Fashion's Big Night Out: A Met Gala Lookbook

by Kristen Bateman

The Met Gala or Met Ball is one of the world's biggest events for celebrity, fashion and pop culture. Founded by Eleanor Lambert, and organised by Vogue, it began in 1948 as an annual fundraising gala held for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York, raising more than $200 million to date. And Anna Wintour is in charge.

An irresistible invitation to this annual stunning spectacle, Fashion's Big Night Out is the perfect gift for celebrity and fashion fans alike. Just as important as the costume exhibition is the star-studded red-carpet and the depth of global interest this generates. Alongside the costumes, couture story, and social/celebrity context, the book showcases all the extravagant and risk-taking fashion and celebrity moments that have graced this fabulous red carpet in the 21st century.

Genres: Fashion, Nonfiction

304 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 28, 2024

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read while waiting for pre-op visit at CC. It’s mostly worth it for the photos. Brief coverage of the history of the Gala, some of the major Collections with a mere one photograph each of those selected, then one photograph of somebody of the biggest stars who regularly attend the Gala (so just one look from them, unless on has appeared elsewhere) and some of the biggest designers. It was fun to leaf through but almost as notable for what was omitted.

[emi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Susannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an enjoyable book about the Met Gala. It is divided into five chapters which cover: The Met Gala history, notable exhibtions, style icons who have attended, notable designers, and some of the most memorable looks worn.

The book is nicely presented, in A5 size with a hot pink cover. There are plenty of photos throughout. The history and exhibtion chapters are the most interesting. One quibble I have with the style icons chapter is that a lot of the looks mentioned for the icons are not portrayed in accompanying photos, so the memorable looks chapter, with its photos, is a lot more satisfying to read. Another quibble is that there are a few mistakes in the text, so the book could do with another proof read.

Lovers of fashion, and those wanting to learn more about the Met Gala, will enjoy this book.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a snapshot of the Met Gala’s history and some key looks. Although I wouldn’t have chosen some of the ‘iconic looks’ as being iconic, it shows the subjective fun of viewing the Met Gala as a normal person. Well researched, and well written.