Met Gala 2014: History & Charles James "Beyond Fashion" Advance Graphics Presentation

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Dubbed as the “Oscars of the East Coast”
The Costume Institute Gala at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art….
is one of the most important see-and-be-seen
events on the city’s social calendar.

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So What is All the Fuss About?
A Little History
Originated in 1948 when the Costume Institute was founded at the
Metropolitan Museum.
It was decided that the American fashion industry would both help to curate the
institute and supply its entire operating budget. Eleanor Lambert, who founded
the CFDA originally ran the party.
Matrons paid $50 to wear some of the Costume Institute’s gowns at a midnight
supper in December.
Vogue Editor Anna Wintour took over in 1995, and is credited with bringing a
Hollywood element to the party.
EleanorLambert
AnnaWintour

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Dollars and Cents
The Costume Institute Gala is actually one of the biggest fundraising nights in
New York each year.
Last year the gala reportedly raised nine
million dollars.
The year before, during the recession, the
tally came in at $5.4 million.
Vogue and Anna Wintour invite corporations to buy tables at the gala, $75,000 to
$250,000 depending on the size of the brand and its relationship with Vogue.

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Individual tickets also go up for sale,
but are hard to come by, and can cost up
to $25,000, depending on their location.
Ticket Prices
The affair, is attended by personalities from
the arts, fashion, high-society, film and
music.

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$5,000
$10,000
$15,000
$20,000
$25,000
$30,000
1948 2005 2013 2014
Individual MET Ticket Prices
Pric…

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Themes
Each year the event has a theme, and includes a cocktail hour and a formal dinner.
The theme not only sets the tone for the annual exhibit, but also for the guests
who attempt to dress to uphold the theme of the year.

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2011: Alexander
McQueen: Savage
Beauty
2012: Schiaparelli and
Prada: Impossible
Conversations
2013: Punk: Chaos to
Couture

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Christina
Ricci
Beyonce

10. 10Karolina Kukova
2012
Elizabeth Banks

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Beyonce
UmaThurman
Madonna

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The First Lady was there for the official grand
opening of the new Anna Wintour Costume
Center at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May
5, 2014.
A new exhibit at the center opened to the public
featuring the works of Charles James, whose
“Beyond Fashion” Exhibit, was the theme for this
years Met Gala. James is known as America’s first
and really only couturier until his death in 1978.

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14. Charles James
James was an artist who chose fabric and its
relationship to the human body as his
medium of expression.
His work went beyond fashion and was
considered to be fine art. Beyond Fashion
was also the title James chose for the
autobiography he never wrote.
After designing in his native London, and
then Paris, James arrived in New York City in
1940. With no formal training, he is one of
the greatest designers to have worked in the
tradition of the haute couture in America.
His fascination with complex cuts and
seaming led to the creation of key design
elements that he updated throughout his
career.
His iconic ball gowns from the late 1940s
and early 1950s the "Clover Leaf," "Butterfly,"
"Tree," Swan," and "Diamond“, will be
showcased in the exhibition. The exhibition
will explore James’s design process and his
use of sculptural, scientific, and
mathematical approaches to construct
ball gowns and innovative tailoring that
continue to influence designers today.
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RihannaKendallJenner
LiuWenSarahJParker
Blake Lively Hailee Steinfeld
Charlize Theron Arizone Muse

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Charles James: Beyond Fashion Costume Institute Gallery