxtaposed with this article about the energy, cost and silliness of preparing for this Gala.
I think one may explain the other.
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I am an actress and writer. How can I get on the waiting list? Yes, I'm totally serious.
1
This is a fine argument for progressive taxation.
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"Humans Are Speeding Extinction and Altering the Natural World at an ‘Unprecedented’ Pace" This NYT article today explains so much in what is wrong with our world, our country. It's fine this is a fundraiser I suppose but fancy clothes and historical fashion seem so frivolous when animals are disappearing and children are dying in refugee camps, being imprisoned at our borders and going hungry on our streets. We humans are so skewed in our priorities.
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Where I live in Minneapolis, there are lots of charitable galas for mental health, Alzheimer’s research, LGBT rights, people with disabilities, and the list goes on. Surely, other cities have such charitable galas. The Met Gala is just one of thousands with a specific beneficiary. Stop whining that the money would be better spent on your favorite cause and get out your checkbook.
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Where the elite meet to soak their feet in publicity.
Why is this exercise in grand egoism still going on? So the 1% can play dress up for an evening, and actors and actresses get their faces photographed yet again, I suppose?
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Isn't this year's theme "Notes on Camp" defined and fully demonstrated by the presence of Kardashians as mainstream acceptable versions of celebrity? If that's not camp, I don't know what is...
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Correction: tickets are only $35,000 for New York residents; out of state party goers pay the full price of 35 gajillion.
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Can't be that exclusive if the Kardashians are there. Wasn't the Roman Empire doing things like this right before it collapsed?
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Richard, waning period Roman Empire was exactly what crashed into my mind, especially after seeng that unfortunate choice of an accompanying photograph. And then there is the later day Nero who fiddles, ahem, Tweets in DC while much of the nation floods or burns.
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Where the 1% go to be seen. When Anna Wintour is gone maybe they can retire this pretentious gala.
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You forget the money raised goes to help fund The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Until Mr. de Blasio allows the Met to charge even $5 per person for admission to one of the greatest museums in the world instead of pretending that people who pay for cable TV every month can't afford $5 a couple of times a year and therefore must be allowed in for free, this and other galas will be necessary to maintain the museum.
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@Marti Mart you mean 0.01%. White-collar professionals making less than $1,000,000 cannot afford to attend.
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@B. Admission fees for NY state residents and nearby students is "pay what you wish"; for everyone else, it is a mandatory ticket fee, between $12 (student) and $25. The days of "suggested admission" have long since passed. Also, the gala's money largely funds the Costume Institute itself, rather than the museum at large.
https://rsecure.metmuseum.org/admissions/tickets
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Sure...spend a week’s pay for one night out...
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@SolarCat a week's pay?! yeesh i want your job
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@SolarCat $35,000 a week. You must be very well paid....
2
The gala is a way to get deep pockets to help support one of the most beautiful museums in the world.
Middle-class people don't go.
Some of us care enough about the Met to keep up memberships. You know, instead of paying for cable TV.
Get over it.
1
Do do you think they served Vegetarian as the main dish to help climate change? Or do you think they used re-usuable or recycled products for climate change or to keep the trash out of land-fills? Hum until this changes.....our poor earth.
10
Does anyone still wonder why an unfortunately growing segment of our population sees the arts as so much elitist and decadent bunch of rubbish? Take all that money and put it into education for all and yes, arts education. Fill our schools with art and music and let kids of all ages"act out." As a life-long supporter of the arts I am appalled at the resources wasted on so-called galas. Let's put those staggering sums where they help people instead of a bunch of vainglorious egomaniacs.
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@Dan Unfortunately, for fashion, no one would be funding it otherwise. Yes, the Met Gala is elitist and decadent for sure, but I watched the documentary on Netflix about Andrew Bolton's struggle to make fashion an accepted art form by the purist snobs of the art world. If the Met doesn't raise money for this art cause, works of fashion will cease to be exhibited.
I, for one, adore fashion and think it is an art form which ought to be recognised - though I don't much care for the excessive waste it produces and think much could be done to curb its negative impact on the environment.
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@Dan
Amen.
look, i like a grand party as much as the next person.
but this much artifice and extravagance, while so much is wrong in our country, just sickens me.
imagine if we put this much effort into raising money for cancer research, or finding a solution for homelessness... now THAT would be worth celebrating.
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I worked for Diana Vreeland when she was in charge of the Art Costume Institute. I had taste and class above all.
Well, those were the days of taste and class. Long past, as she is.
Now its Camp and Trash to the tune of 35,000 a ticket and is CRASS, not CLASS. Invitation, only, of course!
Like the late Robin Williams said at The Met (Opera)- How do get to the Met? Lots and Lots of money.
DV is probably turning over in her grave.
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DV on bad taste: "Vulgarity is a very important ingredient in life. I'm a great believer in vulgarity--if it's got vitality. A little bad taste is like a nice splash of paprika. We all need a splash of bad taste . . . What's called 'good taste' is a drug on the market. No taste is what I'm against."
2
@C T
You must have been asleep at work because Diana Vreeland would have loved this event!
This event was 100 per cent Mrs. Vreeland all the way.
1
'Who can resist?'
I can. A walk on the beach never sounded so good.
22
The Met Ball is a shameful exhibit of excess by people whose only claim to fame is fame itself and contribute nothing to the welfare of anyone who is not a one percenter. It lacks any social or even cultural justification whatsoever (I mean, do any of us really think that the attendees read anything that is about them?). Communities here and abroad suffer mightily from lack of funds. Puerto Rico has not recovered yet from hurricane damage Residents of Paradise CA still do not have permanent homes. And yet the piles of money made directly from this event go the a costume institute?!? And indirectly to line the pockets of designers whose clothes are worn by the likes of Kardashians? Really? I would applaud the NYT if it ignored this event.
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New York's version of British royalty. We colonists still long for kings and queens and palatial display of wealth, despite the doings in 1776.
21
@Daphne Speak for yourself. Most of us do NOT long for kings, queens, and a palatial display of wealth. It's the mainstream media that is trying to force this down our throats with the excuse that we want it.
2
@Daphne Please, don't compare this vulgarity to the British royals whose jewels are real and not borrowed and whose art collections put the Met's to shame.
2
I saw the Met exhibit about the influence of the Catholic Church on fashion. I’m not Catholic but I thought that it was vulgar and disrespectful. It wasn’t art it was commerce, shilling for designers. Years ago the costume exhibit highlighted history and was interesting. Today it’s a very high priced marketing device.
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"Tickets are $35,000 apiece, and tables range from $200,000 to $300,000. "
Okay so all of this money for the price of tickets and tables?Why not provide or donate all the proceeds to cancer research?
We could definitely use some solutions to cancer.
35
Seems that these types of things become less important as we get older. Yes, donate to cancer funds.
18
@WillSportbike It funds the operation of the Costume institute at the Met for the year. That is the purpose of the event, which is clearly stated in the article.
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@Allison I think his point is there are better uses for funds. I would tend to agree.
6