2022 is becoming the year of the attempt to return to normality. In the fashion world, fashion weeks , launches, events and ceremonies are resuming in-person and with the same capacity as before. So, if everything is returning to how it was before, we couldn't help but talk about the most important event that combines art and fashion: the Met Gala.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit , better known as the Met Gala , is a ceremony that kicks off the annual fashion exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and where the funds raised constitute the entire annual budget of the Costume Institute.
But anyway, let's talk a little about the history of the Met . It all begins in 1948, when the Costume Institute moves to the United States and Eleonor Lambert starts the tradition of the annual dinner. However, it is in 1970, when Diana Vreeland, editor of Vogue at the time, becomes an advisor to the event and starts the tradition of annual themes. Finally, it is from 1999, when Anna Wintour, director of Vogue at the time, becomes the director of the ceremony and the exhibition. And in this way, touching on topics relevant to fashion and continuing with Vreeland's legacy, the Met Gala ends up becoming the most important event of the year.
Over the years we have had themes ranging from tributes to great designers to the celebration of culture and art within fashion. Thus, in 1973 we had: The World of Balenciaga or in 1983: Yves Saint Larent, 25 Years of Design , but we have also had controversial galas such as the one in 2013: Punk, Chaos to Culture or the one in 2015: China, Throught the Looking Glass, where there were quite diverse opinions on whether the theme of that year was considered cultural appropriation.
And on a very personal level, if I had to think of a gala that has left its mark on me, it would definitely be the one in 2018: Heavenly Bodies, Fashion and the Catholic , where we were able to be dazzled by truly spectacular dresses that remain in our memories to this day. 
In 2020, we didn't have a gala for obvious reasons, but last year the Costume Institute presented In America , an exhibition that was to be divided into two parts. The first, in 2021, was In America: A Lexicon of Fashion , where the theme invited us to explore fashion in America and I think that's where a bit of conflict arose, since the topic seemed too broad and ephemeral. Designers and guests could interpret it in many ways, from a tribute to American designers to an expression of political, economic or social issues. 
This 2022 we have the second part of this exhibition where the theme is In America: An Anthology of Fashion , which seeks to review fashion from the 18th century to the present. And yes, I know what you are thinking, that is also a very broad topic, however we have already read in some articles that they are trying to go for a more specific theme and that is where we arrive at the Gilded Glamour golden age, which goes from 1870 to 1900 in North America and is defined as a fashion that exuded opulence and was typical of the most privileged class. 
But we'll have to wait until May 5th to see what the designers and artists have in store for us. Will there be any surprises? I think so. Will Kim Kardashian give us another iconic look? Well, obviously.
Erick