HOST INTRO: Every year, hundreds of fans gather on 5th Avenue to catch a glimpse of their favorite celebrities walking up the carpet steps at the Met Gala. But while many know it as the Oscars of fashion, it is also an annual charity event centered around fashion history. It’s curated by The Met’s Costume Institute. Ahead of the public’s access to it tomorrow, Uptown Radio’s Cristina Macaya takes us into the Met for a sneak peek.
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You’re hearing the sounds of the hundreds of fans that gathered around the Met this Monday. They came to catch a glimpse of their favorite celebrities celebrating Fashion's biggest night of the year.. The Met Gala. This year's theme was ‘Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion’ and attendees did not disappoint
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Look at her. Zendaya was just one of the many stars in full bloom.
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That’s TV personality Gail King. She attended the event on Monday and says it's not just about the celebrities and screaming fans… it’s also an important event for the Met’s Costume Institute.
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It's always fun, the lights, camera, action, see who's coming with who and whatever. People forget. In the glitz and the glam. But everybody forgets. The main purpose is to raise money for a very important cause.
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The cause she’s talking about: preserving a history of clothing. The Met’s Costume Institute has been running the Gala for nearly 80 years. They’re the only self-funded department at the museum and all proceeds help fund their annual exhibition displaying precious clothing. This year, the Gala charged a whopping 75,000 dollars for individual tickets and 350,000 dollars for a table of 10. But, the high prices seemed to have paid off. The 2024 Met Gala raised a record of more than 26 million dollars. That's 4 million more than last year!
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But it sure is fun and the exhibition was amazing. Now what was it like inside? Yes, we want to know!
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This morning, we found out. [[Museum Ambi In]]
[[Exhibition Ambi Fade In]] At the entrance of the exhibition, far away from the Met’s crowded galleries and loud echoey halls. A wall reads “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” in bold letters.
On display are dozens of delicate gowns that look right out of a fairytale. And a lot of them have never even been seen by the public before! They were just too fragile to exhibit… until now. The most delicate pieces are displayed lying flat. These are called the sleeping beauties. But while exhibition-goers will not be able to touch the garments… different smells and sounds in the space help them touch the clothing with their eyes, ears, and noses.
From Flower dresses made of metal [[Metal sounds]] to coats with embroidered flowers and birds [[forest sounds]] the exhibition is bringing fashion to life… reawakening it through the senses.
It makes you smile when you see it. It's a happy feeling. It's a happy feeling
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Still, many fans of the Gala don’t know about the exhibition it honors.
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Are you going to stop by? Where is it? At the Met. Oh.
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The Costume Institute’s new show opens to the public tomorrow, May 10. Tickets are included with museum admission. Cristina Macaya, Uptown Radio News