Every year, celebrities and socialites flock to the Big Apple to attend the famous Met Gala event deemed the “Super Bowl” of fashion. But what even is the Met Gala? On the first Monday of May, the Museum of Modern Art hosts its annual fundraising event, the Met Gala, formally known as the Costume Institute Gala. This event attracts well-known people to enjoy an evening of performances, dinner, and a walk through of the new art exhibition. But perhaps the most notable event that occurs is the red carpet.

Hundreds of photographers photograph celebrities and their elaborate costume ideas. Every year, the committee comes up with a new theme This year’s theme was “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.” According to Vogue magazine, this is said to be the most controversial theme in the history of this event. Curator Andrew Bolton shared his opinion on this claim, “Some might consider fashion to be an unfitting or unseemly medium by which to engage with ideas about the sacred or the divine, but dress is central to any discussion about religion.” Anna Wintour, co-chair, backed him up stating, “Fashion reflects the world around us and nobody understands that more clearly than Andrew.”

The article “Met Gala by the Numbers: Quantifying Fashion’s Big Night Out” from Fortune magazine talks about how this high-end event breaks the banks of these celebrities, costing $30,000 per person or $275,000 per table just as an entry fee. These funds benefit the Museum’s costume institute. In addition to this, attendees must pay for their extravagant costumes, which can near 35,000 a piece, not even including the jewelry.

Some of the most lavish pieces this year were worn by Blake Lively, who arrived wearing a beautiful red and gold studded gown with a long trail of embellished fabric flowing behind her. As stated in Money’s article, “Blake Lively’s Insane 2018 Met Gala Look,” the bodice of her dress took more than 600 hours to make, that is around 25 consecutive days of sewing. Lively rocked two million dollars’ worth of custom Lorraine Schwartz jewelry to this event. This included gold bracelets, ruby and diamond rings, 30-carat Colombian emerald earrings, and the most notable piece, a custom halo consisting of 100 champagne diamonds.

Another staple outfit worn this year was rocked by Rihanna. Her outfit included a tall, intricately embellished headpiece and strapless beaded minidress under her jeweled overcoat. This costume was meant to represent the Pope’s papal, going along with the Catholic theme.

Freshman Marti Candel shared her favorite outfit of the night: “Personally, my favorite outfit was worn by Kendall Jenner, she looked elegant and simple. It contrasted nicely with all the other extravagant outfits.” Kendall Jenner; came wearing an off-white jumpsuit accompanied with simple makeup and a slick ponytail.

The elite gather at this event to celebrate the opening of the new exhibition at the museum. The Vogue article “Met Gala 2018: Everything You Need to Know” revealed the difficulty Andrew Bolton went through to create this exhibit. He worked hard to secure certain artifacts, which never left the hands of the Vatican. It took Bolton ten trips to Rome to obtain around 40 accessories and vestments worn by the church. Some items he put onto display were Pope Leo XIII’s pointed bishop’s hat and Pope Benedict XV’s white silk and gold thread embroidered cape. These will be displayed alongside pieces done by Coco Chanel, Donatella Versace, and Cristóbal Balenciaga. As another unforgettable Met Gala season comes to an end, celebrities and viewers around the world reminisce the event and anticipate what next year’s theme will be.