The Met Gala is the annual fundraising benefit for the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the night when the red carpet turns into a themed costume contest. It began in 1948 as a midnight supper run by the fashion publicist Eleanor Lambert, and the society guests of the day paid fifty dollars to attend in their best gowns.
Today attendance is by invitation only, and the house rules are famous in their own right. Guests are asked not to use their phones or post on social media inside, smoking is banned, and the menu avoids onion, garlic and chives, three ingredients the long-time host Anna Wintour has admitted she is not especially fond of. Wintour took charge of the party in 1995 and is widely credited with bringing Hollywood into it. The result is a dinner where the outfits are planned for months and the breath is guaranteed fresh.