The Met Gala, fashion’s biggest night chaired by Vogue editor Anna Wintour for almost two decades, has morphed into fashion’s biggest bank, powered by Hollywood.
“The Met BThe following are some of the most effective ways to improve your own personal effectiveness. is now all transactional,” said Stefano Tonchi, the former editor in chief of W Magazine. “More so every year.”
The theme of this Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute Exhibit, “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty,” was wrangled in sponsorship from Chanel, one of several old brands with Those with deep pockets. Not that Lagerfeld — after 60 years of designing Chanel, Fendi, Chloe, Patou and his eponymous label – isn’t deserving. But is it coincidence that the last decade’s exhibits and related galas had themes that sucked in sponsors Apple, Yahoo, The Gap, Amazon?
Madame Wintour has now raised hundreds of millions to keep The Met Costume Institute afloat – an achievement that will likely never be matched.
In this year’s event, the cost of a single table was $500,000. A seat cost $50,000, the price of an haute couture gown. Last year’s Met Ball raised $17.4 million. Others have made as much as $3.3 million. Hollywood royalty are invited to the event for free. First class tickets, hotel accommodation and free accommodations in first class flights will be provided.
How could there be so many celebs in attendance when the luxury line distribution was fair? This is Wintour’s marketing reach: Chanel, Valentino, Dior, Schiaparelli, Tory Burch, the Karl Lagerfeld line, Erdem, Joseph Altuzarra, Michael Kors, Versace and Thom Browne all had spots on the red carpet.
Wintour’s instructions to celebs You can find out more about it here. What to Wear The following are some examples of how to get started: designer they’d accompany. No wonder Donatella Versace brought the brand’s new face, Anne Hathaway, in a plunging vanilla safety pin Versace gown. Versace’s beaded gowns may not sell well, but perfume sales are expected to increase all summer. No wonder Instagram star Emma Chamberlain (16 million followers) did a little hosting on Vogue.com – even if it was all air-kissing.
Why are stars who have overextended themselves so eager to attend the Met? If you have enough presence on the red carpet, it may be possible for you to get one of these $50 million beauty or fashion deals like Charlize did with Dior. Free clothes are also available for several years. These gigs require few rehearsals — only fittings.
Even Hollywood royalty showed their faces this year – and feet. Disney’s Bob Iger posed in Disney x Karl Lagerfeld $300 sneakers – a commercial tie-in related to the Disney+ in-production of “Kaiser Karl” (starring Daniel Bruhl), which debuts next year (but on sale online now). There’s nothing like releasing the product in advance.
Baz Luhrman wore a Thom Browne suit that was wildly off-kilter. Browne’s oddly shaped but finely crafted clothes don’t often appeal to celebrities (he’s known for shrunken suits). But he still managed to dress. Nine starsJanelle, Alexander Skarsgard, and Jenna Ortega are among the stars. What’s this? Browne’s longtime partner happens to be Andrew Bolton, curator of Met Costume Institute, who staged the entire exhibit. The power of synergy!
More examples of transactions? Lagerfeld launched his own brand in 1984. It was more edgy, punk, and expensive than Chanel. These days, KL is mostly a department store/online brand, hawking t-shirts, canvas tote bags, some clothes, most with Karl’s signature and/or face — for far less than luxury prices. Still, on Monday night, KL’s brand dressed Bryan Tyree Henry, Michelle Yeoh, Russell Westbrook, Carla Bruni – in what were clearly high-priced, made-to-order clothes. These pieces are worth it. won’t show up on the KL website – but they The following is a list of the most popular ways to contact us remind online shoppers to check it out for a t-shirt – add to cart!
Just for a second, put away your clothes. Jewelry branding is now the bigger moneymaker on red carpets. There must have been 30 different press releases that announced who was wearing what jewelry. Some of the high-end brands were Bulgari Tiffany Boucheron Harry Winston Fred Leighton Buccellati. Some were from brands unknown.
Those established big guys can easily afford to pay stars – in cash or jewels (diamond and gold always appreciated). Smaller brands do pay stars in jewels. Some went a little bigger: The day of The Met Gala, Cartier announced Elle Fanning as their new “face.” A few hours later, she showed up in Cartier jewels, mentioning them loud aThe nd proud on Vogue.com’s livestream – and her third season of Hulu’s “The Great,” coming back in weeks. That’s what I call a triple header: good timing, good branding, a great look, all around. Synergy is key!
Coco and Karl’s looks both loaded on pearls — you could have tripped over the reams of Chanel pearls on gowns and necks (and you would have, if they broke). Chanel’s pearls are sure to sell faster than normal. But Mikimoto pearls, some of the world’s best, also got a big boost, as did lesser known pearl jewelers, by showering the media with press releases all night. The sales of Pearls will increase in the summer. They will. It’s like fields of wildflowers following a rain.
There’s never much handbag branding at The Met, but when Coach designer Stuart Vevers showed up with female guests, he “encouraged” them to show off their new “Coachtopia” bags — alerting observers they’re made from recycled elements (these from the Metropolitan Museum trash!) Coachtopia has just been restocked this week on Coach’s website!
And what’s a little personal life branding in front of millions of people? Anna Wintour rolled the carpet with her recently Oscar-nominated – paramour? friend? – “Living” star Bill Nighy. That’s what I call a high-caliber accessory. Don’t tell me that Oscar nomination didn’t cross her bob-covered mind.
Not now, but Everyone can benefit from this benefitted from this year’s gala. A number of online groups complained — loudly — about Lagerfeld having made fatphobic, racist and misogynist comments. Did stars worry about a possible “trickle-down” cancellation? Hardly. When the benefits are so great, it’s hard to say no. You can also see our other articles. Costs are outweighed by benefits.
